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Category Archives: Elementary

Mo-Fr, Sa+Su

You’re probably not going to confuse anybody by using two-letter abbreviations for days. But English doesn’t do that.

Posted byMike WilkinsonFebruary 15, 2021February 15, 2021Posted inElementary, Fake EnglishTags:dunglish, engelsLeave a comment on Mo-Fr, Sa+Su

Twenty twenty-one

The way dates are said out loud is sometimes a little different to the spoken form of a simple number. Short and simple.

Posted byMike WilkinsonJanuary 1, 2021Posted inElementaryTags:decimale komma, duizenden, dunglish, engels, jaartallen, scheidingstekenLeave a comment on Twenty twenty-one

I before E (except after C)

Lots of people think this (or even just the first part) is supposed to be a spelling rule and get annoyed by the exceptions. But they’ve only learned part of it!

Posted byMike WilkinsonDecember 24, 2020December 24, 2020Posted inElementaryTags:engels1 Comment on I before E (except after C)

A black-and-white issue?

You’d think colours are pretty elementary and there ought to be no mistakes there. But there are still pitfalls when colours are combined.

Posted byMike WilkinsonNovember 20, 2020Posted inElementary, PunctuationTags:dunglish, engels, geel-zwart, rood-wit, zwart-wit1 Comment on A black-and-white issue?

A new threat

Dutch doesn’t have words that end in D. Or rather, the pronunciation is the same as a final T so they have a hard time distinguishing the two.

Posted byMike WilkinsonNovember 10, 2020Posted inElementary, VerbsTags:dt-fouten, dunglish, engels3 Comments on A new threat

GB, England and the UK

The term “Great Britain” has nothing to do with delusions of grandeur. It’s just the biggest island in the group, same as Gran Canaria or Grand Cayman.

Posted byMike WilkinsonJune 7, 2020June 8, 2020Posted inCultural, ElementaryTags:dunglish, Engeland, engels, GB, Groot-BritanniĆ«, Verenigd Koninkrijk, VKLeave a comment on GB, England and the UK

Using “a” and “an”

Whether to use “a” or “an” depends on if a vowel follows. But remember: that’s determined by the spoken sound, not the alphabetical letter.

Posted byMike WilkinsonMay 26, 2020May 26, 2020Posted inArticles, ElementaryTags:acroniemen, dunglish, engels, klinker1 Comment on Using “a” and “an”

The Netherlands

Um… surely not. The Dutch don’t make mistakes when referring to their own country, do they? It turns out to be a surprisingly tricky one.

Posted byMike WilkinsonMay 24, 2020May 31, 2020Posted inAddressing, Elementary, PluralsTags:adres, dunglish, engels, gebruik hoofdletters, gebruik meervoud, hoofdletters, NederlandLeave a comment on The Netherlands

Checking the controls

Controls are mechanisms or procedures for making machines or processes behave as you want, i.e. controlling them, not checking them.

Posted byMike WilkinsonMay 9, 2020May 21, 2020Posted inElementary, Mistranslations, Valse vriendenTags:controle, controleren, dunglish, engels, EurospeakLeave a comment on Checking the controls

Decimal points

It’s the kind of thing that ought to belong in Elementary Dunglish but, surprisingly or not, it remains the commonest simple mistake of all.

Posted byMike WilkinsonMay 2, 2020May 31, 2020Posted inElementary, PunctuationTags:decimale komma, decimale punt, duizenden, dunglish, engels, komma, scheidingstekenLeave a comment on Decimal points

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