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Tag Archives: Nouns
The difference between “reduce”, “decrease” and “diminish”
Usage as verbs RIGHT The population of Italy has decreased in recent years. WRONG The population of Italy has reduced in recent years. In this example “decreased” is correct. This is because nobody is making Italy’s population get smaller – … Continue reading
How to use “worth”
WRONG It might not work, but I think that in our current circumstances it is worth to try. Using the structure “worth to do something” is a very common mistake. It is ALWAYS WRONG. RIGHT It might not work, but … Continue reading
How to translate “termin” (time expression)
The Polish word “termin” can mean a period of time or a point in time. In English, the word “term” can also mean a period of time or a point in time. But “term” has very specific uses (relating to … Continue reading
The difference between “practice” and “practise”
In British English – like “licence/license” and “advice/advise” – “practice” is a NOUN and “practise” is a VERB: NOUN Safeguarding clients’ personal data should be standard practice in the company. He has been a lawyer for many years, but he … Continue reading
The difference between “licence” and “license”
“Licence” is the British English NOUN – The bar has received a licence to sell alcohol. “License” is the British English VERB – We are now licensed to sell alcohol. You can remember this because it is the same as … Continue reading
The difference between “prescribe” and “proscribe”
The verbs “prescribe” and “proscribe” are very close in spelling and pronunciation but almost opposites in meaning. Don’t get them confused! “Prescribe” means “stipulate” or “order”. Perhaps the most common usage is in the field of medicine – where a … Continue reading
How to translate “przedsiębiorca”
“Przedsiębiorca” is usually translated as “entrepreneur”. Although this is one of several possible translations, 99% of the time it is the wrong word. First of all, look at a Polish definition of “przedsiębiorca”: Zgodnie z definicją zawartą w art. 431 kodeksu … Continue reading
The difference between “commitment” and “commission” (and “committee” and “committal”)
The verb “commit” has numerous related noun forms: commitment, commission, committal and committee. Many people – native English speakers included – do not know all the differences between them. A criminal “commits a crime”. But we cannot talk about the … Continue reading
The difference between countable and uncountable nouns (unit and mass nouns)
Distinguishing between countable nouns (unit nouns) and uncountable nouns (mass nouns) can be very difficult. This area is the source of many mistakes. Unit nouns have two forms, singular and plural: e.g. a chair, chairs. You can say 1 chair, … Continue reading
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Tagged Articles, Countable and uncountable nouns, Nouns, Quantifiers, Singular or plural
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The “family is” or the “family are”?
Collective nouns are words that describe groups of people or things, e.g. “family” or “team”. Grammatically they are singular, but as they describe more than one individual, they may also take the plural form of a verb or use a … Continue reading
Common Mistakes in Business English 