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Tag Archives: Nouns
Order of adjectives
Remember the film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? I didn’t see it either. But it doesn’t matter. The point I’m going to discuss here is why we can’t say “My Greek Fat Big Wedding”. In English there are rules about … Continue reading
How to use “all”, “whole” and “entire”
The words “all”, “whole” and “entire” are quantifiers. This means they indicate aspects of quantity. Their usage depends on the type of noun they describe, i.e. singular or plural, countable or uncountable. ALL “All (of the)” can generally be used … Continue reading
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Tagged Countable and uncountable nouns, Nouns, Quantifiers, Singular or plural
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Is “data” singular or plural?
The answer is – both. The word “data” is a Latin word. It is the plural of “datum”. “Data” means facts or information; “datum” means one fact or a single item of information. “Data” and “datum” are usually used to … Continue reading
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Tagged Countable and uncountable nouns, Nouns, Quantifiers, Singular or plural
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How to translate “ekspertyza”
WRONG Please send us an electronic version of the Purchaser’s technical expertise dated 29 November 2014. RIGHT Please send us an electronic version of the Purchaser’s technical opinion dated 29 November 2014. Do NOT translate ekspertyza as expertise. These words … Continue reading
The difference between “ask” and “request”
These words have similar meanings, but they are used a little differently. Usage as verbs “Request” means “ask for”, NOT “ask”. You “ask a question”, but you can’t “request a question”. E.g.: WRONG He requested whether I’d read the email. … Continue reading
How to use the word “holiday”
WRONG I am currently on holidays. He is on his holidays now and will be returning to the office next week. RIGHT I am currently on holiday. He is on holiday now and will be returning to the office next … Continue reading
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Tagged Adjectives, British/US English, Nouns, Useful everyday phrases, Verbs
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The difference between “principal” and “principle”
These words are pronounced the same way, but their meanings are different. “Principal” can be an adjective and a noun. It is most commonly used as an adjective, meaning “main” or “most important”: Her principal area of responsibility is economic … Continue reading
The difference between “affect” and “effect”
Generally speaking, the difference is this: “affect” is a verb meaning to have an influence on, to cause a change in something (often negative), “effect” is a noun meaning a result. So, for example: If an area is affected by flooding, … Continue reading
How to use the word “control”
“Control” can be either a noun or a verb. It is commonly misused in both instances. “Control” as a noun WRONG As the Branch is an organisational part of the Company, the public authorities may ask for these documents in … Continue reading
The difference between Shareholders’ meeting and Shareholders meeting
Do you add the apostrophe to Shareholders’ meeting? Or do you prefer Shareholders meeting, without the apostrophe? Both are in fact correct. It may seem like a very small point, but misunderstanding the underlying grammar is the source of some … Continue reading
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Tagged Adjectives, Compound nouns, Noun groups, Nouns, Possession, Punctuation, Word order
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Common Mistakes in Business English 