Tag Archives: tips

How vs. what…like These two expressions are sometimes interchangeable and sometimes not: How are you? What is she like? The media tell us what the perfect body looks like. / The media tell us how the perfect body looks. It … Continue reading →

either vs. as well/too Spot the error in these sentences: “I don’t like vanilla ice cream and I don’t like chocolate cake too.” “We are not disinclined to accepting the changes, and our customers are not adverse to the changes … Continue reading →

Take note vs. take notes “Take note of this tip; take notes if you need help remembering.” “To take note of something” means to pay attention to it. E.g. “I took note of his advice, but I still ignored it.” … Continue reading →

Get vs. acquire; get vs. become “Get” and “acquire” are not interchangeable, because “acquire” means specifically to gain possession of and is normally not used with things you cannot actually have and hold, such as attention. CORRECT: “I finally got … Continue reading →

Sentence fragments can sound very, very silly in English. Slovenian seems to have a higher tolerance for syntax-poor snippets of language. Though we are tempted to say, “Always use full sentences,” that would be going too far! Instead, a simple … Continue reading →

Two very useful expressions for (often useless and unproductive) reciprocal actions are: 1) to and fro 2) back and forth Make sure, however, not to mix and match them! NOT: “They threw insults back and fro.” But: “They threw insults … Continue reading →

“According to” vs. “in accordance with” Note the difference between these two expressions. Perhaps it’s easiest to think of “according to” as a synonym for “says”, and “in accordance with” as a synonym for “in conformity with”. 1) According to … Continue reading →

Consider these structures. Which is correct? 1) “I was involved in a six year long fan relationship with a bad football team.” 2) “I was involved in a six-year long fan relationship with a bad football team.” 3) “I was … Continue reading →

Amount vs. number vs. a lot “Amount” is normally (especially in formal writing) used to talk about quantities of uncountable things, whereas “number” is used for countable items. E.g. “No amount of money could make me take a cold shower … Continue reading →

War. Capitalize the titles of wars, and use Roman numerals: 1) World War I or the First World War 2) World War II or the Second World War 3) the Cold War (“cold war” is fine if you use it … Continue reading →