Mini les 5
A few language tips
I. use 'z' in writing words that end in '-ize' (in British English it is '-ise')
II. say explain to
example:
Please explain to me what happened. NOT Please explain me what......
III. there are several meanings for 'excuse', and two pronunciations
'excuse' - verb (pronounced excuzzz)
examples:
Please excuse me for interrupting you.
He is excused from gym because he has a note from his mom.
'escuse' - noun (pronounced excusss)
example:
My excuse is that the dog ate my homework, or have I used that excuse before?
IV. avoid double past tense verbs
examples:
"He didn't came" is incorrect. It should be "He didn't come"
rule:
With 'did not' use the present tense of the verb
V. Spelling error
Personeel is incorrect
Personnel is correct when you mean people who work at your company.
Personal means 1) something belongs to you or ) it is something you don't
want to share.
VI. Confusing 'when' and 'if'
Many Dutch speakers say 'when' when they should say 'if'
"When I would do that, you wouldn’t like it." This is incorrect
RULE: conditionals always start with if:
If means that you are not sure something will happen. When means that you know it will happen, you’re just not sure if it will be tomorrow, next week, or next year.
Be careful: If you start a conditional sentence with when, it can change your meaning entirely and you may end up saying something you don’t want to.
If we rob this bank, we’ll be rich. (I haven’t decided yet if we will rob the bank. No need to call the police.)
When we rob this bank, we’ll be rich. (Decision made!)