Living in another country can help us see our own country in a new light.

David Wen has lived in the Netherlands for five years and has made a video about how he sees the US through new eyes.

• agenda (unless it’s for a meeting), use ‘plan’ instead
• advance, use ‘improve’ or something more specific
• collaborate, use ‘work with’
• combat (unless military), use ‘solve’, ‘fix’ or something more specific
• commit/pledge, use ‘plan to x’, or ‘we’re going to x’ where ‘x’ is a specific verb
• counter, use ‘prevent’ or try to rephrase a solution to a problem
• deliver, use ‘make’, ‘create’, ‘provide’ or a more specific term (pizzas, post and services are delivered – not abstract concepts like improvements)
• deploy (unless it’s military or software), use ‘use’ or if putting something somewhere use ‘build’, ‘create’ or ‘put into place’
• dialogue, use ‘spoke to’ or ‘discussion’
• disincentivise, use ‘discourage’ or ‘deter’
• empower, use ‘allow’ or ‘give permission’
• facilitate, say something specific about how you’re helping – for example, use ‘run’ if talking about a workshop
• focus, use ‘work on’ or ‘concentrate on’
• foster (unless it’s children), use ‘encourage’ or ‘help’
• impact (unless talking about a collision), use ‘have an effect on’ or ‘influence’
• incentivise, use ‘encourage’ or ‘motivate’
• initiate, use ‘start’ or ‘begin’
• key (unless it unlocks something), usually not needed but can use ‘important’ or ‘significant’
• land (unless you’re talking about aircraft), depending on context, use ‘get’ or ‘achieve’
• leverage (unless in the financial sense), use ‘influence’ or ‘use’
• liaise, use ‘work with’ or ‘work alongside’
• overarching, usually superfluous but can use ‘encompassing’
• progress, use ‘work on’ or ‘develop’ or ‘make progress’
• promote (unless talking about an ad campaign or career advancement), use ‘recommend’ or ‘support’
• robust (unless talking about a sturdy object), depending on context, use ‘well thought out’ or ‘comprehensive’
• slim down (unless talking about one’s waistline), use ‘make smaller’ or ‘reduce the size’
• streamline, use ‘simplify’ or ‘remove unnecessary administration’
• strengthening (unless it’s strengthening bridges or other structures), depending on context, use ‘increasing funding’ or ‘concentrating on’ or ‘adding more staff’
• tackle (unless talking about fishing tackle or a physical tackle, like in rugby), use ‘stop’, ‘solve’ or ‘deal with’
• transform, describe what you’re doing to change the thing
• utilise, use ‘use’

Words can make your message clear and understandable.

Choose them wisely.

Making mistakes when speaking English is like taking detours on a road trip. They might lead you down unexpected paths, but each one offers a chance to learn and discover new aspects of the language journey.

Christine

I often hear people say, “I look forward to meet you” when they ought to say, “I look forward to meeting you” if they want to be grammatically correct.

Imagine you get an email saying, “Can’t wait for our chat next week! I look forward to meet you.“

Now, it’s super clear they’re excited, but the grammar’s gone a bit haywire.

It’s like wearing mismatched socks to a fancy dinner. It’s not a big deal! It just stands out.

Swap that “meet” with “meeting” and voilà!:

“Can’t wait for our chat next week! I look forward to meeting you.“

Or even: “Can’t wait for our chat next week! I’m looking forward to meeting you.“*

* In practice, both phrases are widely used and the difference is subtle. The choice between them often comes down to personal preference and the tone you want to convey in your message.

And here a quick reminder: