From: Translation Bureau
Language Navigator allows you to search by keyword or by theme to quickly find answers to questions about language or writing in English and French. To learn more about this search engine, consult the section entitled About Language Navigator.
New to Language Navigator? Learn how to search for content in Language Navigator.
Search by keyword
Search fields
Search by theme
Search by theme to quickly access all of the Portal’s language resources related to a specific theme.
About Language Navigator
Language Navigator simultaneously searches all of the writing tools, quizzes and blog posts on the Language Portal of Canada. It gives you access to everything you need to write well in English and French: articles on language difficulties, linguistic recommendations, conjugation tables, translation suggestions and much more.
To translate a term or to find answers to terminology questions in a specialized field, please consult TERMIUM Plus®.
Results 31 to 40 of 110 (page 4 of 11)
culminate in
The verb culminate is followed by the preposition in (not with). The rise in the level of lead in the drinking water culminated in the declaration of a state of emergency in the town.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,190
compliment on
After the verb compliment, use the preposition on to introduce the reason for the compliment. Sarah complimented the chef on the meal.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,172
equally, equally as, just as
Equally as is non-standard English because the preposition as is unnecessary after the adverb equally. Her photographs and her sister’s are equally good (not equally as good). This map is more colourful, but the old one is equally accurate. The phrase just as may often be substituted for equally. This map is more colourful, but the old one is just as accurate.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,155
noun clause
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Some clauses are independent: they can stand alone as sentences. Others are dependent: they cannot stand alone and need an independent clause, or sentence, to support them. These dependent clauses act as adjectives, adverbs or nouns. A dependent clause that acts as a noun is called a noun clause. Structure Noun clauses most often begin with the subordinating conjunction that. Other words that may begin a noun clause are if, how, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, who, whoever, whom and why. Function Since a noun clause acts as a noun, it can do anything that a noun can do. A noun clause can be a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, an object of a preposition, a subject complement, an object complement or an appositive. Examples Subject: Whatever you decide is fine with me. Direct object: I can see by your bouncy personality that you’d enjoy bungee jumping. Indirect object: We will give whoever drops by a free Yogalates lesson. Object of preposition: Lacey talked at length about how she had won the perogy-eating contest. Subject complement: The problem is that my GPS is lost. Object complement: Call me whatever names you like; you’re still not borrowing my car. Appositive: Al’s assumption that bubble tea was carbonated turned out to be false. A key difference between noun clauses and other dependent clauses Other dependent clauses act as adjectives and adverbs. We can remove them and still have a complete independent clause left, with a subject and verb and any necessary complements. That is not the case with most noun clauses. Usually, a noun clause is too essential to the sentence to be removed. Consider these examples: Whether you drive or fly is up to you. I wondered if you would like to go to the barbecue. Sandy led us to where she had last seen the canoe. If we remove these noun clauses, what is left will not make much sense: … is up to you. I wondered …. Sandy led us to …. That is because, in each example above, the noun clause forms a key part of the independent clause: it acts as the subject, the direct object, the object of a preposition. Without those key parts, the independent clauses do not express complete thoughts. A sentence containing a noun clause is thus the one case in which an “independent” clause may actually need a dependent clause to be complete! Commas Noun clauses may need to be set off by one or two commas in the following situations. Appositives An appositive is a noun or nominal (a word or word group acting as a noun) that is placed next to another noun to explain it. For example, in the following sentence, the noun phrase the mayor of Riverton is an appositive explaining who John Allen is: John Allen, the mayor of Riverton, is speaking tonight. Noun clauses are nominals and can act as appositives. In that case, they may require commas if they are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. I did not believe his original statement, that he had won the lottery, until he proved it to us. Here, the words his original statement identify which statement is meant, so the noun clause provides information that is merely additional and not essential. For that reason, the clause is set off with commas. Compare that example to the one below: I did not believe his statement that he had won the lottery until he proved it to us. In this case, the noun clause is essential for identifying which statement is meant. It therefore takes no commas. Unusual position If the noun clause is in an unusual position, it may require a comma: That the work was done, we cannot deny. (object before verb) BUTThat the work was done is certainly true. (subject before verb, as usual) Whatever I say, she argues with. (object before its preposition) BUTWhatever I say seems to annoy her. (subject before verb, as usual) Clarity As the above examples show, we do not normally use a comma for a noun clause acting as subject at the beginning of the sentence, because that is the usual position for a subject. However, a comma may sometimes be needed to prevent confusion if two identical verbs end up side by side: Who the owner of this money is, is a mystery. Whatever property Alexandra still had, had increased greatly in value.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,075
opposition (in opposition)
Being in opposition means standing against someone or something. Note that the expression is followed by the preposition to. The majority of the town’s residents were in opposition to the parks department’s proposal.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,030
take account of, take into account
The expression take account is followed by the preposition of. In planning the cast’s costumes, the wardrobe mistress had to take account of the reduced budget. If the preposition into is used before the noun account, then no preposition is used after the noun. Take into account the time difference when telephoning overseas.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 2,000
English Usage Guides (1974, volume 7, 5)
Peter Gawn (Terminology Update, Volume 7, Number 5, 1974, page 3) TOPIC: Due to … PROBLEM: Should due to be used as a prepositional phrase in place of owing to or because of? Incorrect Use: Due to the storm he postponed his canoe trip. Correct Use: Owing to (Because of) the storm … AUTHORITIES: This is a question on which the authorities are divided. They all agree that due to is commonly used in this way, and many of those who oppose it concede that it will become generally accepted in time. The usage is originally American rather than British, and Canadians follow the American practice in their speech, as Orkin points out (p. 154). The OED supplement (1933) records it as frequent in US use, and Foster notes it in reputable British newspapers from 1956. MEU remarks that "the offending usage is literally part of the Queen’s English" and quotes from the Throne Speech read by the Queen when opening the Canadian Parliament in October 1957: "Due to inability to market their grain…" Nevertheless, an impressive number of authorities on both sides of the Atlantic do not like it, and the usage is condemned by, among others, CGSM, COD, G&M and the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel. The grammatical pros and cons do not seem too solid, so that the matter becomes finally one of taste. SUMMARY: It would be hard to improve on the comment in Plain Words (p. 132): "Many readers feel very strongly against the "incorrect" use, common though it is. The sensible writer should therefore try to form a habit of using it correctly." The touchstone for correct use is whether or not attributable can be substituted for due, e.g. "The postponement of this canoe trip was due to the storm." SUGGESTED FICHE: Avoid the use of due to as a prepositional phrase in place of owing to or because of. Check for proper use by substituting attributable to. KEY TO REFERENCE WORKS: CGSM: Style Manual for Writers and Editors, Queen’s Printer, 1962. COD: Concise Oxford Dictionary, OUP, 1969. Foster: Brian Foster, The Changing English Language, Penguin 1970, p. 226. G&M: Style Book, Globe & Mail, Toronto, 1969. MEU: A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, H.W. Fowler, Second Edition, OUP, 1965. OED: Oxford English Dictionary. Orkin: Speaking Canadian English, M.M. Orkin, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Plain Words: The Complete Plain Words, E. Gowers & B. Fraser, HMSO, 1973.Source: Favourite Articles (language professionals’ insights on English language issues)
Number of views: 1,957
provide against, provide for, provide with
The verb provide can be followed by the prepositions against, for and with. The expression provide against means to prepare for a possible difficulty or disaster. Special provisions were made to provide against a potential earthquake. The expression provide for has a similar meaning. They gathered many supplies to provide for an emergency. For can also be used after the verb provide to introduce the person receiving what is provided. The pattern is provide + direct object + for + receiver(s). Aid organizations provided food and water for the victims of the earthquake. With is used after the verb provide to introduce whatever is being provided. The pattern is provide + indirect object (receiver) + with + item(s) provided. Susan provided him with all of the information that he needed to write the report.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,879
secure against, secure from, secure in
The adjective secure can be followed by the prepositions against, from and in. The base was made secure against attack. People generally have a need to feel safe and secure from harm. Secure in the certainty that she was not observed, Selina rifled through the contents of the desk.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,862
fragment, sentence fragment
A sentence must express a complete thought. The length of the sentence is not important; it may be very long or very short, but it must make sense by itself. Sometimes writers mistakenly believe that a long sentence is too long and divide it in two, creating an error called a sentence fragment. In grammar, the term “sentence fragment” refers to an incomplete group of words punctuated as a sentence. Often, the fragment has been broken off from the sentence before or after it, and you can fix it simply by re-attaching it. At other times, you may need to add or remove words to turn a fragment into a complete sentence. Most fragments are phrases, dependent clauses or mixed constructions. The sections below show examples of each type of fragment and the way to fix it. Phrases A phrase or a series of phrases may contain several words. But the word group cannot express a complete thought because it lacks something essential to a sentence: a subject or a verb, or both. In the examples below, the fragments are in bold: Verb phrase (lacks a subject) Fragmented: A sudden wind pounced on the piles of leaves. And scattered them across the neatly raked lawn. Revised: A sudden wind pounced on the piles of leaves and scattered them across the neatly raked lawn. Noun phrase (lacks a verb) Fragmented: We saw a performance by Natasha Ivanovna. A ballerina related to my husband’s family. Revised: We saw a performance by Natasha Ivanovna, a ballerina related to my husband’s family. Absolute phrase (may contain a verbal but lacks a verb) Fragmented: His work finally done. Ali relaxed with a movie. Revised: His work finally done, Ali relaxed with a movie. Series of verbal phrases (lacks a subject and a verb) Fragmented: Looking like landscapes made out of modelling clay. Cloud banks drifted lazily across the sky. Revised: Looking like landscapes made out of modelling clay, cloud banks drifted lazily across the sky. Series of prepositional phrases (lacks a subject and a verb) Fragmented: The stream flowed swiftly along. Over the rocks and boulders in its path and through the thirsty fields. Revised: The stream flowed swiftly along over the rocks and boulders in its path and through the thirsty fields. Dependent clauses Unlike a phrase, a dependent clause contains a subject and a verb. But it does not express a complete thought. To make sense, it must be connected to an independent clause (a simple sentence): Adjective clause Fragmented: I need to write a thank-you note to Aunt Maude. Who sent me the turtle-shaped soup tureen. Revised: I need to write a thank-you note to Aunt Maude, who sent me the turtle-shaped soup tureen. Adverb clause Fragmented: Because we didn’t have enough paper for the new printer. We had to make a quick trip to the store. Revised: Because we didn’t have enough paper for the new printer, we had to make a quick trip to the store. Series of dependent clauses Fragmented: After we left the campsite where we had stayed for a week. We drove on to Toronto for the Exhibition. Revised: After we left the campsite where we had stayed for a week, we drove on to Toronto for the Exhibition. Fragmented: Motorists taking this route are at risk. If they don’t know that there is a hairpin turn down the road. Revised: Motorists taking this route are at risk if they don’t know that there is a hairpin turn down the road. Mixed constructions A mixed construction is a “sentence” made up of mismatched parts. One very common example is a prepositional phrase followed by a verb. The writer is trying to use the object of the preposition as the subject of the verb. But the object can’t do double duty, so the word group ends up as a fragment, without a subject. Here’s an example: Fragmented: By working out regularly will keep you in shape. In the fragment above, there’s no subject for the verb “will keep.” (“Working out regularly” is the object of the preposition “By”; therefore, it can’t serve as subject of the sentence.) Solution 1: Drop the preposition “By.” Working out regularly will keep you in shape. Solution 2: Add the subject “you” and reword. By working out regularly, you can keep in shape. Tip for detecting a fragment Sentence fragments can be hard to detect, since they usually sound all right when you read them together with the surrounding sentences. Here’s a trick: starting from the end of the paragraph, read each “sentence” aloud on its own. Usually the fragments won’t sound complete, and you’ll be able to pick them out more easily. Acceptable uses Although fragments are usually avoided in formal writing, there are occasionally situations in which they are acceptable. For instance, in a vertical list, the bulleted items are often fragments. And in a resumé, fragments are usually used to list points related to education or employment: for example, “2019-2022. Completed a Bachelor of Arts degree.” Finally, skilled writers sometimes intentionally use fragments for effect, as this excerpt from the opening chapter of Dickens’ novel Bleak House illustrates: Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green aits and meadows; fog down the river, where it rolls deified among the tiers of shipping and the waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city. Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights. […] Chance people on the bridges peeping over the parapets into a nether sky of fog, with fog all round them, as if they were up in a balloon and hanging in the misty clouds.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,823