RSS feedhttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-newsen-gbFri, 29 Mar 2024 16:35:55 +0100Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:35:55 +0100TYPO3 EXT:newsnews-14006Mon, 22 Jan 2024 13:11:02 +0100‘Its’ or ‘their’ when referring to companies and organisations?https://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/its-or-their-when-referring-to-companies-and-organisationsThere are no official rules on the use of ‘its’ or 'their' when referring to companies or organisations. The choice often comes down to personal preference and style. That said, there are some guidelines you can follow.

When referring to companies as a single entity, it’s appropriate to use ‘its’. For example:

  • WeBuildSmarter is known for its sustainable products.
  • The company launched its new product.

‘Their’ is used to signal a more collective approach that includes the individuals within the company. This usage can be more informal and is seen in contexts where the focus is on the collective actions of the people in the organisation. For example:

  • Google is a tech giant, and their employees are working on many exciting projects.

In practice, both forms are common and accepted, but it’s important that you are consistent in their use. Always consider the context and tone of the communication when deciding which pronouns to use. If you’re writing formally, ‘its’ is most appropriate, while ‘their’ may be a better choice in more informal contexts.

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news-13785Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:37:49 +0200'May' and 'might'https://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/may-and-mightAt times, it can be difficult to choose between the modal verbs 'may' and ‘might’, as they are very similar in meaning. When faced with the choice, you should primarily consider the degree of probability you wish to express.

'May' is used to express a very high degree of probability (bordering on certainty) that something will happen:

  • I may be tired Monday morning.

Furthermore, 'may' is also used to request or grant permission:

  • May I call it a day?
  • Yes, you may.

'Might' is typically not used in the context of permission. Instead, 'might' is used when you want to express a weaker degree of probability or a more uncertain outcome:

  • I might be back later.

'Might' is also used to describe hypothetical situations:

  • If I went to bed earlier, I might feel better."
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news-13642Thu, 07 Sep 2023 12:24:52 +0200The past participle in Danish – when verbs function as adjectives for a plural subjecthttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/the-past-participle-in-danish-when-verbs-function-as-adjectives-for-a-plural-subjectIn Danish, it can at times cause quite a headache to figure out how to correctly conjugate the verb in a sentence when it modifies the subject.There are two options: -t or -ede:

  • Universitetets låse blev udskiftet eller udskiftede.
  • Universitetets vinduer er snavset eller snavsede.

Which is correct? Well, you’ll need to figure out whether you’re dealing with an action or a state. An action takes the -t form, while a state requires the -ede form.

There are two easy rules of thumb if you find it difficult to distinguish between them:

  • An action can reveal itself if you add ‘blevet’ or ‘af’ in the sentence: ’Universitetets låse blev udskiftet (af Jan og Ole)’.
  • A state can be identified by adding a modifier (’meget’, ’temmelig’, ’ret’, etc.) in front of the past participle: ’Universitetets vinduer er (utroligt) snavsede’.

In some cases, when it proves difficult to decide whether it’s an action or a state, you may use both forms; the -t form, however, is often preferred in such cases.

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news-13351Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200Demonstrative pronouns: About this and thathttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/demonstrative-pronouns-about-this-and-thatDemonstrative pronouns are used to point to people, places or things in a sentence. More specifically, they are used to indicate proximity or distance – in time or space – between the speaker and the person, place or thing being referred to. This type of pronouns can therefore help make your communication more precise and effective.

The four most common demonstrative pronouns in English are ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘these’ and ‘those’. In Danish, they are roughly equivalent to 'den her', 'den der', 'de her' and 'de der'.

While ‘this’ is used to refer to something nearby or close, ‘that’ is used to indicate that something is far or further away. 'These' and 'those' are used (like ‘this’ and ‘that’) to refer to something, but in the plural form.

NearFar
Singularthis
  • “My lunch today is this sandwich.”
    (When pointing to a sandwich you are holding in your hand.)
that
  • “That building on the other side of the street is Innovatorium.”
    (When pointing to something that is far/further away.)
Plurathese
  • “These books are mine.”
those
  • “Where did you buy those books?”
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news-13287Mon, 01 May 2023 08:00:00 +0200What does it mean to be human? The use of ‘who’ or ‘that’/’which’ may hold the answer.https://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-the-use-of-who-or-thatwhich-may-hold-the-answerRelative pronouns refer to people, animals, objects and concepts mentioned in the preceding main clause. Danish relative pronouns, e.g. ‘der’, ‘som’, ‘hvis’, can be used regardless of the gender, religious belief and ‘aliveness’ of the term referred to.

In English, however, it is important to distinguish between when to use ‘who’ and ‘that’/’which’ as a relative pronoun.

‘Who’ is used to refer to people, whereas ‘that’/’which’ are used when the term in question is an animal, object or group/organisation.

  • David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” (not to be confused with “The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol”) was covered by Nirvana in 1994.
  • The song, which Bowie originally released in 1970, was featured on the live album “MTV Unplugged In New York”.
  • Nirvana, which was formed in 1987, became the figurehead of grunge.
  • Other bands that emerged from the grunge scene were Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

In conclusion, it seems as though bands and songs are inanimate objects and thus not human, whereas men and women meet the ‘who’ criterion for humanness.

There you go.


Need a brush-up on when to use 'which' and 'that' and the punctuation that goes with them? Then have a look at our very informative language tip on the subject below.

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news-13157Wed, 01 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0100Commonly confused words in Englishhttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/ofte-forvekslede-ord-paa-engelskEven when your spellchecker doesn’t sound the alarm and redline your document, you can’t know for sure that you haven’t misspelled a word.

You may accidentally have chosen the wrong word class, e.g. used a noun when you should have used a verb: extent vs extend. The problem could also be the spelling, e.g. there vs their vs they’re. You may also find yourself confusing words that sound and look almost the same, but have two different meanings, e.g. border vs. boarder.

Therefore, always keep a weather eye open and check if what you’re writing is, in fact, what you mean – and don’t rely on the spellchecker to tell you when things are amiss.

Curious to learn more? Find a top 30 of commonly confused words in English here

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news-13034Wed, 01 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0100When to choose between the Danish words ’nogen’ or ’nogle’?https://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/nogen-eller-nogleThe Danish words ‘nogen’ or ‘nogle’ are often pronounced in the same way; you simply cannot hear the difference. So when to use ‘nogen’ and when to use ‘nogle’?The main rule

’Nogen’ means any or anyone at all:

  • Har nogen glemt at skrue ned for varmen? (Did anyone forget to turn down the heat?)
  • Han havde ikke nogen madpakke med på arbejde. (He didn’t bring any lunchto work.)

’Nogle’ means a few or some.

  • De studerende fik nogle rigtig gode karakterer. (The students received some good marks.)
  • Hun havde nogle søde kollegaer. (She had some nice colleagues.)

Rule of thumb

‘Nogen’ is often equivalent to ’any’; ’nogle’ is often equivalent to ’some’. If in doubt, try translating the sentence into English to see what sounds right.

  • Hun havde ikke brug for nogen hjælp til opgaven.
  • She didn’t need any help with the assignment.
  • Du må gerne tage nogle rundstykker med til dine kollegaer.
  • Feel free to bring some bread rolls for your colleagues.

More than one meaning

In some cases, you can use both ’nogen’ and 'nogle', but their meanings are quite different.

  • De kunne ikke svare på nogen af spørgsmålene.(They couldn’t answer any of the questions.)
  • De kunne ikke svare på nogle af spørgsmålene.(They couldn’t answer some of the questions.)

In the first sentence, they couldn’t answer any questions at all (not even one). In the second sentence, they could answer a few or some of the questions. Which of the two words you use therefore depends on the context.

Test your knowledge here (in Danish): https://sproget.dk/leg-og-ler/quizzer-og-ovelser/nogen-eller-nogle/nogen-eller-nogle/examfolder.2007-07-12.2853234603.

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news-12830Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:25:00 +0100Each vs everyhttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/each-vs-everyIn English, the Danish pronoun ‘hver’ can be translated with both ‘each’ and ‘every’. But when should you use one over the other?

In many cases, the difference is so slight that you can use both interchangeably:

  • Each student was provided a laptop to facilitate learning.
  • Every student was provided a laptop to facilitate learning.

However, there is a fundamental difference:

'Each' means 'each one'.
'Every' means 'every one' or 'all'.

More specifically, ‘each’ is used to highlight the individual people, things, etc. in a group, while ‘every’ is used to describe the group as a whole. ‘Each’ is used when there are two or more elements, while ‘every’ requires a minimum of three elements. Only ‘each’ can be used before 'of':

  • Each of the PhD students had to prepare a presentation.

'Every' is often used with time expressions. Here ’each’ works in the same way, but is less common:

  • Every Monday, we have a team meeting to look at the week ahead.
  • We have a meeting each week.
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news-12705Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:30:00 +0200The possessive forms of abbreviationshttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/genitiv-ved-forkortelserIn a previous language tip (available from the link below), we have dealt with how to form possessives of nouns and pronouns (i.e. marking that one thing belongs to something/someone). In this tip, we’ll zoom in on how to, for the lack of a better word, make abbreviations possessive.

The rule of thumb is that we form the possessive of abbreviations by adding an apostrophe and an –s:

  • BTECH’s roof renovation has just been completed.
  • In 2019, Aarhus University hosted a conference on UN’s 17 sustainable development goals.
  • NATO’s founding members are: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The same goes for abbreviations ending with an –s or an –s sound:

  • Ejvinds ApS’s cookies are selling like hot cakes.
  • The study compared CBS’s and FOX’s news coverage.

However, please note that if an abbreviation is put in the plural by adding an -s, only an apostrophe is required:

  • Singular example: Everybody wanted to hear the CEO’s opinion on the matter. (There’s only one CEO.)
  • Plural example: Everybody wanted to hear the CEOs’ opinion on the matter. (There are two or more CEOs.)

When it comes to abbreviations ending with a period, we’ll use the above rule of thumb: Add an apostrophe and an –s:

  • Kejser et al.’s study on GVFB was ground-breaking.

Well, there you go. Hopefully, you now feel better prepared for tackling those daily ‘what’s the correct possessive form of this abbreviation’ challenges.

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news-12583Sat, 01 Oct 2022 10:31:00 +0200Using commas with appositiveshttps://btech.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/practical-info-from-a-z/language-services-at-btech/language-news/artikel/brug-af-komma-ved-appositionerAn appositive is a noun or noun phrase that elaborates or describes the noun to which it is next.

Often, an appositive is parenthetical, i.e. it could be omitted without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. Here, we put commas around the appositive:

  • Head of department at AU in Herning, Anders Frederiksen, is excited about the new project.

However, an appositive can also be identifying, i.e. non-parenthetical, in which case no commas should be placed around the addition:

  • The department’s centre ‘Manufactory’will bridge the gap between knowledge and production.

In the above example, no commas are put around ‘Manufactory’, because the name is essential for conveying the meaning of the sentence. Essential in the sense that it is important to know which centre at AU in Herning we are referring to.

Consider the following sentences:

  • Her brother Michaelteaches and conducts research on business models.
  • Her brother, Michael, teaches and conducts research on business models.

In the first sentence (without commas), Michael is one of several brothers, while in the second sentence (with commas), Michael is the only brother.

The presence or absence of commas with appositives can therefore lead to a difference in meaning. In other words, you need to have the relevant background knowledge to be able to place commas correctly.

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