All, this is not meant to be scolding or offense. Not in the least. I just noticed over time there are some common (and oft repeated) mistakes used by non-native English speakers on the forum. These are meant as tips to help master the language. It might be useful outside the forum too.
DC
- Yankee / Yank - Unless you know the person quite well (and I'd be careful then too), don't call people from the U.S.A. "yanks", "yankees" or any other derivative. The problem is it means different things to different people. To you it probably means "anybody from U.S.A.", but here, the meaning varies greatly by region, and there's no way on Earth for people not born and raised in those areas to understand the difference. Most of us will laugh it off, but to others it's a severe cultural insult that in person would get you punched in the mouth no questions asked.
- Doubt - In Standard and American English, "doubt" does not mean question. It means mistrust. Avoid ever saying "I have a doubt..." This is effectively calling the person a liar or challenging their expertise about the subject.
- Since vs. Once - Non native speakers often use "once" to denote a connective reason. Let's assume that today is Taco Tuesday at a restaurant. Non-native speakers might say "Once it's Tuesday, we can get tacos". This is incorrect and confusing to native speakers, because in this context, "once" means in the future, i.e. they might think you mean NEXT Tuesday. The correct term in this case is "since". Example: "Since it's Tuesday, we can get tacos".
DC
