English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
- EFFECTIVE WRITING: USE FOREIGN PHRASES SPARINGLY
A good grade is a ~sine qua non~ for your promotion (foreign).
A good grade is *a necessity* for your promotion (clear).
A sine qua non is something that is essential if you want to achieve a particular thing.
There was a ~prima facie~ case that a contempt of court had been committed (foreign).
There was a *presumed/supposed* case that a contempt of court had been committed (clear).
Prima facie is used to describe something which appears to be true when you first consider it.
We really need to understand the ~modus operandi~ (foreign).
We really need to understand the *method/procedure* (clear).
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase that translates directly to “method of operating”.
GAB
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