I live abroad and sometimes English mother tongue expats start speaking like the natives speaking English as an additional language. I start feeling like I'm losing my mind.
The latest one is an English colleague talking about having 'a surgery'. I always thought it was either 'surgery' or 'an operation', and never the twain did mix. I had surgery. I had an operation.
Am I wrong?
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A surgery
10 replies
Italianasoitis · 30/04/2024 14:19
OP posts:
SiobhanSharpe ·
30/04/2024 15:29
RitaIncognita · 30/04/2024 15:04
To say that you've had A surgery is an Americanism and is incorrect usage in the UK.
It's not an Americanism. Americans say "an operation."
Notreat ·
30/04/2024 15:50
PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 30/04/2024 14:42
I'm not sure really. It sounds fine when people say they've had four surgeries on their spine, for example.
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