Texts by Dutch authors tend to be full of little phrases like these. Sure, they have their place, but there’s often a natural one-word alternative.
There seems to be a common belief that the possessive form must only be used for animate objects. That is (of course) complete bollocks.
Using possessive forms and adjectival nouns rather than “of the” can make your writing a lot more succinct.
Speaking “the English language”. Mastery of “the English language”. Um… what’s wrong with just saying “English”?
… you are forced into a clumsy structure. Avoiding it lets you make the syntax snappier.
Dutch writers love the structure “the + (verbal noun) + of” where English prefers the gerund: “preventing longwindedness”.
If you want to write English in an efficient manner, in a smart way and in a natural fashion, then don’t forget your adverbs. Do it efficiently, smartly and naturally.
Major contributions in the field of microbiology… Great commitment to the field of science… When the word count for your paper’s abstract is limited, it can be annoying to discover it’s gone up by 5% in the English.