Tuesday, 30 August 2016
Monday, 29 August 2016
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Thursday, 25 August 2016
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
know your english
What is the meaning and origin of the expression ‘happy as a clam’? (T Indira, Tiruchi)
This is the shorter form of the expression ‘happy as a clam at high tide’. A clam is a sea creature that buries itself in the sand to escape predators. It has a shell that it uses to protect itself; when threatened, the two halves of the shell quickly snap shut. It is from this that we get the expression ‘to clam up’ to mean ‘to stop talking’ or ‘refuse to talk’. Some varieties of clams are found very close to the seashore, and the best time to dig for them is when the tide — water level — is low. A clam becomes vulnerable during low tide. When the tide is high, it feels less threatened, and therefore much happier. When you say that a person is as happy as a clam at high tide, you mean that he is extremely happy.
Jai was happy as a clam at high tide when he got the promotion.
Raj clams up whenever he is in the company of girls.
What is the difference between ‘purposely’ and ‘purposive’? (Bhavana, Delhi)
In both cases, the stress is on the first syllable. When you do something ‘purposely’, you do it deliberately or intentionally. You make up your mind to do something, and you do it.
Many students purposely come late to class.
Hema purposely pushed Jai into the pool.
While ‘purposely’ is used in both formal and informal contexts, the use of ‘purposive’ is mostly limited to formal ones. It means ‘serving a purpose, useful’. Anything that serves a purpose can be said to be ‘purposive’.
Do you seriously believe that meditation is a purposive activity?
Is it okay to say, ‘Could you possibly help me with this?’ (SV Nagesh, Nellore)
Yes, it is. In terms of meaning, there is no difference between ‘Could you help/possibly help me with this?’ In both cases, you are enquiring very politely if the individual would help you with something. The difference between the two is in the degree of politeness. Native speakers would suggest that the use of ‘possibly’ makes the request even more polite.
Could I (possibly) borrow your car this weekend?
Could you (possibly) give me a ride home?
What is the meaning of ‘droolworthy’? (Rakesh Kumar, Pune)
When you ‘drool’, saliva flows out of your mouth. Babies drool quite a bit. Some adults drool when they are sleeping. The expression ‘drool over someone/something’ is frequently used in English to mean to take extreme delight or pleasure in looking at someone or something. The person that you are looking at is so gorgeous that you salivate/drool looking at him/her. It is from this that we get the relatively new word ‘droolworthy’. An object that is droolworthy is exciting to look at; just looking at it makes your mouth water.
The cakes that were on display were droolworthy.
Many of my friends find the new hero droolworthy.
* * *
Happiness: an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another. — Ambrose Bierce
courtesy:the hindu
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Tuesday, 23 August 2016
know your english
What is the meaning and origin of the expression ‘happy as a clam’? (T Indira, Tiruchi)
This is the shorter form of the expression ‘happy as a clam at high tide’. A clam is a sea creature that buries itself in the sand to escape predators. It has a shell that it uses to protect itself; when threatened, the two halves of the shell quickly snap shut. It is from this that we get the expression ‘to clam up’ to mean ‘to stop talking’ or ‘refuse to talk’. Some varieties of clams are found very close to the seashore, and the best time to dig for them is when the tide — water level — is low. A clam becomes vulnerable during low tide. When the tide is high, it feels less threatened, and therefore much happier. When you say that a person is as happy as a clam at high tide, you mean that he is extremely happy.
Jai was happy as a clam at high tide when he got the promotion.
Raj clams up whenever he is in the company of girls.
What is the difference between ‘purposely’ and ‘purposive’? (Bhavana, Delhi)
In both cases, the stress is on the first syllable. When you do something ‘purposely’, you do it deliberately or intentionally. You make up your mind to do something, and you do it.
Many students purposely come late to class.
Hema purposely pushed Jai into the pool.
While ‘purposely’ is used in both formal and informal contexts, the use of ‘purposive’ is mostly limited to formal ones. It means ‘serving a purpose, useful’. Anything that serves a purpose can be said to be ‘purposive’.
Do you seriously believe that meditation is a purposive activity?
Is it okay to say, ‘Could you possibly help me with this?’ (SV Nagesh, Nellore)
Yes, it is. In terms of meaning, there is no difference between ‘Could you help/possibly help me with this?’ In both cases, you are enquiring very politely if the individual would help you with something. The difference between the two is in the degree of politeness. Native speakers would suggest that the use of ‘possibly’ makes the request even more polite.
Could I (possibly) borrow your car this weekend?
Could you (possibly) give me a ride home?
What is the meaning of ‘droolworthy’? (Rakesh Kumar, Pune)
When you ‘drool’, saliva flows out of your mouth. Babies drool quite a bit. Some adults drool when they are sleeping. The expression ‘drool over someone/something’ is frequently used in English to mean to take extreme delight or pleasure in looking at someone or something. The person that you are looking at is so gorgeous that you salivate/drool looking at him/her. It is from this that we get the relatively new word ‘droolworthy’. An object that is droolworthy is exciting to look at; just looking at it makes your mouth water.
The cakes that were on display were droolworthy.
Many of my friends find the new hero droolworthy.
* * *
Happiness: an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another. — Ambrose Bierce
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Monday, 22 August 2016
Sunday, 21 August 2016
know your english
“In the final scene, we have the heroine running at the villain and punching…”
“Running at the villain? You mean ‘running after’ the villain, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. When you ‘run after’ someone, you pursue or chase the individual. The policeman ran after the thief, but was unable to catch her.”
“Like many policeman, he was probably out of shape. Here’s my example. The children ran after the cute puppy. Now tell me, what does ‘run at’ mean?”
“When you ‘run after’ someone, you may be pursuing the individual just for the fun of it. When you ‘run at’ someone, you rush towards him in order to attack…”
“In other words, you’re being very serious. You’re not fooling around. You’re charging or moving towards someone in a threatening manner.”
“That’s right! The cornered animal ran at the hunter.”
“The young woman ran at her tormentor and punched him on his nose.”
“When he saw the villagers running at him, he pulled out his gun and fired in the air.”
“They must have stopped immediately. Tell me, what do you think of this new shirt my aunt got me? She and my mother went…?”
“To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it. There’s something…”
“Caught dead wearing it? What does it mean?”
“It means I would never wear a shirt like that. I’d be too embarrassed to…”
“I see! How about this example? I wouldn’t be caught dead shaking hands with a politician.”
“Sounds good. It’s also possible to say ‘seen dead’. I wouldn’t be seen dead in the company of Sujatha and Jai.”
“Even if you paid him, my neighbour wouldn’t be seen dead riding my old bicycle.”
“That sounds a bit like my friend Sameer. He’s always talking about…”
“Your friend Sameer comes from a very wealthy family, doesn’t he?”
“He’d like people to think so. But he was born with a wooden spoon in his mouth. He’s…”
“Is it the opposite of ‘born with a silver spoon in his mouth’?”
“That’s right! When you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you’re born into a wealthy family. Some of my cousins were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.”
“Quite a few students in my class were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.”
“That’s a good example. The expression ‘born with a wooden spoon in his mouth’ is sometimes used to refer to a person who comes from a poor family. His parents…”
“His parents are not well to do. They have to work really hard to make ends meet.”
“That’s right! Jai was born with a wooden spoon in his mouth. He’s had to work really hard to get to where he is today.”
“Most people in my neighbourhood were born with a wooden spoon in their mouth.” “Now tell me, where did your aunt get that shirt?”
“She went for shopping with my mom yesterday, and…”
“You don’t ‘go for shopping’. You ‘go shopping’. I went shopping with my friends.”
“Many people enjoy going shopping.”
“I certainly don’t.”
* * *
We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops. — Henry Youngman
courtesy:the hindu
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Saturday, 20 August 2016
know your english
How is the word ‘albeit’ pronounced? (J Sunitha, Hyderabad)
The first syllable sounds like the word ‘all’ and the third like the word ‘it’. The ‘be’ in the second is pronounced like the word ‘bee’. The word is pronounced ‘all-BEE-it’ with the stress on the second syllable. This rather formal word has the same meaning as ‘even though’ and ‘although’. In the early twentieth century, experts on usage believed that this old fashioned word would die a natural death, but it continues to be used fairly frequently in writing even today. Albeit, in Robert Burchfield’s opinion, is “one of the persistent archaic sounding words in the language.”
Rahul tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to give up eating sweets.
The teacher paid me a compliment, albeit grudgingly.
The teacher paid me a compliment, albeit grudgingly.
What is the meaning of ‘the devil is in the detail’? (A Myilsami, Coimbatore)
The earlier expression was ‘God is in the detail’. Sometimes, we may fail to perform what appears to be a simple task because we have not paid sufficient attention to the minor details. The expression ‘the devil is in the detail(s)’ is frequently used to sound a note of caution to someone. You are telling or warning the individual that if he chooses to overlook the minor details, his attempt to do something will result in failure. The expression is also used to suggest that something that looks simple may not necessarily be so — the steps required to accomplish the task may be complicated.
Meera thought she could write the instructions in an hour. It took her all day. The devil was in the details.
It’s not as easy as it looks. The devil is in the detail.
It’s not as easy as it looks. The devil is in the detail.
What is the difference between ‘conceited’ and ‘proud’? (R Ganesh, Vellore)
The word ‘conceited’ always has a negative connotation. A conceited person thinks very highly of himself and may refuse to mingle with those around him. When he does talk, it will always be about himself — his achievements, his hobbies, his abilities, etc. He tends to be an ‘I’ specialist! Unlike ‘conceited’, the word ‘proud’ can be used to show both approval and disapproval. It has both a positive and a negative meaning. A person who is pleased with his achievement can say that he is ‘proud’ of it. Unlike an individual who is conceited, a person can be proud of someone else’s achievements as well. ‘Proud’, like ‘conceited’, can also be used to refer to someone who thinks no end of himself. There is, however, a difference in degree. Some dictionaries define conceited as being ‘excessively proud’.
I refuse to team up with that conceited man.
Damini is a proud and arrogant woman.
I’m proud to win this championship for the sixth time.
Damini is a proud and arrogant woman.
I’m proud to win this championship for the sixth time.
What is the meaning of ‘all but’? (Mohit Somani, Bhilwara)
The expression seems to have two different meanings. It can be used to mean ‘almost nearly/completely’ and ‘all except’. Here are a few examples.
He was a star once upon a time. But now, his name is all but forgotten.
We managed to rescue all but one of the miners.
We managed to rescue all but one of the miners.
* * *
Those who like me, raise your hands. Those who don’t, raise your standards. — Unknown
courtesy:the hindu
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Friday, 19 August 2016
know your english
“You were planning to visit your uncle on Sunday, weren’t you? Did you manage to....”
“Yes, I managed to spend about two hours with him. As usual, I spent most of the time listening to his laundry list of complaints.”
“Laundry list of complaints? What does it mean?”
“It means a long list of complaints. The items on the list may or may not be related.”
“So they aren’t really genuine complaints? You’re complaining for the....”
“They may be genuine. You’re not complaining for the sake of complaining. But the problem is, it’s a lengthy list. When I asked Usha how I could help, she gave me a laundry list of things to do.”
“My friend moved into a new apartment a few months ago. Every time I talk to her, she gives me a laundry list of problems.”
“That usually happens when you move into a new place. Tell me, did....”
“Talking about new flats, have you decided whether you’re buying a new one? Has...”
“It’s up in the air. I was planning to...”
“Up in the air? Does it mean that you haven’t made up your mind?”
“Very good! When you say that something is up in the air, it suggests uncertainty. You haven’t really decided what to do regarding someone or something. The company’s plan to hire more people is still up in the air.”
“No decision has been taken. Our trip to Shimla in December is still up in the air.”
“Sounds good. The proposal to build a new airport on the outskirts of the city is still up in the air.”
“I don’t think it’ll ever happen. Five years from now, the government will give a laundry list of excuses why they couldn’t build the airport.”
“Just like you! I’m sure you and your classmates had some lame excuse for not submitting your project today.”
“Most of my friends managed to submit their project, but a few of us have managed to get some extra time to hand it in.”
“Why are you making such heavy weather of a minor project?”
“I’ve heard of hot and cold weather. But heavy weather? What are you....”
“When you say that someone is making heavy weather of something, it means that the person is taking too much time to do something that is fairly simple.”
“I see. So, you’re saying that I’m making the project seem much more difficult than it really is!”
“That’s right! Just like the Indian batsmen. The bowling was mediocre, but our batsmen made heavy weather of it.”
“This is a simple recipe. You should be able to make the dish in twenty minutes. Don’t make heavy weather of it.”
“That's a good example. Now, you’d better go home and work on your project.”
“You’re right. If I don’t do a good job, they’ll make me to do it again.”
“They’ll make you do it again. Not make you to do it again.”
“If I don’t do a good job, they’ll make me do another project.”
“That’s what you get for being lazy.”
* * *
An income tax form is like a laundry list — either way you lose your shirt. — Fred Allen
courtesy:the hindu
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Saturday, 13 August 2016
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