Let's talk about proverbs

By Ranjana S.

I share some, you share some; will you?

§  Still waters run deep:

A quiet person can have much acumen, knowledge, ability, strength, will, etc.

Don't underestimate.

§  Rome was not built in a day:

If you want to accomplish an important and difficult task invest time, patience and hard work.

§  There is as good fish in the sea as ever come out of it:

It is suggested that even if one chance has not been seized, there will be plenty of others.

§  Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone:

In the bog, you are serenading but alas!! No one gives you an ear.

People are ready to share your joys, ebullient moments and successes rather than sympathize in your sorrow and failures.

§  Honesty is the best policy:

It is safer and more advantageous for a woman/man to be honest than dishonest.

§  Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains:

Exceptional capacity is the result of inexhaustible willingness to work and take great trouble.

§  The proof of the pudding is in the eating:

The real test is practical not theoretical. It is only the practical experience that can assess the value of a thing.

We will discuss some more shortly.......:)

What is the difference between "beside" and "besides"?

By Ranjana S.

You sit beside a babbling brook relishing the nature, as the poets would say.

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You sit beside your wife; she sits beside you.

The meaning of beside( without the s) is thus crystal clear: next to, along

side of, at the side of.

You are pretty, smart, kind,intelligent, a spirited conversationalist, honest,

singer and skillful dancer. Besides, you believe in providing service to the

world. Do you wonder that people find you irresistible?

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You claim, you have not been invited to the new year bash; and besides, 

you wouldn't go even if you were invited!

Besides(with the s) obviously means in addition, moreover, also, 

what's more.

Look at the sentences:

She was sitting beside her husband.

They walked beside each other in silence.

 Besides chocolate, you will also need a second flavoring in the cake.

 The student is intelligent, hard working, popular in school; besides she is good in sports.

 

Build Your English Vocabulary with creativity and imagination.

By Ranjana S.

Use Creativity and imagination when learning a vocabulary

A key factor contributing to the success of language learners is creativity and imagination.

Start thinking a bit differently about how you remember the words you study in English. These strategies derive from different learning styles people use.

Learning styles open new channels to learning, which not necessarily use verbal intelligence or purely academic procedures.

Remember that mastering the grammar of the language is not enough to master the language. In the long run, it is your level of vocabulary and how you use it in your English writing, which determines how well you are at English. Whether you need English for personal, academic, or business purposes, always use any opportunity to acquire more and more words.

The sense of sight uses up to a third of the brain, therefore making visualizing a prime channel to aid us in remembering words.

Some people are very visual and relish on anything that stimulates their eyes. Therefore, the following may help: 

• Big signs with target words hung around your house to be encountered at all times, with optional related pictures.
• Small stickers on objects around the house will help you associate word and image.
• Visual dictionaries are great.

Give yourself a vision..if You need to remember the word abandon, how will you do it? Well, the story goes like this:

A famous rock group was venturing out from Liverpool on a ship heading for New-York. The ship sank and they got stranded on an island. The result was a band on an island, or a-band-on!

Yes, I liked it too when I heard it…

Be imaginative...Happy learning!!

Plural verbs or Singular verbs Which is correct?

By Ranjana S.

Which is correct?

• A number of leaders are here, or
• A number of leaders is here?

 This is an instance in which the subject(number) is singular in form but the plural form is strongly conveyed that is the reason it takes a plural form.

Forms which are celebrated :)

• A number of leaders are here.
• A number of students are absent today.
• A small number of land plots are still unsold.
• A large number of your questions do not admit of answers.
• A lot of perpetrators of crimes get away.
• A lot of his followers like him, even though you don't.

But.....

The numbers of employees in the industry has dropped.

The greatest number of errors was made in the text book.

The number of inmates in this prison has decreased.

This lot of books was sold for a song.

The rule:

A number and a lot take plural verbs.

The number, this number, that number and the lot, that lot take singular verbs.

Which statement is right?

By Ranjana S.

Which statement is right?

I would like to speak to.....
I would like to speak with....
I would like to speak to Mr. Barton...

Logically, if you speak to Mr. Barton, he lends you his ears and you speak; you speak with him, an interaction, not a monologue, happens. We as humans engage in speaking, done on a give and take basis (unless the relatively rare instances, such as a husband giving lectures to a naive wife), speak with, or talk with, should be, one might assume, the more prevalent expression. Speak to, is the locution often employed. Grammar enjoys the usage of both -"to" and "with", but "to" is more prevalent.

 Some people find the expression "speak with " a trifle prissy..... (:

Do share your comments!

By Ranjana S.

What's the difference between "imply" and "infer" ?

   

    

You imply that you don't like your job. You could be more direct and come right out and say so, but you prefer subtlety,- after all you are still in that job. So instead of expressing  yourself unequivocally, you try and make an implication.

Your boss infers, from your interaction, your cues, innuendos, perhaps your actions say it all. He draws an inference, and decides to talk it out. He considers you as an indispensable asset, assures you that all lacunae will be fixed, so you stay put.

To imply is to hint or express indirectly. Only a person speaking or acting can imply anything; or his words or actions can make the implications.

To infer is to draw a conclusion from someone's implication. Only a listener or watcher can infer anything.

Look at these sentences:

§  Your words imply that I am hiding something.

§  Do you infer from what she says that she dislikes you.

§  His actions imply that he does not know what he is upto.

§  What inference can we draw from the facts that Alice and Boris have shown us.

§  I resent your implication that I kept you in the dark.

§  It is unfortunate that you are always making implications about your friend's dishonesty.

What do a rebel, a reconnaissance plane, a refrigerator have in common?

By Ranjana S.

The Latin prefix re- means "back; again, thoroughly."

Rebel is formed from the prefix re-meaning "again" and the Latin root bel-meaning "to make war." The verb rebel literally means "to make war again; resume fighting." Hence, to rebel is (1) to rise in resistance against the established government of one's country; (2) to resist or disobey any authority; (3) to react with strong opposition or disapproval. 

• The army rebelled against the dictator.
• Amanda rebelled against her parents' way of life.
• The students rebels demanded an end to the examination system.
• Recall derives from re-meaning "back" and the worse call. Thus, recall means (1) to call back; order to return or be returned; (2) to take back;to revoke (3) to call back to mind;remember.
• The retired General was recalled to duty.
• The manufacturer recalled the defective cars.
• Can you recall the date of Gandhiji's birth?

Refresh is formed from re- meaning "again" and the word fresh. Thus, refresh means (1) to make fresh or vigorous again;revive; (2) to stimulate, as the memory.

• He refreshed himself with a short nap.
• The old snapshots refreshed Sandra's memory of her school days.

Refrigerator is made up of re-meaning "thoroughly" and the Latin root frigerat-meaning "to cool." Thus, refrigerate means "to make or keep thoroughly cool."

• Refrigerate the milk or else it would get spoiled.

Some other re-words:

1. Rebuff (1) to reject or refuse abruptly or rudely;snub; (2) an abrupt or rude rejection, denial, or defeat.
2. Recalcitrant- defying or resisting a request or command; obstinate, stubborn; rebellious( literally, kicking back at a request).
3. Reconnaissance (1) a preliminary survey or examination, as of an area of a country, for information; (2) the act of obtaining information of military value, especially regarding the position, strength, and movement of the enemy.
4. Reconnoiter- to survey or examine, as for military, engineering, or geological purposes.
5. Recoup- to get something back; recover or make up, as a loss.
6. Recriminate- to accuse in return; meet one accusation by making another.
7. Recuperate-to get back one's health or strength.
8. Reiterate-to say or do again and again, as for emphasis.
9. Relapse-(1) to lapse back, as into a disease, after a partial recovery; (2) aa lapsing back.
10. Relegate-(1) to send back or off, as to a less important person, position, or place; (2) to assign to a certain category.
11. Relinquish-to give up or leave behind; abandon.
12. Reminiscence-(1) the calling to mind of past events; (2) the telling of past experiences.
13. Reprieve-(1) to delay temporarily the execution of a sentence upon a condemned person (literally, "taken back"); (2) to relieve for a time from trouble, danger, or pain; (3) the temporary suspension of a sentence; especially, the commutation of a death sentence; (4) temporary relief or a respite.
14. Rescind-to take back; make void; repeal.
15. Revile-to attack with contemptuous language; to abuse.
16. Reverberate-to echo or resound.
17. Redress- to make amends for.
18. Remiss-careless.
19. Repletion-a state of complete or excessive fullness.
20. Retrenchment- a cutting down of expenses.
21. Recompense-to pay back.