Common Errors in English Usage Part 1

As promised, this is the first of our Common Errors in English Usage series. The definition of errors can be very complicated and controversial, hence we will not elaborate on this technical term. Rather, we are more concerned with some usual deviations from the standard use of English, especially by ESL students. In this part, were looking at the errors in word usage. ADVANCE vs. ADVANCED When you hear about something in advance, you get notice or information ahead of time. Advance also means to move forward or to make progress. Advance can also function as adjective, as in the case of an advance payment, which means payment made ahead of time/before hand. When you say something is advanced, it means complex or sophisticated and should not be confused with the past tense form of advance. Note: We often see advertisements use Advance Level, which should be Advanced Level. ALPHABET A, B and C are called letters of the alphabet, NOT alphabets. Alphabet is a character set that includes letters and is used to write a language. AWHILE vs. A WHILE When awhile is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning for a time (stay awhile); but when while is the object of a prepositional phrase, like Lend me your monkey wrench for a while the while must be separated from the a. (But if the preposition for were lacking in this sentence, awhile could be used in this way: Lend me your monkey wrench awhile.) BACKUP vs. BACK UP To back up is an activity; back up your computer regularly; back up the truck to the garden plot and unload the compost. A backup is a thing: keep your backup copies in a safe place. Other examples: a traffic backup, sewage backup, backup plan, backup forces. COMPLEMENT vs. COMPLIMENT Most of the time the word people intend is compliment: nice things said about someone or praise. Complement, on the other hands, means supplement each other or making something complete. e.g. vs. i.e. e.g. is the short form for exempli gratia, and means for example. i.e. is the short form for id est, and means that is. Use e.g. when you want to give an example (or several examples) of something just mentioned. Use i.e. when you wish to explain briefly or to clarify what you just said, or say the same thing in other words. PRINCIPLE Vs. PRINCIPAL A principle is a formulation regarded as a basis for thought or action. For example, the principles of liberty. A principal is the person you see in schools, who leads the school administration. As an adjective, principal means foremost, first, primary, main, as in the principal reason I am here is or the principal cause of this phenomenon is LOSE Vs. LOOSE Contrary to normal rules of English, the single s in loose is pronounced like an s as in wearing trousers that are too loose. Lose on the other hand, relates to loss for example: I hope we dont lose this game. A good way to remember this is that in the word lose you have lost the second o from loose. BORED Vs. BORING Students often use I was very boring at the party. It should be I was very bored at the party. Adjectives that end with -ed talk about ones own feelings, whereas adjectives that end with -ing talk about a person, a thing or a situation that causes ones feelings. Examples: The movie was boring (so I felt bored). My boyfriend has a very annoying habit (so I am annoyed). IRREGARDLESS Vs. REGARDLESS Irregardless is an informal term, which is technically incorrect. The suffix -less in regardless has already indicated the meaning of without. By adding ir- as prefix (means not), it creates a double negative, which shows the opposite meaning instead.

Thursday October 6, 2011

Usage of 'marry'
Mind Our English YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN PLEASE educate me on the usage of marry. Scenario: A married B in August 2011. Question: When A wants to tell someone about his marital status, which sentences below are correct? Maybe you have other suggestions. (1) I married B in August 2011. (2) I got married to B in August 2011. (3) I am married. (4) I was married. (5) I have married. YT Chin A can use sentences 1, 2 and 3, which are all correct. But since it is still 2011 now, it would be better to replace 2011 with this year. Sentence 4 implies that A was married in the past, but is no longer married. Sentence 5 has an ambiguous meaning. A says I have married. But it is not clear if he is still married. The simplest way to tell someone about ones marital status is to use sentence 3, i.e. I am married. This does not of course give details, such as the date of the marriage or the person one is married to. There is also at least one other way of expressing sentences 1 and 2, and that is: B and I were married in August this year. Is or are? PLEASE tell me which of the following is correct: a) There are a caterpillar and two butterflies in the picture. b) There is a caterpillar and two butterflies in the picture. What is the reason for the choice? Could you also recommend the most comprehensive English usage reference books available in Malaysian book stores or some free online enquiry websites? Hopeful Girl Your second sentence is correct, i.e. There is a caterpillar and two butterflies in the picture. My view is based on what Collins Cobuild English Grammar (2nd ed. 2005) says about whether to use is or are in sentences using there as its subject. It says that you use a singular form of be (which is is) when you are giving a list of items and the first noun in the list is singular or uncountable. (p.416, 10.50) However, we say There are two butterflies and a caterpillar in the picture., using the general rule that the verb form matches the item(s) that it is adjacent to ... (Roger Woodham, BBC World Service Learning English) bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv128.shtml You should, however, never use is before a plural noun or noun phrase, e.g. Theres mangoes on the tree. or Theres five apples on the table. Are should always be used in these kinds of sentences. There is a very useful reference book on current English usage available in Malaysian book stores Michael Swans Practical English Usage. Make sure you buy the latest edition. The BBC link above leads to a reliable, free online enquiry website.

Soaring buildings BELOW is a cloze passage. Which is the best answer? The infrastructure development projects proposed in Budget 2011 are welcomed in the Klang Valley as they would certainly improve the quality of life. However, industry experts commented that both widespread planning and follow-up action must be in place to ensure that funds allocated for the projects are used effectively. One of the projects proposed is the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka which has become the hottest topic. Many people have expressed concern over adding a mega structure to the congested city. They want more information on the purpose of the RM5 billion skyscraper. The Malaysian Institute of Planners honorary secretary Lee iLh Shyan, said the government should provide more details on the purpose of Warisan Merdeka. With buildings soaring higher, roads are also to _____ under the budget with six new highways such as the Ampang-Cheras-Pandan Elevated Highway, Guthrie-Damansara-PJ Highways and Pantai Barat-Banting-Taiping Highway. The traffic planning consultant, Goh Bok Yen believes that these highways will serve the purpose of dispersing traffic and easing bottleneck jams. A expand B develop C increase D improve Personally, I feel the answer should be develop because the definition given in Merriam-Webster is to come into being gradually and to expand by the process of growth. Expand would be more suitable if the existing roads are widened or lenghtened. Cheah Tiong Chap First, whichever verb you choose, you will have to use its passive form. Buildings can be said to soar because soar can mean to be very high or tall (OALD), but roads cant just expand/develop/increase/improve on their own. If the verb form cannot be changed in a cloze passage question, then I think none of the answers is correct. The sentence containing the blank space talks about the prospective building of six new highways. Let me quote the paragraph it comes from here: With buildings soaring higher, roads are also to _____ under the budget with six new highways ... So, it looks like new and better roads (highways) are going to be built. This rules out expand, increase and improve. I agree with your choice of develop, since this incorporates the ideas of increase and improve, but it should be used in the passive: With buildings soaring higher, roads are also to be developed ... However, if we forget about the cloze passage question, it would be neater and clearer to write this part of the sentence thus: With buildings soaring higher, new and better roads are also to be built ... Wednesday October 5, 2011

Reverse take
By NITHYA SIDHHU Changing the order of words in a sentence can bring about a whole different meaning.

ENGLISH is a wonderful language. Try altering the sequence of two words in a sentence words, for example, which may have the same spelling but different meaning or where one is used as a verb and the other as a noun and then reversed. The result, I assure you, is very interesting. Heres what I mean. Take the following expression: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The first going refers to the journey which if it is tough (difficult), can only be survived and endured (they get going) by those who are themselves tough in nature (strong or hardy). When the tough get going, this means they will not be daunted but will rise to the challenge instead. Heres another sentence: If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. In this case, the words fail and plan are both used as verbs but the meaning of the phrase is altered simply by exchanging the placement of the words. Failing to plan indicates one who did not do any planning at all. Without any detailed planning or thorough preparation, such a person is bound to fail. In other words, it is as if he planned (or had decided) to fail, right from the very start. I could very well say that the right start is when you start right. By doing the right thing at the beginning, you will ensure yourself success. In management books, it is also often written that: Being efficient is doing the thing right, While being effective is doing the right thing. Yes, an efficient person makes good and careful use of resources such as manpower, money, methods, machines and materials and therefore, ensures that whatever project or programme is planned will be carried out correctly with minimum waste. Meanwhile, the effective person focuses on the end result, which is the effect he wishes to produce. A salesman, for instance, will want to increase sales revenue and he is effective when he does this that is, he has done the right thing! A teacher friend of mine, who considers himself both efficient and effective, also likes the following expression: A teacher answers his students questions, but an intelligent student will question his teachers answers. This means that while teachers generally help to answer the questions posed by students, the student who is capable of intelligent thinking will question the teacher if he feels the answer given is not exact or appropriate, or unsuitable. He may even question the answer if he has further queries on the matter or has read something contrary to what the teachers given answer is. My favourite expression, with its play on words and the subsequent depth of thought required, is this: Do you see the seed in the apple, or the apple in the seed? Yes, we all know that apples contain seeds, dont they? We throw these seeds away without a single thought for their significance. But, if you think about it isnt it true that the seed contains the embryo of the apple tree and if you germinate the seed, it will develop into an apple seedling, grow into an apple tree which will, one day, bear apples? Therefore, it is true that there are apples in every seed! Amazing, isnt it? Its like the man who said to me, when he handed me a book on philosophy: There is a place for every word, and a word for every place. Even this expression reminds you not to take what you say or write lightly, but to think carefully about what word to use and when.

I must also remind you that, if you wish to take to the road, then you must decide what road to take. In other words, dont leave home without knowing where it is that you wish to go to exactly. Or, if you are a student and you wish to study abroad or away from home, dont just dream of leaving home but do think carefully of what course you would like to take, where it is offered and what it entails to study it. What about this expression Some people eat to live, some live to eat? It makes you laugh, doesnt it? I have met people who do love their food and live to savour every meal for all that it is worth while others practise discipline and eat only what they really require to be healthy and fit. Meanwhile, heres yet another common expression: Dont trouble trouble, until trouble troubles you. Basically, it means that you should stay out of trouble as much as you can! Heres an interesting expression I saw on a bookmark. In times of difficulty, dont ever say, GOD, I have a BIG problem. Say instead, Hey, problem, I have a BIG GOD! and everything will be all right. I came across another interesting example in Aravind Adigas novel, The Last Man In The Tower. In it, he talks about a sign that originally read: Work in Progress; Inconvenience is regretted. But, the sign had been changed to read: Incovenience in Progress; Work is Regretted. I had a good laugh. Finally, an ode to Emily Dickinson, who wrote in one of her poems: Much madness is divinest sense to the discerning eye. Much sense the starkest madness tis the majority. The play on the words madness and sense thats what a reverse take is all about. English is to be enjoyed!

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday October 5, 2011

Listening skills in business

By YONG AH YONG He that has ears, let him hear. GOD has given all of us two ears and one mouth, so He expects us to actively communicate by listening and speaking, perhaps implying that we should listen more than speak. When someone speaks, we listen. Some messages are unimportant, so it is okay to just listen and forget. But in the business setting, almost everything spoken is important. So while listening to a speaker, it is helpful to take notes so as to remember the main ideas. Some simple writing makes the material easier to recall. It also compels us to pinpoint and pay attention to the key issues.

A journalist is a good example of effective listening: she listens, and writes, at the same time. When I see students making notes during my lecture, I am happy. When I come upon a student who just stares at the screen and blinks at me, with no notepad and pen in front of him, I will just walk close to him and say: Are you following? Listening, after all, is not as passive a language skill as we used to think. Good listeners are active learners, thinkers and analysts. I am reminded of another Scripture verse: Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember? Active listening involves a number of physical as well as mental activities. Hearing Hearing is the reception of sounds. You hear drumbeats, firecrackers and vehicles passing by, but you dont listen to such sounds or noise. To listen, you must concentrate on the speaker and understand what he is trying to tell you. Of course, hearing may imply listening at times. When your boss asks, Do you hear me?, he is actually saying, Are you listening to me? You dont seem to be. Understanding It is important to know the code of the speaker, that is, his language. If someone speaks in Japanese and you know no Japanese, there is no listening; there is only hearing, which makes no sense. If the speech is in English, you must have a sufficient command of the language, and a good vocabulary, to understand it. And you should ask appropriate questions if you are unclear about a certain point. Then only you will know what is happening. Remembering Remembering is essential if you intend to put what the speaker proposes into practice. Common techniques for retaining and recalling information are taking notes, and tape-recording or video-recording the speech. Some speakers prepare and distribute their texts, but most of them dont. The best way to remember, in my experience, is to focus on the speech, make notes and ask for clarification after the talk, if necessary. Interpreting You need to take into account the total communication context so that you are better able to understand the speakers point of view. His body language, inclusive of his facial expressions, body posture, eye contact, momentary silence and vocal cues, all allow you to obtain some in-depth information from the person behind the voice. Evaluating As a listener you are inevitably influenced by your past experiences, attitudes, value system and predispositions. Understanding the principles of logic and reasoning, and recognising bias, stereotyping, propaganda and other factors that may affect the conclusions you draw, are also essential.

Effective listeners deliberately suppress their own opinions until they have first understood the speakers ideas. This is the prerequisite to making a fair and proper evaluation. Responding Effective listeners analyse the communication situation and purpose, and then decide their own stand before making the next move. While the stimulus provided by the speaker is the same, responses from the audience can differ. Listen to the speech signals A speaker often uses signal words to indicate where he is or where the listeners are. The common signal words are given in the table above. Yong Ah Yong is a lecturer at UTAR (Perak).

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No Thursday September 29, 2011

Using all but

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN I WOULD like to know how to use the phrase all but, for example, Im all but against bullying. Does it mean that I do not support bullying or do I actually support bullying? Hakim All but means 1) almost or very nearly and 2) all except. When you say Im all but against bullying., it means that you are almost against bullying, but not totally so. Here are some examples of all but with meaning 1): These two are all but married., meaning that their wedding day is not far off. The exams were all but over when he fell ill and had to miss the last paper. This means that he fell ill towards the very end of the exam period. Here are some examples of all but with meaning 2): All but one of her classmates got an A in Modern Maths. This means that only one of her classmates didnt get an A in the subject. The class bully intimidated all but me. This means that I was the only person in the class who was not frightened of the class bully. Although and though Although and though are conjunctions but I dont know which one to choose when I practise my English.

1. Although the servant washed the dishes and swept the floor, she did not wipe the stove. 2. The prizes included a refrigerator and a television set. No one won, although many tried. 3. Although he had prepared the speech, he did not tell anyone about it. 4. He ate the rice and curry, but he did not touch the vegetables though he used to like them very much. MOE Reader 1, 2, 3 & 4. You can use either though or although in all these sentences. Although is more formal and used more in writing, and though is generally less formal and used more in speech. However, there are certain structures in which only though can be used, e.g. Tired though I was, I still continued working in order to meet the deadline. Poor though they were, they were never short of food. If you want to use although to mean the same things, you have to change the beginning of the sentences to: Although I was tired ... and Although they were poor ... Though can also be used as an adverb, especially at the end of a sentence, to lessen the effect of the previous statement, e.g. Shes very lucky to get a scholarship. She doesnt appreciate it, though. Our team won the match. The other side played very well, though. Using that I would like to seek your advice on how to use the pronoun that. Here are some examples: 1. Predeterminers are a class of words that come before determiners in a noun group. (that in this case refers to a class of words) 2. A complete failure of governance, that breeds contempt of law on the part of citizens and government alike, must be avoided at all cost. (that in this case refers to failure of governance) Note: The two examples above were taken from MOE (May 2010). 3. The world financial system was pushed to the edge and tax payers were forced into massive bailouts of the banks that rolled the dice with the wealth of fund managers and pension funds. However, from sentence 3), I noticed that that refers to the noun bank instead of the noun phrase bailouts of the banks. In view of the above, is sentence 3) properly constructed? Or can that be used to refer to part of the noun phrase as above in which case that is used to refer to B instead of referring to the whole noun phrase A of B? David Tan Sentence 3) is properly constructed, and in the sentence, that refers to the noun phrase the banks, which is part of the larger noun phrase massive bailouts of the banks. There is no standard rule about what the relative pronoun that should refer to in a sentence. We just have to read the sentence carefully to work out from its meaning what that refers to. You might be interested to look at the following sentence, which contains two instances of that as a relative pronoun. The first that refers to a whole noun phrase, while the second refers only to the last part of a noun phrase:

The Waterfront has undergone a massive upgrading project which includes a new marina with splendid yachts, a new residential complex of apartments that command among the best views in the islands and the restoration of the buildings that have survived the ravages of wars over the centuries. (from heartofmalta.com) The first that refers to a new residential complex of apartments, while the second that refers only to the buildings, not to the restoration of the buildings. Some, much, any Please explain the use of some, any and much in the following sentences. 1. I havent got any rice in the house. Please go out to buy a few kilogrammes from the shop nearby. 2. How much do you know about his plans for further studies abroad? I know only a little about him. Is plan/plans a countable or uncountable noun? 3. Is this correct: I havent any coins in my pocket. 4. Are they any/much rats in your house? 5. There isnt much/any ink in this bottle. Chinese Reader 1. In your first sentence, I havent got any rice in the house., any is correctly used as a determiner with the uncountable noun rice, in a negative sentence. 2. Much here is used after how in how much, which begins a wh-question and means to what extent in this context. What is asked about is not his plans ... as such, but how much you know about his plans. So how much relates to do you know and not to the noun plans. We can rephrase the question as: How much knowledge do you have about his plans for further studies abroad? Here, much is used before the uncountable noun knowledge. Much is never used immediately before a countable noun like plan(s). How much, however, is often used before the auxiliary verb in a question, e.g. in your question How much do you know about ...? or How much has he travelled? Your second sentence, I know only a little about him., means I only have a small amount of information about him. It would be better to use the negative sentence I dont know much about him. 3. Yes, any is correctly used there, with a plural noun in a negative sentence. 4. Much should not be used with countable nouns like rats. The correct sentence is: Are there any rats in your house? Any is the correct word to use with a plural noun in a question. 5. You can use either much or any before the uncountable noun ink in a negative sentence. But the meaning of the sentence would depend on the word you use. There isnt much ink in this bottle. means there is a small amount of ink in the bottle. BUT There isnt any ink in this bottle. means there is no ink at all in the bottle. For more details, I would suggest you consult the following free online dictionaries at:

www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com dictionary.cambridge.org

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday September 28, 2011

Stand out in an interview

ENGLISH IN MANAGEMENT By YONG AH YONG The interview: Where your listening and speaking skills count. THE main purpose of a job interview is for the business management to get to know you better. They are already satisfied with your qualifications and now they wish to see you in person to have a clearer picture of who you are. How you carry yourself before a panel of interviewers will be observed and assessed. The interview is often the final filtering process as confirmation of recruitment can be made after deliberation by the panel of interviewers. Getting prepared Before attending an interview, it would be helpful to get hold of a brief history of the company, identify their products or services, their customers as well as their vision and mission. This will help you see how your expertise and experience fit in with the company. Although one cannot judge a book by its cover, the interviewers are able to judge you by verbally exchanging information with you. At the same time, they are watching you and scanning you from head to toe and your body language can either enhance your image or betray you. Your attire should be neat and professional. A lady may sport long hair but not a man. Imagine how a professional manager in a well-established firm would look, and dress that way. You need to carry with you all the relevant documents and certificates. Your CV (curriculum vitae) or rsum, list of referees, samples of your past projects and anything else that they may want to see should be brought along. Make sure everything is well arranged and any item can be easily retrieved. Testing the applicant A company may make a mistake by firing the right person or hiring the wrong one. Therefore, the management has to be very cautious in its selection process. A job applicant may be put through a series of tests other than the interview to see his true colours. Handling job interview questions Your listening and speaking skills will be put to the acid test in the interview. This means that you must not remain silent during your meeting with the interviewers or just give yes or no answers to their questions. That would indicate to them that you dislike communication or that you lack communication skills. Interviewers will often ask some warm-up questions, such as: How did you arrive at our company?

Did it take you long to get here? Where did you park your car? Were you caught in the rain? Whether you say yes or no, do elaborate. In other words, provide slightly more information than required. Tell them, for instance: Oh yes, it is very convenient to get a cab at KL Sentral. It took me just 20 minutes to reach here. The cab driver knew your company location very well ... Of course, dont drag on. Answer their questions precisely. Tell them what they want to know, and dont tell them what they do not ask. The interviewers will continue to ask about your previous employment or education, or they may ask you a hypothetical question to gauge how you would handle a difficult situation or to hear your personal opinions. What if we want you to work at our branch office in Kuantan in the first two years? We know your major is Financial Management at the university. Do you mind if we post you to the Public Relations Department? Frequently asked questions Here are some questions that the interviewers may ask you: How would you handle a difficult customer? You may relate an incident at your previous workplace, then explain the situation and how you helped solve the problem. If you have not experienced such a case, you could tell the interviewers about a similar situation where you managed to settle a quarrel among friends. That would give the interviewers some idea of your social or inter-personal strategies. Why should we choose you? Mention that you like the job and you are suitable for the job. Let the company realise how they will gain from having you as an employee. Give some idea of what way you can be of value to them. Tell us about yourself. Give a brief summary of your education, experience and expertise. Tell them your ambition and immediate plan. Reveal your personality by saying that you enjoy team work, are eager to learn and will do your best for the growth and development of the company. What are your weaknesses? Dont say I dont have any. Everyone has weaknesses and it takes courage to admit them. Say something relevant in a humorous way: Yes, my girlfriend always tells me I am too straightforward and I will never make a successful sales manager. Perhaps I need to learn how to be a little bit tricky in order to function in my job.

What are your strengths? Tell the interviewers honestly what you can do well. However, be modest and tell them there is still plenty of room for you to improve yourself. Show your goodwill Throughout the interview, maintain eye contact with each of the interviewers. At the end of the interview you may ask the interviewers one or two questions to show that you are really interested: Could I know when you will inform me of the outcome of this interview? Do you encourage your officers to do a part-time MBA while they are serving in your company? Before you leave, thank all the interviewers. Thank them again by e-mail, text message or phone after a couple of days. That may impress them to a certain extent. Try to be a little outstanding, and your name will at least stand out in their short-term memory. Yong Ah Yong is with the Department of Languages and Linguistics, UTAR (Perak).

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Friday September 23, 2011

Building blocks
RAMBLINGS By Dr Lim Chin Lam Positive and negative affixes. THE MOE co-ordinator e-mailed me as follows: A colleague of mine came upon an online article about words or phrases that only have a negative connotation, e.g. disgruntled, dishevelled and out of whack, and asked whether I would be interested in writing an article on the subject. Even before the hint, I had for a long time pondered over the very same topic and wondered whether it would be of any interest. Heck! No matter. Hence the following spiel. For a start, I should like to put word-building into perspective. A word may be built up here I insert a full-stop to separate the elements forming the word in the following ways: (1) combining existing words to form a new word, e.g. cease.fire, god.send, show.down; (2) linking together combining forms or word-stems (psycho.logy, from Greek psyche breath, soul, mind + logos word, reason, discourse); (3) affixing a prefix, or prefixes, to an existing word (in.come) or to a word-stem or combining form (pre.dict, from Latin prae but pre- in combination before + dicere, dictum to say); and (4) affixing a suffix, or suffixes, to an existing word (like.ly) or to a word-stem or combining form (cordi.al, from Latin cor, cordi- heart + -al). Table 1 is a list of some affixes which have a negative or privative connotation, with examples of words formed therewith; and Table 2 lists the affixes with the opposite connotation. Words and their opposites

There are many ways in which words be they nouns, adjectives, or verbs with positive and negative significations may arise. These include: (1) using different words, e.g. full/empty, functional/defunct, presence/absence, accept/reject, active/passive, awake/asleep; (2) affixing a prefix to an existing word, e.g. do/undo, construe/misconstrue, embark/disembark; (3) affixing different suffixes to an existing word, e.g. worthy/worthless; (4) attaching different prefixes to the same word-stem or combining form, e.g. accord/discord, encourage/discourage, inflate/deflate; and (5) attaching different suffixes to the same word-stem, e.g. happy/hapless. Oddities Even with the different ways of forming words of opposite significations, which include irregular patterns in the formation of opposites, further oddities may arise, as indicated in Tables 1 and 2. The two examples, viz. disgruntled and dishevelled, which open this topic, are not unique. Some elaboration is called for. The opposite of disgruntled would notionally be gruntled, the past participle of gruntle, which is deemed the frequentative of grunt (Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1974) but both gruntle and gruntled apparently do not appear as valid words. However, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2004 admits the word gruntled (as a back-formation from disgruntled) used in a humorous context to mean pleased, satisfied. As in the case of disgruntled, the word dishevelled, when shorn of its prefix, leaves the fragment hevelled or even shevelled, neither of which is a valid word. The complete word is derived from French deschevele, the past participle of descheveler, and ultimately from des (Latin dis-) plus chevel hair, meaning having the hair uncovered.

Let us now pick out some examples from the tables for clarification, to wit: (1) disparage, disparate (ref. #1.4 of Table 1). The word disparage to dishonour by comparison with what is inferior, to match in marriage with an inferior, to talk slightingly of comes from Old French desparager, made up of des- (Latin dis-) with negative connotation, plus parage high birth or rank (Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, 1974). Compare with the word disparate, derived from Latin dis- plus parare, paratum to put, to make ready. The notional opposite, parate, the result of deleting the prefix dis-, does not exist in English. (2) infidel/fidel*, inebriated/ebriated, inflammable/flammable, impassioned/passioned, inflammable/flammable (ref. #1.6). The word infidel is derived from the prefix in- plus fidelis faithful. Docking the

negative prefix in- from infidel results in the seeming opposite, fidel, which is not a valid word in English. As for the pairing of inebriated and ebriated, either word is not the opposite of the other. Here the prefix in- is not a negating prefix but an intensifying prefix so to be ebriated means to be drunk or intoxicated, and to be inebriated to be more so. The same intensive prefix in- or its variant im- is used in inflammable/flammable and impassioned/passioned. (3) ignominy/nominy* (ref. #1.7). The word ignominy is made up of the negative prefix inplus (g)nomen, nominis name. The notional opposite nominy is a no-no. (4) nonchalant/chalant* (ref. #1.8). The notional opposite chalant does not exist in English. (5) uncouth/couth*, unruly/ruly* (ref. #1.9). Couth is almost an unnatural word, being a back-formation from uncouth. Ruly is hardly encountered, being an archaic word derived from rule and meaning disciplined, orderly. (6) ruthless/ruthful* (ref. #1.10). Ruthless contains the root word ruth, but the opposite ruthful is apparently unknown. (7) awful/awless*, awesome/aweless* (ref. #2.3 and #2.6 of Table 2). Both awful and awesome contain the root word awe, but their opposite, awless or aweless, is not encountered. (8) burly/burl-less*, pricey/priceless cf. valuable/valueless (ref. #2.7). Burly is a word on its own, and the terminal -y is not a suffix. There is, therefore, no call for an opposite like burl-less, as in the model for worthy/worthless. Price and value may be synonymous; they form their respective opposites in pricey/priceless and valuable/valueless; but priceless (so precious that its value cannot be determined) has a meaning decidedly different from that of valueless (without value, worthless).

I hope my fellow-learners discern the patterns and ramifications in forming words of opposite significations. No doubt they will have a heyday incidentally, this word is not formed from hey plus day in uncovering even more exceptions and unusual features in the formation of opposites. Enjoy but not disjoy yourselves in the undertaking.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Thursday September 22, 2011

A cow humanised
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN THE story from AFP, German cow-on-the-run caught (The Star, Sept 3), talked about a cow in Bavaria who escaped from a farm. Nowadays, people include animals, particularly pets, more and more in the family, to the extent of giving them human status. But the cow in the newspaper article is a run-of-the-mill farm cow. Since the who pronoun was used by an international press agency, it seems that there is universal acceptance of this practice of humanising animals in print. Isnt there any resistance and protest towards this trend, at least to the extent of saying that it is being overdone at times? I.Ho I agree that the reporting on this runaway cow does humanise that cow. Not only was who used to refer to it, but she and her as well. However, having read different reports of the story, I came to the conclusion that the journalists involved were exercising their sense of humour

more than anything else. I must say I had a huge laugh when I read the reports, and that made a change from reading current reports about human deaths due to fighting, famine and the forces of nature. The farm cow in the story doesnt seem to be a run-of-the-mill farm cow at all. To begin with, she ... er ... it has a human name, Yvonne, and a sister with the name Waltraut. There is also a bull named Ernst. Who wouldnt be tempted to humanise this story? Yvonne also seems unusually spirited, since this is the second time shes run away. What I find chilling in the story is how hunters were encouraged to shoot Yvonne on sight, with a promise of a huge reward, and how a lot of people were driven by greed to try to catch the poor cow. Humanising animals is not a new phenomenon, though it takes different forms. There is also serious opposition to it, as can be seen in the following webpages, among others: jtcontracelsum.blogspot.com/2009/11/humanising-animals.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_fakers_controversy Scrumptious or sumptuous? The article Next stop Gurney Plaza (StarMetro, The Star, Aug 26) starts with this line: Theres a bright red bus in town, and it serves up sumptuous seafood set meals in a jiffy. Do you think it is more appropriate to use the word scrumptious instead of sumptuous? Han Sumptuous is an adjective that is used to describe not just meals, but also buildings, clothes, etc that are magnificent and expensive. For example, a formal meal in a dining room of a five-star hotel can be described as sumptuous. Here is a quotation from the Oxford English Dictionary where the word describes a banquet: He sees ... No costly lord the sumptuous banquet deal / To make him loath his vegetable meal. (Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveller 1764) The seafood set meals in the food outlet in the article do not seem to be expensive at RM5 each, or eaten in magnificent surroundings. The ambience described sounds interesting rather than luxurious. I therefore agree with you that the word scrumptious would describe such meals better. Scrumptious is a word that is now especially used to describe food, and it means delicious. It is an informal word, but the tone of the article is generally informal, with phrases like exciting promo and yummy bites. Here is a quotation from the OED with the word in it, describing a home-cooked meal: 1976 A. L. Rowse Cornishman Abroad 14 The scrumptious meal she cooked, Cornish duck and Californian avocado stuffed with shrimp, our own cream from the farm with the delicious sweet. Is it a or the? 1. Which article do we use here: A/The crocodile is a fierce animal? From what I understand, either can be used. A crocodile is used as a singular noun to typify a whole class while The crocodile is used as a general reference to all the individuals that make up that class. If a picture of a crocodile is given, how does one make a sentence with the words crocodile and fierce? What about A/The mangosteen is a local fruit and A/The cheetah can run faster than a/the giraffe? 2. Which is the correct word to use?

a) It is dangerous to play in/on the road. b) She was scolded for jumping/cutting the queue. 3. We usually say Christians go to church every Sunday but Muslims go to the mosque every Friday. Can we leave out the before mosque? CT 1. You are right: either a or the can be used in a sentence like A/The crocodile is a fierce animal. If you write a crocodile in the sentence, you mean each or every crocodile. But if you write the crocodile in the sentence, you mean crocodiles in general rather than a particular example (see Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, meaning 4 of the). If a picture of a crocodile is given, and you have to make a sentence using crocodile and fierce, you could write a number of sentences. You could write general sentences about a/the crocodile being a fierce animal, like your sentences above, or you could write a more specific one. The crocodile in the picture could be regarded as a particular crocodile, for example one in a zoo, and the sentence could therefore read: This crocodile is fierce. In the case of the mangosteen sentence, you should write: The mangosteen is a local fruit., because here you are writing about mangosteens in general. In the cheetah sentence, however, it is better to write: A cheetah can run faster than a giraffe., which means Any cheetah can run faster than any giraffe. Here we are comparing the running speeds of two kinds of animals, and it is better to think of two animals running a race, rather than two groups of animals doing that. 2. a) In British English, you can say EITHER It is dangerous to play in the road. OR It is dangerous to play on the road. Here are some examples of usage from the Internet: KIDS playing in the road in Fifth Avenue, Grantham, are accidents waiting to happen, according to a concerned motorist. (From The Grantham Journal, Feb 13, 2008) Headteacher Janet Felkin said she ... has warned her pupils of the dangers of playing in the road, at an assembly. (From The Argus, a Brighton newspaper) Never let children play on or near a road. (One of the road safety messages of The Childrens Traffic Club, UK) This is usually a quiet place, the only noise you get is from kids playing on the road. It beggars belief that there should be a stabbing on the doorstep like this. b) You always jump a queue never cut it. 3. We dont usually leave out the in Muslims go to the mosque every Friday. Go to church is a natural English expression, which originated from native English speakers who went to church. But I think that Arabic uses al (the) before masjid in the phrase which is equivalent to go to the mosque, and that may be the origin of the use of go to the mosque in English. In BM, we just say pergi ke masjid, because BM doesnt have the equivalent of the in speaking about things in general. Which pronoun? What would be the best answer to the sentence, Each child is choosing a toy for (himself, itself, themselves)? Yan You should not use itself, because a child is a person, and itself refers to a non-human, or a baby whose sex is not known. The older practice is to use the masculine form of a pronoun for a person whose sex is unknown, and so your sentence would have been written as: Each child is choosing a toy for himself. Here, himself would also include the girls. In recent times, however, due to the influence of feminists, the

plural form is used instead of the masculine, and so it is correct now to write: Each child is choosing a toy for themselves. Both forms are acceptable. Thursday September 22, 2011

The good word

WORDWISE By S.H. LOKE Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24) ARE you at a loss for words when you need to compliment someones stature, personality and bearing? Here is a list of words which can help you to flatter your friends or compliment them appropriately. 1. Svelte slim and attractive Celia is svelte and dresses like a super model. 2. Willowly tall, thin and attractive The willowly ballerinas look very beautiful. 3. Vivacious lively, exciting and attractive Jane Fonda is still vivacious although she is 72. 4. Petite small-sized French women are more petite and fashion conscious. 5. Sultry attractive in a way which suggests hidden passion Angelina Jolie is sultry with her sensual lips. 6. Slim thin in a way that is attractive She looks slim and elegant in her cheong sam. 7. Amiable friendly and pleasant to be with Rani is an amiable girl who gets along well with everyone. 8. Bubbly lively, cheerful and talks a lot. Her bubbly character makes her the live wire of any party. 9. Effervescent lively, entertaining, exciting, enthusiastic Her effervescent character made her a good public speaker.

10. Affable pleasant and friendly An air stewardess should be affable and welcoming. 11. Exuberant full of energy, excitement and cheerful She is an exuberant girl who can work fast and efficiently. 12. Sparky entertaining and lively Everyone enjoys talking to Kevin because he is sparky. 13. Genial kind and friendly His genial disposition makes him a popular student in school. 14. Nonchalant not worried about and appearing calm Rina is nonchalant about her job interview tomorrow. 15. Gracious very well-mannered and pleasant Her party is a success because she is a gracious hostess. 16. Flamboyant very noticeable, stylish and exciting Princess Diana was the most photographed woman in the world as she was flamboyant and elegant. 17. Charming to behave in a friendly and pleasant way that makes people like them. This salesman can be very charming to his customers. 18. Demure quiet, shy in a way you find appealing Princess Grace Kelly was a demure beauty who was a screen favourite. 19. Polished confident and behaves well socially After her overseas education May is more polished. 20. Refined very polite, with good manners and good taste. Her excellent upbringing is reflected in her refined way of speaking and dressing. 21. Ravishing very beautiful Nicole Kidman with her flawless complexion is a ravishing beauty. 22. Breezy behaving in a casual, cheerful and confident manner

With her breezy personality, Sonia can make friends easily. 23. Buoyant If you are in a buoyant mood you feel cheerful and behave in a lively way. Feeling buoyant after some drinks Peter sang and danced on stage. 24. Distinguished look noble and respectable Besides the Chief Minister there are many distinguished guests. 25. Spirited active, lively and confident Mike was chosen as the class monitor as he is a spirited boy.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday September 21, 2011

Fiddler on the roof

By LUCILLE DASS How to play (with words) on the fiddle. THERES a fiddler on the roof ... of my neighbours house. Now, in the words of Tevye, If I were a rich man (woman), or If I had a small fortune, there would have been a fiddler on my roof too, especially since the tiles cry their heart out onto select spots in my study, my favourite hangout, when it rains. Anyway, this roof guy decided me on this to fiddle (mess) with the word. A fiddly task, Ill have you know. Not unlike the laborious experience of our MOE co-ordinator when she has to manually put in place all italics should they mysteriously lose their form somewhere in transition. The dictionary (COD) states that fiddle is colloquial, not literary; derogatory, not complimentary. That notwithstanding, I find its sound (try saying it, again!) both musical and linguistic delightful. Dont you just love diddling with Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle ... ? I still do, especially when I cannot quickly find my favourite spoon (yes, call me fiddly/fussy) to go with a dish on the run! Oh, Fiddlesticks! I first picked up this nonsensical expression in my growing years in school, from a nun (yes! Bless her soul, shes now long gone) who used it whenever she disagreed or became upset with something we said or did. I loved the sound of it, took to it immediately and then couldnt stop myself from showing off at every opportunity available, out of her hearing, of course. Colloquial and derogatory, or not, fiddle alone commands multiple meanings in varying contexts, and together with its affiliates, the fiddling family of expressions show remarkable fidelity in terms of contribution to popular language use. Fiddle as a noun commonly describes a musical instrument of the viol family; as a verb it describes an approach to the violin, with a fiddlestick here doing colloquial service for a bow. Should someone remark that you have a face as long as a fiddle it means you have a dismal or gloomy expression. Now, hows this for a contrast discovered from the Net? A rare complimentary meaning attached to fiddle-face, if you like. William Morris (of Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins) calls it an interesting fiddling (italics mine) side note. It records an unheard phrase found in the etymologist Charles Earle Funks Heavens To Betsy! And Other Curious Sayings (1955): to have ones face made of a fiddle (italics mine) was to be exceptionally good-looking. This was attributed to fiddles having such pleasing qualities as to invite complimentary comparisons to humans. Note, he says made of ....

Could that be the only positive note? Unless of course, we also recognise fiddling to mean tinkering with something with the intent to fix it. In that sense my sons are tireless fiddlers! So is their father, with knobs and dials of any kind. Sigh. Now, if your doctor pronounces you as fit/fine as a fiddle, rejoice, youre in good shape, to strike a positive note. Decidedly, fiddle/fiddler-derived expressions convey more unflattering notions than otherwise. Why play second fiddle elsewhere when a derogatory role so becomes them! Apart from lending itself to mean purely awkward, tiresome, nonsensical and trifling matters, the expression pleads guilty to serious offences like cheating, falsifying documents, swindling (diddling old use), nay, all manner of dishonest acts, including fraud. For example, if a reporter fiddles with the facts, he is guilty of meddling or tampering with information. Additionally, to be at/on the fiddle is to be engaged in an illegal or fraudulent undertaking. If in the workplace someone gains a promotion through an act of deception, he is deemed to have fiddled his way to that position. And if like me, you fiddle away the morning doing the least of things because you feel listless and lethargic on a particular day, you have simply wasted or squandered the morning. Would that be so bad as what Emperor Nero did in the (rumoured) story fiddling while Rome burned? It means being engrossed in unimportant matters when one should be attending to grave problems. It bears thinking. Turning now to more trifling matters, have you come across some people who have a habit of fiddling with (also twiddling another lovely word, no?) their fingers or thumbs? And ever so deftly with objects like a pen, pencil ... or some ladies, with their hair. If this fidgety fiddling serves no apparent reason, it could simply be a nervous habit while waiting for something to happen. Tuning in to music, especially of the hypnotic kind, some may know of the infamous super-villain of DC Comics, Bowin aka The Fiddler, who uses his excellent violin skills to create a powerful field force of musical vibrations to hypnotize others for his acts of villainy! I also found out that theres a popular pub named The Mean Fiddler in Sydney, New York, and London that boasts good food and music, fiddle included Im sure, to go with the mean (meaning very good here) food. Ill hang up my fiddle with a note on two interesting quotes. One by an unknown author: Friends are like fiddle strings, they must not be screwed too tight. You have been warned. But then again, being one who enjoys seeking out all things contrary, heres a counter-equal that I picked up recently from a book by the late Bishop Fulton Sheen: The violin strings, if they were conscious, would complain when the musician tightened them, but this is because they do not see that the sacrificial strain was necessary before they could produce a perfect melody. And thats also no fiddle-faddle (a reduplication meaning nonsense old use) because true friends will take the stretch.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday September 21, 2011

Laughing stock
OPEN CHANNEL MALACCA is a World Heritage site and has much to offer foreigners and Malaysians alike. However, tourists will be laughing at the use of English on signs and notices. It is embarrasing. A signboard below a picture depicting Christians going to the chapel at St Johns Hill reads: ... the Portuguese tried to disseminate Catholicism among the locals. Unfortunately only a small group of local woman were converted though massage. Further, reassuring the visitor that the ones converted though massage came from Sumatra (that is, no Malayan women were converted to the Catholic faith) is a political message that should have no relevance to the tourist.

There are more examples elsewhere. At Muzium Samudera, the fog horn is described as Siren which is sounded when a ship come into the misty and dimly visible area at the sea as an alarm of existence of any ship which also in its vicinity; while Perahu Jalur is among the first type of boat the human use. When the knowledge about [unreadable] rock and assets caustic was start expand he start made the transport use [unreadable] out of a trunk, they will make a hole at the center to get a balance and [unreadable] it commonly measures 15 feet in length and two feet in width ... The Perahu Jalur was made from the hard and floating wood like Meranti. This [unreadable] using by people all over the world especially internal society. The Tourism Ministry ought to take stock of how its money is being spent to sell Malacca and Malaysia. Steve de Souza

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Friday September 16, 2011

Teachers approach is crucial

Open Channel HAVING taught English at a Chinese independent high school, my experience and intuition have convinced me that the major motivational factor for successful ESL (English as a Second Language) learning lies in the teaching approaches, notwithstanding variables like learners goals, expectations, anxiety, effort and attitude, as informed in research done globally (refer to the Education Resource Information Centre website at www.eric.ed.gov). Moreover, a good L2 (Second Language) teacher must be linguistically competent and academically comprehensive. The teachers teaching approaches subsumes his/her teaching attitude, personality, including actions and behaviours taken in the course of classroom teaching. Many learners turn a deaf ear to English in schools mostly because their teachers cant arouse their interest in the language, or worse, kill their interest for good. As an ESL learner, there are obstacles to be overcome. For some, English is learned only in school and not used out of school. Learning English is not a life or death matter because the student can survive perfectly well without mastering English in his or her own speech community. As such, learners need stimulation and motivation, and teachers are the best drivers for this. On the other hand, on top of everything, an L2 teacher needs to know what Second Language Acquisition is all about. The latest SLA theories and hypotheses put forward have probed deep into the undiscovered psychological facets of learners and they are both down to earth and applicable. For instance, learners should be given allowance for silent period; and teachers should have an awareness of natural order of learning. Having this knowledge, the teacher can then prove his/her postulations and experiment with approaches to bring about the reactivation of English. Khei Yok Man English for free www.esolcourses.com: For those of you who are interested in improving your English, this is a website that provides free lessons for learners of all levels. Among its interesting features are grammar and listening exercises, reading activities, crossword puzzles and picture quizzes. Theres even a section where one can learn English through songs!

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Thursday September 15, 2011

Capital idea
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN IS this sentence correct? You and Mr. Lee are like beauty and the beast. Mr. Hii It is correct as a sentence, but some words should be capitalized since they are names of characters from a fairy tale. It should therefore be: You and Mr. Lee are like Beauty and the Beast. Poor Mr Lee! Maybe he will turn out to be a prince, as in the fairy tale. Assassination Isnt the word assassination reserved for political figures? Some entertainment websites had the headline, Jihadist calls for Lettermans assassination. As far as I know, David Letterman is not a politician. Also, I have never heard anyone say or write John Lennons assassination. Nasir The word assassination is mainly, but not exclusively used for the murder of a political figure. It can also be used for the murders of other prominent and famous people, and even iconic pop stars like John Lennon. David Letterman, though not a politician, is famous enough as a talk show host for a call to kill him to be termed a call for his assassination. Coming back to John Lennon, the word assassination was used for his murder, by the BBC, which in 2007 produced an educational DVD titled The Assassination of John Lennon, which was a TV programme in a series called Infamous Assassinations. The word was also used by the British newspaper The Guardian in an article the day after Lennons murder. The last sentence of this article reads: Yesterday the tragedy was treated as the most important news story in America and the media likened the assassination to that of John Kennedy. Contradictions Contradictory tenses make me fume. Heres something I read online: Patents on software and business methods, with vague, broad claims, were now accepted. sm I take it that what made you unhappy in the sentence you quoted was the use of now with the past tense. There is nothing wrong with this in the context of the article it came from. One of the definitions of the adverb now given by the online Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary is: used in stories or reports of past events to describe a new situation or event. An example is given: It was getting dark now and we were tired. If you look again at the two sentences before the sentence you quoted, youll realise that the acceptance of patents on such software and business methods was a new thing in the mid-90s:

IBM Corp. latched on to TIs lead in patent licensing in the mid-90s, when it was down on its luck. That coincided with courts broadening the types of patents allowed. Patents on software and business methods, with vague, broad claims, were now accepted. The Oxford English Dictionary in its definition 4. of the adverb now, has this to say At this time; at the time spoken of or referred to. thus acknowledging that now can have a past as well as a present meaning. Here are two of the sentences cited by the dictionary to show this: The war was now practically concluded. (G.Bancroft, Footprints of Time, 1874) The assurance he had at first displayed was now succeeded by an air of embarrassment. (M.Pattison, Essays, 1884) Percentages and weights 1. Do you say 50% of the population are males, and 1% of the population is affected? Then, what do you say when it is 0.2% of the population? Do you also use is? 2. Do you say 500 grammes of meat were used in the recipe? Is it then correct to say 0.5 gramme of salt was added? Annie 1. When a percentage of a population is the subject of a sentence or clause, the verb can be either singular or plural, irrespective of whether it is 1% of the population, less than 1% of the population, or 99% of the population. In the case of 50% of the population are males, however, are is used. This is because of the plural noun after the be verb. It would be very odd to say 50% of the population is males. However, we can say 50% of the population is male, using male there as an adjective. As for 1% of the population is affected, we can also say 1% of the population are affected. Likewise 0.2% of the population can take either a singular or a plural verb. Below are some examples drawn from the Internet, of the use of are and is after 1% of the population, less than 1% of the population, and 50% of the population: ... but its even more extraordinary in Japan where only 1% of the population is Christian. (BBC, Aug 7, 1999) An estimated 1% of the population are transgendered in some way ... In western Europe and the United States, 0.1 to 0.2% of the population are infected with the hepatitis B virus. Experts estimate about 0.5% of the population is harbouring undiagnosed hepatitis C or other viral liver diseases. (BBC website, Jan 8, 2005) In terms of social class, across the UK, around 50% of the population is classified as being skilled manual ..., semi-skilled ... or unskilled ..., according to the 1998 General Household Survey ... (from Prospects, the UKs official graduate careers website) Situated in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, 50% of the population are directly descended from Fletcher Christian and his band of mutineers. (About Norfolk Islands, from BBC website, June 5, 2002) 2. Amounts and quantities of things, when expressed as decimals, are followed by plural nouns, whether the decimals are over 1 or below 1. So we say 0.5 grammes (not gramme) of something. However, when amounts and quantities expressed as whole numbers as well as decimals are used as subjects, they take singular verbs, even though the noun used to indicate the amount or quantity is plural.

So we say 500 grammes of meat was used in the recipe. and 0.5 grammes of salt was added. But we say 1 gramme of sugar was also added. Colour me white Please advise on whether these sentences are grammatically correct or otherwise. 1. The shirt colour is white. 2. The colour of the shirt is white. 3. The shirt is in white colour 4. The shirt colour is in white. David Tan Sentences 1 and 2 are correct, but 2 sounds better. What would be even better is: The shirt is white. You dont need to use the word colour, since everyone knows that white is a colour.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Thursday September 15, 2011

The positive side of on your bike

OPEN CHANNEL WE refer to the article Appalling ignorance by A Reader who questioned the use of the idiom on your bike that we, the organisers of OCBC Cycle Malaysia, are using as a catchphrase for our upcoming mass participation cycling event (MOE, Sept 2). While the idiom is interpreted in a different context in Britain, we wish to highlight that there is also another meaning that is commonly attached to it to take action. It became a catchphrase in the 1980s when it was used as an exhortation to the unemployed to show initiative in their efforts to find work. It was taken from a speech by the Conservative politician Norman Tebbit in which he said of his unemployed father: He did not riot, he got on his bike and looked for work. The phrase has since been used frequently when calling for people to take action on virtually anything with a potentially positive outcome and that is precisely our intention to encourage Malaysians to get ready and take up the healthy sport of cycling. We appreciate A Readers feedback in stating the phrases contextual meaning in Britain, however, the slogan is intended for our Malaysian community. As was Mr Tebbits intent, our desire is to galvanise cyclists to take positive action and sign up for OCBC Cycle Malaysia. So, on that note, we reiterate our positive and literal call On your bike, Malaysia! Spectrum Worldwide & OCBC Bank, Organisers and Title Sponsor of OCBC Cycle Malaysia

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday September 14, 2011

Strictly speaking
ENGLISH IN MANAGEMENT By YONG AH YONG This is the first article in a series on using English in business. Todays topic is the oral presentation. A BUSINESS leader, such as a company manager, a CEO, an ICT supervisor or a sales manager, is often required to convey a certain message or information to a group of people orally. According to Steve Mandel in his book Technical Presentation Skills, there are four types of speakers. The first, an avoider, tries to escape from speaking in public for whatever reason. But in modern business, to avoid sharing information in a workshop, training session or seminar is a disadvantage. The second is a resistor. He may speak, but quite reluctantly even if people may be keen to listen to him. The next type is an acceptor. The speaker is willing to do his job because it is a part of his business responsibility. But beyond that he will not look for other opportunities. The ideal type is a seeker. He looks for opportunities to share information and ideas, and gradually builds up his professional communication skills and self-confidence through speaking on a regular basis. He knows very well that practice makes perfect, and that a good speaker is not born but is made or trained. A good speaker need not memorise every sentence. He merely remembers the key points which he will express in his own words. With PowerPoint slides, it may not be necessary to jot down key points. The embarrassment of forgetting certain material can be avoided as each slide directly or indirectly reminds the speaker of what to say next. Of course, the main points on the slides must be comprehensive, or he may get stuck halfway if something essential has slipped his mind. Do check the order of the presentation to ensure that one key point flows logically to the next. Practise with the slides to synchronise your speech with the audio-visual aids. Arrange to practise in front of people who know nothing about the topic, then ask them to comment on your presentation. You can also videotape your rehearsal. Then play it back to see and hear yourself in action. Make the necessary corrections and fine-tune your performance. The beginning To effectively present his topic, the speaker needs to prepare a well-planned and well-structured oral presentation. There are three parts to a typical presentation: the introduction, body and conclusion, or the preview, view and review.

All three parts are equally important but the body is alloted the most time while the introduction and the conclusion should take only a fraction of the time. In a 40-minute speech, for example, not more than five minutes should be spent on the introduction or conclusion. Start the ball rolling by greeting the audience and introducing yourself, your position and your organisation. This will inform the audience of the main theme of your talk. It also helps to connect you to the audience and draw their attention. It is a good idea to put your name, your position, your company logo and the title of your presentation on the first frame of your slides. Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is ... and I am with the Department of Business Management at the National University of Singapore ... or I am Dr Clement Leonard, a research fellow from the University of Arizona. Ive been studying Japanese Management for almost a decade. This morning I would like to share with you some of my findings in a number of research papers ... If you are assisted, sponsored, supported or recommended by a particular firm, organisation or individual, you may want to mention their contribution. Your research paper may be the outcome of a collaborative effort and you could acknowledge this too giving the names of your work partners. Appetiser Some speakers do not go straight into the subject matter. They like to crack a joke, begin with an anecdote, make a statement that surprises or stimulates the audience to make them relaxed and eager to know what will unfold. A speaker once impressed me with this joke: Three staff members were talking about their future in terms of punctuation marks: Tom said, I dont really know what lies ahead for me My future is a question mark. Dick interrupted, The boss always shouts at me. Mine is an exclamation mark. Harry sighed, You guys are lucky. Theres absolutely nothing for me to look forward to. Mine is a full stop. My dear friends, be positive. Your future wont be a question mark, neither would it be an exclamation mark, nor a full stop. Im going to share with you for the next 30 minutes the topic of Charting a Better Tomorrow, which will turn your future into a series of commas, where many good things will follow one after another ... Engaging the audience You may now touch on the body, the core substance of your topic. Some common expressions are: Today Im going to talk about ... The subject of my presentation is ... The theme of my talk is ... Have you ever heard of ...?

Youve probably seen countless times ... You may have wondered ... My purpose of sharing with you this evening is ... What I would like to do today is to take a look at ... It is advisable to give the listeners some idea of how long you will speak. I will not speak for more than 30 minutes ... I have limited my speech to about 40 minutes ... My talk will last half an hour ... Show your concern for your audiences response by saying: You may interrupt me at any moment to ask questions or make comments. Please stop me if you find it difficult to understand a certain point. Or you could keep your questions until Ive finished. Thank you. The main points of your topic can now be shown on the screen. The main points should preferably be phrases, rather than long full sentences. Remember KISS Keep It Short & Simple. Entering the body After the introduction, you will go into the body of your speech, the essence of the subject matter. This is where all the important facts, expositions, explanations, arguments, findings, viewpoints and illustrations are made. For the body of the presentation, it is useful to follow the PREP technique: point, reason, example and point. State the position or point of view, provide a reason for the position by touching on some background or historical information, give an example of why the position is important and then restate the position. You may signal that you are entering the body with expressions such as: Now lets look at ... Lets now move on to ... You may begin by giving some definitions of key technical terms if they help explain the subject matter. But dont give too many at once it is better to define each term when the need arises as you proceed through your presentation. Exact definitions are essential and must be put in full on a slide. This applies to well-known quotations too. Short general statements may be shown in full, but for longer ones, the main points or key words would suffice. Never put long sentences on the slides and read them out one after another as it is taxing on the audience. It is best to show the main points on the screen and put them into your own words as you go along. In this way, the audience has to listen to you to get the full picture. After all, if they can read and understand everything on screen, they may not heed what you say. What is the point of speaking then?

Systematic presentation Thirty to 45 minutes is the optimum time for a normal presentation. If you are given a time limit, stick to it. The subject matter must be systematically organised logically, chronologically, from general to specific, from known to unknown, from accepted to controversial, cause and effect or problems and recommendations for solution. Whatever sequence you choose, use headings and subheadings to make clear the flow of ideas. It is necessary to guide the listeners all the way by signalling to them where you are going. Good presenters will pause, change their stance and the pitch of their voice at the appropriate moment as they move from one part of a presentation to another. For example: Now lets examine the first aspect which is ... First of all, ... In the first place ... When you shift from one section to another, use expressions like: Thats all I would like to say about ... and now we shall turn to ... Now that weve seen ... let us look at ... There are two ways of dealing with this issue. First, ... Weve looked at this from the point of view of the producers, now we shall consider the consumers perspective ... Lets consider the pros and cons of this policy implementation ... To clarify a point, you may need to give one or two examples, and you may explain something twice by using different words: Let me rephrase that ... In other words ... Another way of saying this is ... That is to say ... Closing It is good to make a summary of the main issues at the end of your presentation: Let me summarise by saying ... To recall what weve gone through so far... As I have already said earlier, here are the main points again ...

Before exiting, express your thanks to the audience for listening, and invite them to ask questions or make comments. This is important for twoway communication. You reveal your humbleness by putting yourself on equal terms with the audience and acknowledging that you are not an expert who knows all the answers. Id be happy to answer some of your questions ... If there are any questions please feel free to ask ... Ill try my best to answer you ... Thank you very much for your attention and if there are any suggestions or comments, please dont hesitate to ask ... Points to remember Pronunciation of names, in particular, must be accurate. It is embarrassing to repeatedly mispronounce words or names. In addition, the right speech variation, stress, tone, pacing and pausing can enhance or reinforce what you are saying. Look at the size of your audience and the auditorium to adjust your volume. When speaking with a mike, place it some distance from your mouth to attain good sound effect. According to psychologists, a large part of a presentation is non-verbal. Your posture, gesture, movement and eye contact with the audience speak a lot about your aptitude and attitude. Years ago I watched a western titled The Singer Not The Song. Applying that to an oral presentation, its clear that the speaker plays a more significant role than the message he tries to put across. > Yong Ah Yong is with the Department of Languages & Linguistics, UTAR (Perak).

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Friday September 9, 2011

Pet hates
By DR LIM CHIN LAM Outlining some irksome words and expressions heard in conversation and seen in print. I KNOW that hate is an unnecessarily strong word to apply to certain words and expressions that one hears in conversation and sees in print. No, I do not really hate them. Rather they just irk me. Now let us consider some of those irksome things. Unsound in sound My friend Shirley-Wong Lee is at odds with one of her Speech & Drama students who pronounces noodle as noddle and poem as pom? The befuddled student was taught the pronunciations by his holier-than-thou form teacher in school. I am amused when I hear chain-gang mispronounced as jin-gang, and when forensic, morganatic, and terpsichorean are respectively pronounced as if spelt as forsenic, morgantic, and terspichorean. I am, furthermore, tickled pink when awry and prowess are syllabised as aw-ry and pro-wess in pronunciation, obviously without making sense. However, sense dawns when the words are syllabised as a-wry and prow-ess. My sister Audrey tells of a boy in an Oral English examination who pronounced cake as chuckey no doubt a case of interference from the Malindo spelling system now used in our Bahasa Malaysia. In English, however, this mispronunciation must take the chuckey. (Incidentally, the usual expression is to take the cake, which, in American English, means to be the most remarkable or foolish of its kind. The equivalent in British English is to take the biscuit.)

Would that the offending speechsters do themselves a favour by looking up the dictionary more often. That irksome spelling I dont know about my fellow-learners, but that word barbeque (sic) is a constant source of annoyance. We do not cue for a barbeque, but we queue for a barbecue. Wrong spelling or indifferent editing? Here are two examples (my underline) not of typos but of indifferent editing: (1) Sphead to this bustling market if you are staying in Penang for a while ... New Straits Times/Northern Streets, Sept 2, 2011, p.S6. One can guess the intended word to replace a typo, but in this case sphead is unguessable. (2) Australian police said testing had confirmed that bones found in a northern forest were that of teenager Daniel Morcombe ... The Star, Aug 29, 2011, p.39. The pronoun that obviously stands for bones (plural) and therefore should be replaced by the plural pronoun those. Other examples: (1) The jelly soil, which is around 0.5cm in diameter, expands about six times its size when soaked, and blocks intestinal walls when swallowed. New Straits Times, Aug 29, 2011, p.10. I can envisage the lumen of the intestine getting blocked, but not the wall of the intestine. Incidentally, how does one block a wall? (2) Capital gripped by lack of fuel, water, electricity and stench of rubbish Headline about Tripoli under imminent attack by rebels, in The Star, Aug 29, 2011, p.37. The capital is gripped by lack of fuel (yes), lack of water (yes), lack of electricity (yes) but lack of stench of rubbish? As such? For some reason unfathomable to me, the expression as such is commonly, but mistakenly, used as if it were a connective (also known as a discourse marker) to begin a sentence to follow from a previous sentence and as if it meant therefore or under the circumstances. The following is a typical flawed construction: Yesterday it rained heavily. As such, he did not go to school. No dictionary gives such usage and meaning. The expression as such means in the true or exact meaning of the word or phrase (Cambridge International Dictionary of English, 1997). Two examples from the dictionary illustrate the normal usage of the expression: (1) There wasnt much vegetarian food as such, although there were several different types of cheese. (2) We dont have a secretary as such, but we do have a student who comes in to do a bit of filing and typing. Take another example, from Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1989: The officer of the law, as such, is entitled to respect. I suppose I could rephrase the sentence thus: He is an officer of the law. As such, he is entitled to respect where the expression as such is a connective, which, additionally, has the normal dictionary meaning. Redundancies I have previously listed such expressions as comprise of, discuss about, mention about, and repeat again, and pointed out that the prepositions/adverbs that follow such verbs are redundant. I repeat again oops! I repeat that such verbs are used on their own without having to tag on a redundancy. Words that sound the same Homonyms and homophones can be used in clever and fun ways, but a wrong usage can be annoying. Consider a recent example (my underline): Since cycling is typically peddling 90 per cent of the time, she said saddle choice, ride comfort and sitting posture is important. About folding bicycles, in New Straits Times/Business Times, Sept 2, 2011, p.B5. Yes, the verb is should be replaced by the plural are (for the compound subject saddle choice, ride comfort, and sitting posture). Surely cycling is not about peddling (meaning selling) most of the time. The correct word is pedalling meaning moving by working the pedals of a bicycle. The alert reader will have noted another rather similar-sounding word, paddling.

Other examples (my underline): (1) ... the amount owed to TNB would be adjusted in the following months reading to counter the access in the previous months bill. The Star, Aug 18, 2011, p.12. Surely it is excess, not access. (2) In the afternoon when it is at its hottest ..., people lay resting on the cool sand in the shade ... The Star/Star2, Aug 18, 2011, p.15. There are three verbs that share some common spellings, viz. lie/lay/lain (an intransitive verb), lay/laid/laid (a transitive verb), and lie/lied/lied (an intransitive verb). The intransitive verb lie, as in lie/lay/lain, is indicated in the sentence. Adjective or verb? The words commensurate and tantamount are occasionally encountered in our dailies, as in the following typical constructions: (1) Salary will commensurate with experience. (2) His absconding tantamounts to an admission of guilt. Note, however, that the said words look like verbs but they are not verbs. They are adjectives, and they are used only predicatively. The above constructions should be amended as follows: (1) Salary will be commensurate with experience. (2) His absconding is tantamount to an admission of guilt. Adjective or past participle? I feel queasy when I hear of matured adults and matured gardens. Matured adults and matured gardens conjure a picture of adults or gardens having been placed in special vats or holding chambers to become fully grown or fully developed. I cannot understand why there is a seeming preference for incorrectly using the past participle matured instead of the simple adjective mature. On the other hand, there seems to be no problem in saying advance copy instead of advanced copy (of a report), complete report instead of completed report, and separate rooms instead of separated rooms. Note, however, that there may be occasion to choose between adjective and past participle. For instance, a surprise visitor is one who is unexpected and is a welcome (not welcomed) surprise; whereas a surprised burglar is one who has been taken unawares by, say, the unexpected return of the home-owner. Singular or plural? Note the following (my underline): Injecting a bacteria into mosquitoes can block them from transmitting the dengue virus ... The Star, Aug. 26, 2011, p.3. The noun bacteria is plural (the singular is bacterium), so that it does not require the indefinite article, a. There are many such words which have the same misleading plural form. These include words of Greek origin, e.g. criteria (singular criterion) and phenomena (singular phenomenon); and those of Latin origin, e.g. curricula (singular curriculum), memoranda (singular memorandum), and strata (singular stratum). The problem with number A recent report (my underline) reads: ... I am happy that the number of participants have grown ... Sunday Star, Aug 28, 2011, p.5. In truth, the participants have grown in number but not in size. In other words, the number (singular) has grown, not the participants (plural). Therefore, substitute the verb has grown for have grown. Parting remarks The above seems like a litany of complaints about those irksome things that one meets in speech and in print. Yes, you are right. I am, like, You busybody, got nothing better to do-ah? Now everybody they are blur, dont care anymore. English, they say, colonial language only no use after Merdeka. No need to speak Queen English or King English or whatever. Nowdays we got handfone, can kom-u-nick-8 well enuff without fancy gramma (and grandpa?). Nuff said.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Thursday September 8, 2011

Pronounce the h

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN WHICH is correct? Seri Carcosa Negara is a/an historic building. belallang The h in historic is usually pronounced now, and so the phrase a historic is what is commonly used. However, in the older pronunciation of the word, the h is not pronounced, and so the word begins with a vowel and sounds like istorik. When that pronunciation is used, the phrase an historic is used. Choice of words 1. Can you please explain the differences in the words perhaps, possible and probable. Is there a difference between possible and probably? 2. Which is correct: Please accept my apology or apologies? If both are correct, which one is more polite? How about a thousand apologies? Am I being very humble by using this expression? Balan 1. Possible and probable are adjectives, while possibly, probably and perhaps are adverbs. The difference between possible and probable is a difference in degree of possibility. What is probable is more likely to exist or happen than what is possible, which is something that can exist or happen. For example, it is possible for human beings to go to the moon. But it is not probable that there will be package tours to the moon even in 10 years time. Perhaps just means possibly. If a friend sometimes comes to your house on Sunday, and someone asks you whether your friend is coming this Sunday, your answer may be: Perhaps he will come, perhaps not. He hasnt said anything yet. If someone asks you whether you think you will get the job you have been interviewed for, you answer Possibly. if the interview seemed to have gone well, but you have no idea whether youll get the job or not. But you answer Probably., if the Chairman of the selection committee told you at the interview that you were the best candidate for the job, but you still havent got a letter offering you the job. 2. You can say either Please accept my apology for ... or Please accept my apologies for .... I dont think one is more polite than the other, but if you have a lot to apologise for, its better to use the plural form! When we refer to the need to say sorry to someone, we usually use the singular form, like I owe her an apology for not going to her party. I think a thousand apologies is excessive. Its often used jokingly to friends, or to produce a comic effect in a play, novel, etc. Not ongoing In an advertisement by the Star Education Fund in The Star last month, the opening paragraph stated that the Star Education Fund was established since 1994. Isnt that like saying I was born since 19xx? I would say I was born in 19xx. Being born is not a continuing, ongoing, process. Nor is the establishment of something. Would it not be more correct to say the Fund was established in 1994? I.Ho I agree with you. It would be correct to say the Fund was established in 1994. To establish means to start a company or organization that will continue for a long time (online Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary). As you say, establishing a Fund, like being born, is not a continuing process that began in a certain year and continues till today. That is what since implies. However, it would be correct to say that the Fund has been helping students since 1994, because helping students is an ongoing process. A dog passes away Heres what I read a while ago, with my emphasis.

Jennifer Aniston was recently spotted in NYC showing off her very first tattoo: the name Norman on the inside of her right foot. The fresh ink is a tribute to the 42-year-old actresss dog Norman, a Welsh corgi-terrier mix that passed away in May at 15 years old. [...] I may be old-fashioned but passed away is a euphemism usually applied to humans who die. So is it appropriate if that phrase is Is it all right when used for a pet dog? sm I dont see why that euphemism should not be used to speak about the death of a pet who was very much loved by her or his owner. Some people love their pet animals as much as they do their human loved ones. Obviously Norman was very dear to Jennifer Aniston. Has or had 1. In these two sentences, would I use has or had? a. We refer to the above and are pleased to inform you that the individual title in respect of the above property has/had been issued. b. We would like to seek your kind approval to refund the purchase price which has/had been paid by the customer to XXXX company amounting RM5,000 (photocopied receipts attached) 2. May I know if the use of photocopied is correct? Confused 1. You are right. Both sentences need to use has. This is the correct auxiliary verb to use in the present perfect tense verbs has been issued in sentence (a) and has been paid in sentence (b). If you use had in these verbs, you would be using the past perfect tense, which is not right, since there is only one past time mentioned in each sentence. However, you would need to use to after amounting in sentence (b). 2. Your use of photocopied is correct. Here, the past participle of the verb photocopy is used as an adjective before the noun receipts.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Wednesday September 7, 2011

Read em and weep

By NITHYA SIDHHU Written English can bring on the woes. THE thing about English is that when you are good at it, it really galls you to come across bad English, especially in public places. I was at the Immigration Department at Pusat Bandar Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, to renew my passport using the passport renewal kiosk and among the sentences I read on the screen were: > Please make sure documents below has been prepared > Your application will not be process if: passport incomplete, passport scribbled, pages(s) thorn or missing. The mistakes made me flinch. Dont these people check the English used in such machines? I was in for a bigger shock when I visited the Komodo Fauna Museum located at the Mini Indonesia Park in Jakarta, Indonesia.

This is an international tourist site and yet the English on signboards for a display case of stuffed animals was atrocious. Heres a description of a Sumatran mountain goat: Scapegoat Sumatra: Mountain goat Sumatra not that demote goat mountains as we country, but as bullock family fauna and cow, wild alive, and now very scarce, found at mountain range ridges Sumatra and at Malaysian. Did you understand any of it? Next, a description of marsupials in which the translator obviously gave up half way and lapsed into Bahasa Indonesia: This mamals group is alive at Australian area and Irian to West until Moluccas and Celebes. In female stomach poke, usually hollow in front of where is baby very little enter after gived. In Indonesia, found more than 40 kinds divided in far tribes that is: mouse berkantung 10 kinds, bardikut berkantung 7 kind, kangroo, 9 kinds and kus-kus 9 kinds. From family kus found squirrel berkantung that has membrane files to fly. The stomach poke was actually the pouch and the baby very little was the newborn baby. As for the words after gived, I can only surmise that they meant after the babies had been born. I really dont know what files these animals use to fly with but I suspect they referred to webbed feet. As for a description of frogs and reptiles, it went: Frog at two natures yaitu darat and water, breathe with lung or skin, insect the food, tender age is called the plant the food tadpole and leaf decays. More than 350 frog kinds in Indonesia from little until big. I taught Biology for years so I know that tadpoles eat plant food and feed on decayed matter while the adult frogs eat insects! Would a child reading the board discern this? I wonder. Every single board was riddled with such atrocious translations that I felt embarrassed by it all. I dont mean to discredit our neighbours, but I almost felt like going up to the authorities and offering my help to correct the boards. This is not the way things should be in a beautiful place like the Taman Mini. What am I to say? Teachers of English often urge their students to mind their grammar, spelling and pronunciation. They also remind students not to translate literally from their mother tongues but to translate the meaning. I dont want to laugh at anyone and if you read enough books or travel enough, you will discover that every tribe, race and nationality has its own way of using and speaking English. I remember a Filipino maid who asked me one day where the face tha-wil was. It took me a long time to understand that she was asking for a face towel. Similarly, Thai people might well drop the sound of ch, l and c in words like school and nice but once you get used to their way of speaking, you forgive them and just move on. In Kerala, India, I was once amused by the English spoken by the Malayalee cab driver who drove me to Cochin airport from Ottapalam. I spent one and a half hours listening to him, and was thrilled to hear him out when he gave me a review of Rajni Ganths movie, Robot or Enthiran. The reason? It was the emphasis he paid on the end syllable of every word! Very nice sounded like very niccerr and words like certainly sounded like cerrrrtainlyy. It was too much for me. At the airport, I offered to buy him a cup of tea and he agreed, You buyyy? he asked incredulously. I nodded my head. That cup of tea earned me the compliment that I was a verrry kinderrr and goodduh laddy.

I remember another story my husband told me. A British manager had been handed a wedding invitation card by his Malaysian clerk. When he enquired as to whether he was expected to attend the wedding, she said to him, You want to come also can, you dont want to come, also can! Puzzled, he was left scratching his head. V.S. Naipaul in his book Miguels Street captures the way people in Trinidad speak English. A man was described doing his work, regular, regular and a woman liked to keep her house, clean, clean. Instead of us, the Caribbeans seem to prefer saying we in expressions like he dont like we. Malaysians too like to use words twice such as, Please drive slowly, slowly and Morning, morning, I like to take a walk. Obviously, these are expressions literally translated from Malay: perlahan perlahan and pagi pagi lagi. When you translate literally, you often cause others who know English to laugh, like the Sabahan teacher who told a male and female teacher who were quarrelling to make love very innocently. He didnt realise that make love is also something husbands and wives do in the bedroom! Another translated the expression, buat buat sayang (pretend to like) also to make, make love, causing hilarity among those within earshot. When informed why we had laughed, he said, I no like this English. I hard hard learn but still I no well in English. All said and done, given our respective cultural nuances, I think the English you speak is still forgivable but its terrible when your mistakes are in the written form and placed where everyone can read them.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Thursday August 25, 2011

Worst comes to worst

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN WORST coming to worst means a situation reaching its ultimate state of deterioration. What I do not understand about the expression is that if worst already means absolute bottom, how can ones fortunes sink any lower? I would have thought if worse comes to worst would be more apt. I.Ho I have no explanation to give for this expression, except that its been around in the UK since the 16th Century. Can we change an expression by using an alternative which sounds more logical? We can try, but whether it will catch on is another matter. Language is funny that way. The British English version is usually if the worst comes to the worst, while the American English version is usually if worst comes to worst, but both use worst as a noun referring to a situation or a state of things. Whatever version it is, it seems to me that the saying can only make sense if the first worst is not the absolute bottom, but can sink lower to the second worst, for instance, like something you thought most unbearable, undesirable or dreadful becoming even more so. Perhaps what Edgar says in Shakespeares King Lear can shed some light on the use of worst in this expression. He says this in a scene where he is shocked to meet his blinded father, the Duke of Gloucester: EDGAR O gods! Who ist can say I am at the worst?

I am worse than eer I was ... And worse I may be yet: the worst is not So long as we can say This is the worst. (Act IV Scene i) He had thought his situation was already at its worst, having been unjustly disowned by his father and having to disguise himself as a beggar for safety. In the informal expression the worst of the worst, usually referring to a person such as a criminal, there is the implication that among a number of people who can be said to be the worst, there is one who is right at the bottom of the heap. Cant situations be regarded that way too? Second opinion I think the answers to these question are wrong. Ive asked my English teacher about them, but I would like a second opinion. 1. Teenagers are tempted to take drugs or smoke or drink for the same reason simply because they are difficult or they want to be different. You must know it is better to show that you have confidence in yourself when the pressure is ___. A) great B) greater C) greatest D) more great. I think the answer is A, but the answer given is C. I would like to know why the answer is C. 2. Rich in plant insulin, carrot is reputed to be suitable for diabetes, kidney problems and a painful menstruation. The word reputed as used in the sentence above means ... A) proven B) believed C) found D) well-known. I think the answer should be B, but the answer given is D. Can you please tell me why its D? Michael 1. I must tell you first of all that I had trouble understanding the first sentence of this question, so I have inserted some words, in bold, that would make sense of it. Did you accidentally leave out some words when you were typing it? As to the answer, I agree with you. There is no reason to write greatest there, when nothing that came before suggested that a superlative form of great needs to be used. Great will do. However, if a superlative adjective is used earlier in the sentence, using greatest at the end would give a balance to the sentence, e.g. in: You must show most confidence in yourself when the pressure is greatest. 2. Here, too, I agree with you. Reputed means generally thought to be (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary) or said to be the true situation although this is not known to be certain and may not be likely (online Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary). The closest word to that meaning in the answers is B believed.

Information provided I came across this sentence in an article from The Guardian. My question is, should the word provide be provides in this sentence? Home Movie Day (homemovieday.com) holds worldwide celebrations to commemorate amateur film-making and provide venues where families can screen their old home movies to catch a glimpse of their heritage. Annie The word provide there is correct. The subject of the main clause is singular, i.e. Home Movie Day, and its main verb is singular, i.e. holds. Its object is worldwide celebrations, and this is followed by two infinitive clauses which give the reasons for the celebrations: 1. to commemorate amateur film-making and 2. (to) provide venues where families can screen their old home movies ... The to before provide is left out because it is understood. Let me give a simpler example: They came here to sing folk songs and (to) dance traditional dances. In this sort of sentence we often leave out the second to.

1995-2011 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)