Improve Your English – 194 [Archives:2003/654/Education]
Dr. Ramakanta Sahu
I. What to Say
Situations and Expressions (55):
Emotional Reactions (III)
Emotion is a most basic and vital part of a human being. Emotional responses are a natural outcome of man's deep and intimate interaction with his environment. As such, they embody a person's overflow of powerful feelings.
– There was a nationwide delirium of joy (a very excited state) when the home team lifted the world cup.
– As the patient's temperature went up, he became delirious (wildly excited).
– She is hypersensitive (unusually sensitive) about her looks.
– Don't be hypercritical (too ready to see the faults of others rather than their good points) in your attitude.
– The mob became hysterical (feelings expressed wildly in an uncontrolled manner) and set fire to the embassy building.
– Please don't be cross (angry) with me.
– I feel crushed (destroyed) to mark his deterioration.
– The audience stood in awe (feeling of respect mixed with fear and wonder) by the erudition of the speaker.
– He has a shattered (shocked) look on his face after he learnt about his son's accident.
– He felt crest fallen (disappointed, sad) to get his poor results.
– Words fail to adequately articulate our shock and grief at the incalculable loss.
– I can't reconcile myself to the terrible situation
– The parents were plunged in the paroxysm (sharp pain) of sorrow when their only child died
– The speaker eulogized (spoke in high praise of) the achievements of the President.
– 'Get lost!' I should in exasperation (annoyance)
– It's nauseating (hateful or very displeasing) to see his clumsiness and untidy habits.
II. How to say it correctly
Correct errors, if any, in the following sentences.
1. He gave me an advice.
2. Give me the water to drink.
3. I spent four weeks in the hospital.
4. He laughed to me.
5. I have to make them to read correctly.
Suggested answers to last week's questions
1. The dog barked on the boy.
2. I did it yesterday.
Note: The Present Perfect tense can't be used with the past time marker 'Yesterday'. So past simple tense has to be used.
3. All these flowers are beautiful.
4. This is the news.
Note: 'news' is in the plural form, but it is used as a singular noun.
5. He came home.
III. Increase your word power
(A) How to express it in one word
1. Useless people or things.
2. An action or event that destroys someone or something.
3. A list of the names of dead people whose deaths have something in common, such as time, place, or manner.
4. A human skull representing death.
5. The number of people who died in a particular way.
Suggested answers to last week's questions
1. A race in which there is no single winner: dead heat (n)
2. A letter that cannot be delivered or returned to the sender: dead letter (n)
3. A date or time before which something must be done: dead line (n)
4. A disagreement that cannot be settled: dead lock (n)
5. A solemn slow march for a funeral: dead march (n)
(B) Words and their origin
Give the sources of the following words and their meanings
1. epitome; 2. manifesto; 3.manuscript;
4. maxim; 5. hybrid
Suggested answers to last week's questions.
1. epigraphy (Gk. 'epi' 'upon' + 'graphein' meaning ' to write'): The study of inscriptions raised on a marble stone and found on tombs, statues, and public buildings.
2. epiplexis (Gk. 'on-stroke'): A form or style of argument which tries to shame the other speaker into seeing the point.
3. diachronic (Gk. 'through or across time'): A diachronic approach, according the French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, involves the study of language in terms of its origin, development, history and change.
4. synchronic (Gk. 'together time'): A synchronic approach, according to Saussure entails the study of a linguistic item in a particular state, without reference to time.
5. didactic (Gk. 'that which teaches'): A speech or writing that is meant to teach a moral lesson
(C) Words commonly confused
Bring out the meaning differences in the following pairs of words
1. bauble, bubble; 2. bawdy, body; 3. bane, boon 4. behave, behave 5. bid, bide
Suggested answers to last week's questions
1. agog (adj.) (excited and expecting something to happen): The children were all agog as the magician started showing his tricks.
amuck (adj.) (to go or run wild and out of control, especially with a desire to kill people): The public ran amuck in the worst ever-communal riot.
2. affront (n.) (A rude act or remark intended to hurt someone's feelings): He misinterpreted my observation and took it as an affront.
confront (v.) (To face boldly): Our troops confronted the enemies.
3. in front of (in the position directly before): There is a garden in front of our house.
opposite (adj.) (facing): Our house is opposite the mosque.
4. confirm (vt.) (make an opinion stronger): You have to confirm your booking 48 hours before the journey.
conform (vt.) (to be in agreement with): You should conform to the institution's rules
5. pray (vt.) (commune with God): We went to the mosque to pray.
prey (n.) (an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal): The lion seized its prey and ate it.
(D) Idioms and phrases
Use the following phrases in sentences
1. as for; 2. as against; 3. article of faith;
4. arrive at; 5. in arrangement with
Suggested answers to last week's questions
1. ask for trouble (to behave so as to cause something bad): If you argue with the boss, you're only asking for trouble.
2. ask after (enquire after): The doctor was asking after you.
3. look forward to (anticipate with pleasure): We are looking forward to hearing from you.
4. set aside (to save for a special purpose): We set aside the afternoons for exercise.
5. ashamed of (feeling of shame, guilt or sorrow): You should be ashamed of your despicable behavior.
IV. Grammar and Composition
(A) Grammar
Complete the following sentences with a phrasal verb based on do or put
1. A car isn't really necessary in Sana'a, you can easily one
2. He kept . going to the dentist until in the end one of teeth fell out
3. Your behavior is terrible. I'm not going to with it for a minute longer
4. The weather doesn't look too good, so you'd better . a rain coat.
Suggested answers to last week's questions
1. Someone ought to cut the grass as it's getting very long.
The grass needs to be cut as it's getting very long.
2. Your cakes are so good that I think you should sell them.
I think your cakes are good enough to sell
3. Jeddah is so far from Sana'a that you can't drive there in a single day.
Jeddah is too far from Sana'a to drive in a single day.
4. When they got back, someone had broken into the house.
When they got back, the house had been broken into.
5. The rise of kidnapping incidents has put off a lot of tourists this year.
This year a lot of tourists have been put off due to the rise of kidnapping incidents.
6. There can be no doubt, he was working very hard for the exam.
He must have been working very hard for the exam.
7. It's best to have your insurance documents with you, because there's always a chance you will have an accident.
It's best to have your insurance documents with you in case there is an accident.
8. It's really important that you aren't late.
You'd better not be late.
9. I didn't phone you because I didn't realize you were at home.
If I had know that you were at home. I would have phoned you.
(B) Composition: Paragraph writing
Expand the idea contained in the proverb
27. A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush
Last week's topic
26. Money is a good
servant but a bad master
Money is undeniably an essential means which enables man to provide for all the necessities and amenities of life. It is money which gives man courage, confidence and social prestige. On the other hand a penniless creature leads a miserable life, unable ever to put his body and soul together. Hence, it is everybody's duty to earn money. However, one shouldn't be too obsessively preoccupied with money. Excessive love of money is one of the deadly sins, which we should guard against. What's more important is that one should be scrupulous in spending money. It is said that a fool and his money are soon parted. Money shouldn't become a passion. It should be taken as a means to an end, and not an end in self. We should remember that a fool may make money, but it needs a wise man to spend it.
V. Pearls from the Holy Quran
” llah is Oft-forgiving,
Most Forbearing”
S.3:A155
VI. Words of Wisdom
“Truth is a fair and durable thing”.
)Plato
——
[archive-e:654-v:13-y:2003-d:2003-07-28-p:education]
