Improve Your English – 273 [Archives:2005/848/Education]
Dr. Ramakanta Sahu
I. How to Say it Correctly
Correct errors, if any, in the following sentences
1. Do you enjoy to go to the zoo?
2. I went to the store for getting some toothpaste.
3. Did you go to shopping yesterday?
4. I usually go to the cafeteria for to get a cup of coffee in the morning.
5. I cut the rope by a knife.
Suggested answers to the previous week's questions
1. She asked me whether I wanted to go to the music festival.
2. Bassim told me that he was hungry.
3. Adel asked me where I lived.
4. Ahmed requested me to open the window.
5. My friend told me that she understood my problem.
II. Increase Your Word Power
(A) How to express it in one word
1. To cause to become very thin
2. To cause to feel ashamed or socially uncomfortable
3. To take and use for oneself in a wrong way money that is placed in one's care.
4. To make more beautiful, especially by adding ornaments.
5. To fill with painful or bitter feelings.
Suggested answers to the previous week's questions
1. To make the mind or morals better higher, or more educated: elevate (vt)
2. The best or most important people in a social group: elite (n)
3. To explain or make clear a mystery or difficulty: elucidate (vt)
4. Set free from legal, political or moral restraint: emancipate (vt)
5. Order that forbids the movement of ships or trade: embargo (n)
(B) Words commonly confused
Bring out the difference in meaning of the following pairs of words
1. raise, rise 2. climatic, climactic
3. somewhere near, nearby 4. fairy, fairly
5. incite, excite
Suggested answers to the previous week's questions
1. elemental (adj) (of or being like a great force of nature): There was extensive damage to crops due to the elemental fury of the storm.
elementary (adj) (of or in the beginning stage): She is practicing some elementary exercises for the violin.
2. elfin (adj) (elf like, having a quality of magical charm): The scene depicting the fairies at their elfin dances in the moonlight was enchanting.
elfish (adj) (mischievous): His elfish designs were exposed at the nick of moment.
3. elide (vt) (omit a letter or part of the word in pronunciation): “We elide the 'd' in 'Wednesday' when we're talking quickly.”
elude (vt) (escape capture by means of a trick): He successfully eluded his enemies' grasp.
4. ellipse (n)( regular oval): The circle looked at sideways is called an ellipse.
eclipse (n) (total or partial cutting off of the light of the sun): Total solar eclipse gives rise to many interesting astronomical phenomena.
5. replace (vt) (take the place of): Nothing can replace a mother's love and care.
substitute (vt) (to put something or someone in place of another): The waiter substituted a blank dish for a spiced one.
(C ) Phrases and idioms
Use the following phrases in sentences
1. a false start
2. in the soup
3. sink one's differences
4. to take to one's heels
5. to learn the hard way
Suggested answers to the previous week's questions
1. pour oil on troubled waters (to try to calm and soothe a person or situation): He tried his best to pour oil on troubled waters by trying to calm his agitated friend.
2. get one's fingers burnt (to suffer as a result of action which one has taken): He involved himself in the immoral act and eventually got his fingers burnt.
3. call the shots (to be in control): In this office
