Improve Your nglish – 285 [Archives:2006/912/Education]

Dr. Ramakanta Sahu
I. What To Say

Situations and expressions (83)

Love you, daughter

Daughter is an invaluable ornament to the house, a source of joy and pride to parents, and a charming presence for the guests. She enlivens the atmosphere of the family and fills it with an air of enchantment.

– Daughter! You're a happy memory of our past, a beautiful reality of our present, a big hope for our future. With you are our sentiments attached; in you our dreams dwell, for you our prayers performed; around you our life remains focused.

– Our past has you, dear daughter, captured in our memory, ranging from the days of our innocence to the echo of your laughter, from the ecstasy of our infancy moods, to whatever you did ever after. Our present holds you as a beautiful reality, which gives joy beyond measure, a solace, a great sense of security, of belonging, pride and immense pleasure. While our future is a promise, where we'll see you realize dreams, live upto expectations, creating special occasions, fulfilling family aspirations. Our wish for you is to remain for us as lovable a daughter as you were yesterday.

– Dear daughter, I remember the day when you first opened your beautiful eyes and looked at me, my whole world brightened. You touched my heart with your innocence, and my eyes brimmed with tears. I thanked God for blessing me with you. You're such a sweet bundle of joys, so caring and loving, I can't help thinking how lucky I'm to have you.

II. How To Say It Correctly

Correct errors, if any, in the following sentences

1. He should like some milk, please.

2. He appeared having trouble with his car.

3. The police got suspicious of two men looking into all the cars.

4. He would have made a distinction in the exam, but he answered Q2 badly.

5. It's not worth having the trouble to write to him. He never replies.

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. She was bruised quite badly in the accident. It must still hurt a lot.

2. When we went to school we had to learn English.

3. He didn't cook the dish himself so you don't have to eat it all. He won't be offended.

4. You needn't have a special pass to get in. OR You don't need a special pass to get in.

['Needn't' acts as a modal verb here and should be followed by a bare infinitive]

5. 'Can I use the computer?' 'Of course you can.'

III. Increase Your Word Power

(A) How to express it in one word

1. Daring, mischievous, or adventurous act, often causing gossip or trouble.

2. Intended for a small circle of followers.

3. Practice of spying or using spies.

4. Level area or ground by the sea where people may walk for pleasure.

5. Give one's support to a cause.

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. One who wanders in search of adventure: errant (n)

2. Irregular in behavior or opinion: erratic (adj)

3. Mistakes in printing or writing: erratum (n) (plural errata)

4. Having, showing great learning: erudite (adj)

5. Moving stairs carrying people up and down: escalator (n)

(B) Words often confused

Bring out the difference in meaning of the following pairs of words

1. haste, hurry

2. funeral, funereal

3. enumerable, innumerable

4. diseased, deceased

5. compulsion, obligation

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. analyst (n) (one who make chemical analysis): His brother works as an analyst in the National Laboratory.

annalist (n) (a writer of annals or yearly records): An annalist is responsible to write annual chronicles.

2. escape (vt) (get free): He luckily escaped punishment for coming late.

escapade (n) (an act of adventure): The highway man's escapade with the village chieftain's daughter was quite romantic indeed.

3. idle (adj) (not employed. The word implies that the person is not willing to work even if there is any): 'An idle mind is a devil's workshop.'

idol (n) (an image in wood, stone etc.): They worshiped the idol of goddess of learning.

idyll (n) (short description in verse of a simple scene or event of country life): The English Romantic poets were fond of writing idylls.

ideal (adj) (satisfying one's idea of what is perfect): Dr. Mohammed is an ideal teacher.

lazy (adj) (doing little work): On Fridays I spend lazy afternoons.

4. imaginary (adj) (existing only in imagination): Utopia is an imaginary republic.

imaginative (adj) (having imagination): Poets are imaginative beings.

(C) Synonyms and Antonyms

i. Synonyms

Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the one given at the top

1. capitulate

a. to emphasize b. to rush

c. to surrender d. to overturn

2. recapitulate

a. to recover property b. to sum up

c. to repeat oneself tiresomely

d. to surrender again

3. reckless

a. irresponsible b. without fault

c. hopeless d. wicked

4. egress

a. admittance b. exit

c. crossing d. trespass

5 profess

a. to become expert at b. to proclaim

c. to foretell d. to plan

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

Word Synonym

1. deplete to exhaust

2. tactile pertaining to the organs of touch

3. feline cat-like

4. inconceivable unthinkable

5. benign kindly

ii. Antonyms

Chose the word that is most opposite in meaning to the one given at the top

1. purgatory

a. reward b. flawless

c. celestial d. proximity

2. veneration

a. sacrilege b. static

c. downfall d. religious

3. pliable

a. tortuous b. illegal

c. unprofitable d. suffocating

4. lucrative

a. happy b. illegal

c. unprofitable d. unkempt

5. soft

a. blunt b. thin

c. delicate d. stubborn

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

Word Antonym

1. augment decrease

2. aromatic stinking

3. inimical friendly

4. inopportune timely or suitable

5. toxic harmless

(D) Spelling

Choose the correctly spelt word

1. a. apparrel b. aparell

c. aparel d. apparel

2. a. ansastral b. ancestral

c. ansestral d. encestral

3. a. acros b. acrooss

c. acrross d. across

4. a. beneftited b. benifited

c. benefited d. beneffited

5. a. battle b. bettle

c. batlle d. batle

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. appearance

2. achievement

3. apology

4. abridgement

5. affectionately

(E) Phrases and idioms

Use the following phrases in sentences

1. hurt abuse at

2. absolve somebody from/of something

3. get above yourself

4. above reproach

5. abound in

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. have something on (to be busy, to have another engagement): I would love to go with you to Aden, but I have something important on.

2. go great guns (to be doing very well, to be very successful): Their relationship is going great guns.

3. show (someone) the ropes (to explain or demonstrate to someone how to do something): Before my father went for Haj he showed me the ropes about the business.

4. keep an open mind (to be willing or listen to or accept new ideas): You should keep an open mind about people and affairs.

5. drown one's sorrows (to drink alcohol in order to forget one's sorrows): Don't try to drawn your sorrows. It may harm you.

IV. Grammar and Composition

(A) Grammar

Tell the difference in the meaning of roll in the following sentences

1. We ate a roll for lunch.

2. We watched the big waves roll along the beach.

3. Get a roll of paper.

4. Please roll the ball to Jim.

5. The dog could roll over.

6. The teacher called the roll.

7. We could see the roll of the hills.

8. We could hear the roll of the drums.

Suggested answers to the previous week's questions

1. He warned me not to go too near the dog.

2. He threatened to hit me if I didn't stop talking.

3. I asked how he was and he replied that he was fine.

4. He admitted stealing the money.

5. He denied having to do anything with the robbery.

6. She promised that she would never forget me.

7. We suggested that he should go to the cinema.

8. He thought that I was making a repeated mistake.

9. He claimed that he had seen a ghost.

10. He advised me to talk to her and say how I felt.

B) Composition

Expand the central idea contained in the following maxim

103: THE DUTY OF THE HISTORIAN

IS TO NARRATE, NOT TO COMMENT

Suggested answers to the previous topic

102: TODAY WE KNOWMORE,

BUT FEEL LESS

In the modern world of unprecedented explosion of knowledge, the more the frontiers of knowledge are expanding, the more the individuals are drifting from basic human values such as love, tolerance, sympathy, empathy, charity, generosity, fellow feeling and so on. In other words, as the human intellect is getting richer, the inner springs of humanity and gentility are getting poorer. The modern man is a hollow man, a stuffed man, with his headpiece filled with straw in this 'sterile promontory' of the modern wasteland. That is to say, as science and technology progresses, there is a corresponding decline in humanity. In his blind and obsessive pursuit of material prosperity he has utterly neglected, or ignored the value of sensibility, sensitivity and nobility. Man, in other words, has become a thinking being and ceased to be a feeling being. This does not augur well for the future of the humanity, because the intrinsic worth of a society is known by its matrix of values. It would be no exaggeration to say that man has turned out to be a mindless machine, stripped of its basic virtues of grace, goodness, nobility and humanity. Examples can be multiplied. How many of us are moved by the misery of a poor man or touched by a breathtaking natural scenery? In the mad race of life we have no time to stand and stare, and feel the beauty of nature 'in our blood and along the heart'. It's high time we reversed this phenomenon 'where wealth accumulates, but men decay' and inculcate human values in our younger generation to build a society where head and heart, knowledge and feeling are equally important.

V. Pearls from the Holy Quran

“It is Allah Who causeth the

seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causeth the living to issue from the dead. And He is the

One to issue from the living.

That is Allah.

S6: A95

VI. Food for Thought

“Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit.”

)Mary Lou Retton
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