MIND YOUR LANGUAGE“Do not believe what your teacher tells you

merely out of respect for the teacher” Gautama Buddha

QUERIES RELATING TOLANGUAGE SKILLS

Do you find grammar confusing? Do youget stuck with words when writing a letter,

an essay or a blog? Do you have a fear of pub-lic speaking? Or do you simply want to

improve your communication skills? TimesNIE is here to help you to master the

intricacies of the English language.Just shoot us your queries on

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More Vs Better

At no point should they be used togetherin a sentence. Example: I could have done more bet-ter if I had had more time. The word better in itself implies supe-riority hence the use of the word “more”in the sentence is unnecessary.

Putting a comma before theword “that”

There is a school of thought of the opin-ion that, “that” should never have a com-ma before it while other provide forsome discretion in certain scenarios.Example: I did not think, that they were wrong.This is wrong.

Un-capitalised words at thebeginning of a quotation markEvery time you start a quotation mark,it must be followed by a capital letter.Example: He said, “Get up and head to school.”

Much Vs ManyBoth words are quantifiers that are usedto indicate a large amount, degree or quan-tity of something, but not in exact terms.So, they are commonly interchanged, butthey are different in the sense that muchis primarily used with singular un-countable nouns whereas we use manywith plural countable nouns.Example: There is much water in theaquarium.

Example: There are many fish in theaquarium.Example: Riya has gained too muchweight in the last two years. Example: I eat snacks many times aday, but I never go to the gym.

Worse comes to worse“Worse comes to worst,”—note the ‘t’ isbetter because it indicates somethinghas degraded from one negative planeto the lowest possible.

UnthawEven though people use this word asa verb all the time, the best way to “un-thaw” something would be to put it inthe freezer. Is freezing what you mean,

or thawing?

Assure Vs Ensure Vs InsureAll three verbs have somethingto do with “making sure”, buteach of them has a distinct

meaning . To assure someone is to removesomeone’s doubts.

To ensure something is to make sureit happens—to guarantee it.To insure something or someone is tocover it with an insurance policy.Example: I assure you, we will get tothe play on time.Example: I need to study more to ensure I get a passing grade.Example: I don’t want to insure mycar, but the law says I have to.

Cope up Vs cope withThe correct phrase is “cope with.”There are also cases where “cope” isenough.Example: The farmers were unable tocope with the harsh dry weather andmany of their crops died.

Bring Vs TakeThe use of these two words basicallydepends on whether the object is mov-ing towards or away from you.

Example: Take this to your mother.

Example: Bring it to me.

Put Vs KeepThe word keep is defined as “tohave or retain possession,”of an object, or “place anobject” somewhere, orpersist in doing some-thing. Whereas, putmeans to move some-thing or someone in a par-ticular place or position.Example: I will keep thisbook for a week.Example: Please put the book on the table.

Give an exam vs Take an exam

Incorrect: I am going to give an exam. Correct: I am going to take an exam. Since teachers “give” anexam and students“take” the exam.

Past tensesOur next common Eng-lish mistake is about the pasttense. I swim, I fight, I teach,I ride. But yesterday, whatdid you do? Did youswimmed, fighted, teachedand rided? No.

Yesterday I swam.Yesterday I fought.Yesterday I taught.Yesterday I rode.

Slander Vs LibelDon’t like what people say about you?Like slander, libel refers to making afalse statement that is harmful to aperson’s reputation. The differencelies in how that statement is ex-

pressed. Slanderous remarks arespoken while libellous remarks

are written and published(which means defamato-

ry tweets could be con-sidered libelous, notslanderous). Keep in

mind what makes a state-ment libelous or slanderous

is its inaccuracy, not its harshness.

Example: He keeps spreading liesabout me and saying all these terri-

ble things. I’m going to sue him forslander!

Example: That newspaper pub-lished things that damaged my

reputation! That’s libel!

02

COMMONERRORS

Hi friends. We are

Think your grammar is right? Check out thislist of common errors to make sure you’re not

slipping up in speech and in writing

Prepositions On, At and InPrepositions form a small but very importantword class. If you can understand and cor-rectly use prepositions, it will greatlyimprove your fluency.

WrongI will see you at Monday.Well, let’s meet on five o’clock. Let’s talk in Tuesday.

IDIOMS ON HUMAN BODYBe a bundle of nerves

Meaning: Be extremely nervous.Example:She was a bundle of nervesas she took the stage to sing.

No-BrainerMeaning: A decision that’s easy tomake; a problem that’s easy to solve.A: I don’t know what the capital ofJapan is.B: Oh, come on! That’s a no brainer.It’s Tokyo.

Have a chip on (one’s) shoulder

Meaning: To have an attitude thatleads one to become combative or eas-ily angered.Example:Ajay has such a chip on hisshoulder—you never know what’s go-ing to set him off next.

A sight for sore eyesMeaning:Something or someone is asight for sore eyes if it makes youhappy to see them.Example: I have missed you so much;you really are a sight for sore eyes.

Put muscle behindMeaning: To make a forceful effortinto (doing something).Example:The president said he would

put muscle behind the campaign forreduced carbon emissions.

Big headMeaning: an exaggerated opinion ofone’s importance.Example: He’s always boasting. He’ssuch a bighead!

Smell blood (in the water)Meaning: discern weakness or vul-nerability in an opponent.Example: The opposition partysmelled blood after the Prime Min-ister was hit with corruption charges.

Skeleton in the cupboardMeaning:A secret from one’s past; anembarrassing secret.Example:We all have a few skeletonsin the cupboard that we wouldn’t liketo see revealed.

Rack one’s brainMeaning:make a great effort to thinkof or remember something.Example: I’ve been racking my brains all day but I can’t rememberher name.

Thick in the headExample: not very intelligent.Example: I’m a bit thick in the headwhen it comes to reading a map.

Play something by ear

Meaning: do something without aplan. Example: We don’t know if theweather will be good enough forcamping. We’ll have to play it by ear.

Neck of the woodsMeaning: nearby location or region.Example: Housing prices are a lothigher in this neck of the woods.

Curl your lipMeaning: raise a corner of yourupper lip to show contempt; sneer.Example:She curled her lip indisgust at the suggestion.

(my) flesh and bloodMeaning: someone fromyour family. Example: I haveto hire Amit. He’s my own fleshand blood.

These idioms willexpand and enrichyour vocabulary

HOW IT SHOULD BE

Confusing wordsHere’s a quick referencelist of pairs of words thatregularly cause problems

BURGLARY, ROBBERYBurglary and robberyare not synonyms.Burglary is illegal entryof a structure ordwelling with the intentto commit a crime,usually theft. Robbery isthe act of taking someone else’s prop-erty by force or the threat of force.

CENTRE AROUNDThe lecture will centre around the economy.Make it “centre on.” The language scholarWilson Follett calls center around a “geometri-cally senseless expression.” This nonsensicalturn of phrase results from scrambling centeron and revolve around.

ANY MORE, ANYMOREUse the two-word form to mean “any addition-al”: I don’t need any more help.Use anymore to mean “any longer”: I don’tneed help anymore.

HISTORIC, HISTORICALA historical event occurred some time ago. A his-toric event is important, memorable, enduring.“A historical study concerns history; a historicone makes history,” says edi-tor Claire Kehrwald Cook in‘Line by Line’.

ALL READY, ALREADYAll ready means that everything or everyoneis now ready. Already refers to somethingaccomplished earlier: We already ate.

ACUMEN/ACUITYAcumen means “quickness, accuracy, andkeenness of judgment or insight”, whereas,acuity means “sharpness or keenness ofthought, vision, or hearing.”

SYSTEMIC, SYSTEMATICSystematic typically describes carefully plannedprocesses that unfold gradually. Systemic, whichis narrower in definition, means systemwide ordeeply engrained in the system. It usuallydescribes habits or processes that are difficult toreverse because they are built into a system.

8 body language mistakes ALL TOGETHER,ALTOGETHERAll together: in a group:We’re all together in this.Altogether: entirely: It isnot altogether his fault.

APPEARINGDISTRACTED

PLAYING WITHYOUR HAIR

NONEXISTENT OR AGGRES-SIVE EYECONTACT

SLOUCHING

FORGETTINGTO SMILE

ADOPTING A DEFENSIVE

POSE

SHUFFLINGINSTEAD OF WALKING

8 31 8 31

AT (SPECIFIC POINT)

at 5.00/ at noonat the moment at sunrise/sunset at the dinner talble

ON (DAY)

on Friday on 22nd of May on my birthday on Monday morning

IN (PERIOD)

in the morning, in theafternoon, in theevening, in February in 2003, in summer

FIDGETING

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images