Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 85
411. What is the difference between "prevaricate" and "procrastinate"?
Both words have a lot of things in common. They begin with the letter "p", end with the suffix "ate", and contain the same number of syllables — four. Perhaps this explains why some people wrongly use the two words as synonyms. The words have very different meanings. When you "prevaricate" you avoid telling the truth; you are evasive. As kids, when we failed to do our homework and our teacher asked us why, we never gave her the real reason. Most of the time we made no attempt to answer her question directly — we prevaricated. The word comes from the Latin "praevaricari" meaning, "Go crookedly." Politicians and lawyers are very good at evading the truth, aren't they? *Rani, give me a straight answer. Do not prevaricate. "Procrastinate", on the other hand, has nothing to do with the truth. When we "procrastinate", we delay doing something. Indians are born procrastinators; things never get done on time in our country. Whenever we are given something to do, we keep putting it off to another day. *No more procrastination. I want this to be done by tomorrow. Both words have the main stress on the second syllable, and both are used in formal contexts.
412. What is the meaning of "Generation X"?
In North America, people born between the mid-1940s and the mid-1960s are referred to as being part of the "Baby Boomer" generation. Their children belong to "Generation X". The term is normally used to refer to people born between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. There is no agreement among scholars about the exact years. Generation X has certain negative connotations associated with it. The people belonging to this generation are supposed to be "materialistic", "apathetic", and "irresponsible". They lack a sense of direction. All this is reflected in the other terms used to refer to this generation, "Baby Busters", "Slackers", and "Grunge Kids." The term, "Generation X" was first used by Paul Fussel in one of his articles. But it wasn't until 1991 when Douglas Coupland used "Generation X" as the title of his novel that the term caught on. It became a household word thanks to advertisers. By the way, any idea what the generation following X is called? Generation Y! Pretty logical, wouldn't you say?
413. How is the word "leisure" pronounced?
There are different ways of pronouncing this word. Some people make it rhyme with the words "pleasure", "treasure", and "measure". Others pronounce the "ei" in the first syllable like the "ee" in "fees", "bees" and "knees". No matter which way you pronounce the word the main stress is on the first syllable. *In her leisure time, Vandana goes sailing. If you refer to a man as a "gentleman of leisure" what you mean is that he is in a position where he doesn't have to work. He has enough money to live on. A woman who is in a similar position is called "lady of leisure." S. UPENDRAN
414. What is the meaning of "in one's good books"?
When you say that you are "in someone's good books" what you mean is that the person likes you; he approves of you. Here are a few examples. *I have been in Ashwin's good books ever since I helped him change his flat tyre. ***** ***** ***** "Most of the time he sounds like he has a mouth full of toilet paper." — Rex Reed on Marlon Brando
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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