Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 107
483. How is the word "idyll" pronounced?
The word can be pronounced in two different ways. The British tend to pronounce the "i" and the "y" like the "i" in "sit", "chit", and "hit". The Americans, on the other hand, tend to pronounce the "i" like the "y" in "by" and "my". In both cases, the main stress is on the first syllable. A short piece of prose which describes a happy scene in the countryside is usually referred to as an idyll. Nowadays the word is being used to refer to any pleasant scene or event. When you say that something is "idyllic" what you mean is that it is like an "idyll". In other words, it is very pleasant and peaceful. *This would be an idyllic setting for our school. *He was hoping that he would have an idyllic marriage.
484. What is the meaning of "keypal"?
This is a word of recent origin. A pen pal is someone with whom you exchange letters. A "keypal" is someone with whom you exchange emails. He/she is your email pen pal. You "key" in the messages for this individual. *I informed all my keypals about the upcoming event. "Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while." — Unknown
485. "You are late again! Didn't you promise to be... ." "... .I am sorry. I know I was supposed to come at 11o'clock, but I... ." "... .it's one o'clock now." "I know. I have a question. Why do we say o'clock? Where does the `o' come from?" "The `o' I understand is actually a contraction of `of'. You see in the old days when someone asked an individual for the time, he would reply `eleven of the clock'." "So instead of eleven o'clock, they used to say `eleven of the clock'." "That's right! At times, they dropped `the' and shortened the reply to `eleven of clock'. After some time, people began dropping the `f ' sound in `of '. So `of clock' became `o'clock'. Now tell me, why are you late?" "Sunil and Karuna fought again. This time it was pretty serious. Karuna was so upset that she stormed out of the house with bag and baggage." "That sounds pretty serious indeed. But you don't have to say `with bag and baggage'." "But I have heard many people say `with bag and baggage'." "That's true. But the correct expression is `bag and baggage'. You don't need `with'." "I see. So I say, she walked out bag and baggage?" "That's right. Here's another example. Raju was thrown out of the hotel bag and baggage."
486. "I wish we could do the same with some of our crooked politicians. I think it's high time that we get rid of them." "It's high time that we got rid of them. Not `get' rid of them." "But why got?" "Because when you use `high time' the verb that follows is usually in the past. For example, it's high time that I went home." "I see. It's high time Vasundara got married." "I think it's high time you began studying for your various entrance exams. Anyway, you needn't worry about Karuna. She has walked out on Sunil before. But she... ." "... .thrice, actually. I mean three times. Tell me, what's wrong with thrice, though?" "There's nothing wrong. It's considered rather old fashioned. Native speakers seldom use the word thrice. It's considered literary." "So it's once, twice, three times?" "Yes, that's right. Tell me, what did Sunil do to put Karuna out?" "To put her out? You mean throw her out of the house?" "No, no! When you put someone out, what you are doing is irritating or annoying the individual. That's one of the meanings of the expression. For example, Prabhakar really put me out when he walked into the house wearing his muddy slippers." "My neighbour put me out by playing music loudly." "That's a good example. So what did Sunil do to put Karuna out?" "I understand that he cracked some joke about women." "He probably did it to irritate her. He knows that his wife is a die-hard feminist." "Does die-hard mean staunch or something like that?" "That's right. A die-hard individual is someone who sticks to his opinions. Doesn't change them at all. In fact, he doesn't like change. For example, my neighbours are die-hard conservatives." "Mine are die-hard Sania Mirza fans." "It's high time she started performing on the tennis court." "You're right. Otherwise her next ad might begin with the line, Sania Mirza ko tennis khelna nahin atha!" "Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell." — Unknown
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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