Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 161
What is the reply to the question `You didn't' like him, eh?' Should it be `No, I didn't' or `Yes, I didn't'?
If you would like to agree with the speaker, and say that you did not like the person, then the standard reply to the question is, `No, I didn't'. You do not say, `Yes, I didn't like him.' If you wish to indicate agreement with a negative statement, you normally say, `No', and not `Yes'. *Your sister is not an easy person to work with, is she? No, she isn't.
What is the difference in meaning between `sicken at' and `sicken of'?
Sometimes, the very thought of something makes you sick; you are horrified or repulsed by it. That's what the expression `sicken at' means. *The children sickened at the idea of having to clean public toilets. When you `sicken of' something, you get bored or tired of it. In other words, you get sick of it. It is also possible to sicken of a person. *Many students were beginning to sicken of the strike. "All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening." — Alexander Woollcott
How is the word `scintilla' pronounced?
The first syllable `scin' is pronounced like the word `sin', and the second is pronounced like the word `till'. The final `a' is like the `a' in `china', and the main stress is on the second syllable. Scintilla means `an extremely small amount'. I wouldn't worry if I were you. There isn't a scintilla of truth in what he is saying.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
Post a Comment