The one on punctuation makes me remember my school days, when my English Ma'm wrote the sentence: KILL HIM NOT LET HIM GO Just a simple addition of a "," changes the meaning of the sentence. For eg. "Kill him, not let him go" and "Kill him not, let him go" mean entirely different. Regarding the usage of "basically" in the context mentioned above really makes sense. But when asked to a person "Where in India you are from?" Answering "Basically I am from Chennai but was working in Bangalore before coming here." still puzzles me. Its like answering "Basically I was single, but now married." when asked "Are you single?".
Vibusha , a warm welcome to you.We are all learning and teaching each other here so please do not hesitate in posting your queries here.No one is perfect and so to master in something we need to make more mistakes and learn from them rather than not trying at all.:thumbsup You can go through some English grammar and usage books to get a grip on the language and then progress with advance level books.The basic tenet in learning a language is to speak , speak and converse using that language with everyone.If you have access to English channels I would recommend watching some good English programmes.In fact a lot of people learn another language merely by watching television.My mom learnt Hindi just by watching Doordarshan and I am sure if you pick up a good programme with nice English it would help you in understanding the language and picking it up soon.Initially it may be tiresome with futile results as you quoted the host in NDTV was speaking too fast but then believe me over a period of time you will get used to the accent , vocabulary and attuned to the way they speak. You would receive better guidance and advice from Anusuya our expert teacher and hope to hear from her soon ..
Sundarusha, I'm very glad you enjoyed the punctuation post. I do hope you enjoy the Lynne Truss book as well. I think she has written a few books on English-related issues, and she has a nice writing style in the way she amuses while she educates. Shobanaj, it's good to see you here, and I hope you continue to enjoy this thread. You're right, it is rather "thoughtful" but I think the ladies do a great job here of keeping things fun and light-hearted too Alamelu1983, thanks for another good example, via your teacher, of how punctuation can sometimes be a matter of life or death, as Lynne Truss says! Regarding the use of the word basically, as you mention it, it seems to be a substitute for "to cut a long story short" - which is what Srama has explained very nicely.
Sabitha, it's good to hear you enjoyed the punctuation post. I was interested in the "Billingsgate" example you mentioned and looked it up. I've never been to England, so my knowledge of local and regional language use there is sorely lacking. Thanks for the input! Thank you also for extending such a warm welcome and substantial words of advice to Vibusha. I am SO happy that this thread is attracting the input of people with diverse capabilities in English language use.
Vibusha I'm very glad to see you here, and I hope we can be of help to you. As Sabitha has so nicely put it, if you have any specific queries, we will do our best to answer your questions. I will second everything Sabitha says about how to improve your knowledge of English - try to read as much English as you can, try to speak as much English as you can, and try to listen to as much English as you can. The NDTV presenters used to confuse me when I lived in India too, so don't be discouraged by them! Sometimes news readers speak the language in a very "twisty" way, if that makes any sense. And as you say, they do it at a very fast and frantic pace. It can all get a bit much sometimes, especially considering the weighty subject matter they usually discuss. What you can try to watch that would be more accessible to you are those silly American sitcoms, like Friends. It is sometimes easier to pick up a language with a show like that. I don't know if you still get Frasier or Seinfeld in India, but those are two sitcoms that I actually like, with quite good standards of English. It is great that you are watching something worthwhile like the news, but right now, a simpler, more entertaining format might make you pick up the language quicker. Ask your husband to speak to you in English as much as you can, especially in light-hearted, casual conversations. Right now, you need to mimic (copy) what you are hearing and reading. As soon as you have a basic grasp of the language, you can then decide if you want to focus on the more detailed aspects of language use, like grammar. It is the same with books, magazines, and newspapers. Start off with something very simple, like books for young adults, or if you like Bollywood movies or fashion, for example, try to read magazines about those topics in English. If you aren't having fun while you learn the language, there is less chance you will stick with your efforts. Another great trick is to switch on English subtitles (translation words) when you are watching Indian-language movies (most DVDs have this function). So, as you watch the movie and hear the Indian language being spoken, follow the English translation as it will appear at the bottom of the screen. This will help you to make connections between your own language and English. Just make sure the subtitles are correct - I've seen some quite awful subtitling jobs, usually on pirated DVDs! As for vocabulary (the English words you know), it would help to keep a small notebook and a small pocket English dictionary with you as much as you can. You can record new and unfamiliar words you hear or read in your notebook, together with their meanings which you will find in your dictionary. This is a great way to increase the number of English words you know. At the end of every week, you can look over the words you have recorded and hopefully, you will then remember them and so increase your English vocabulary week by week. As Sabitha says, making mistakes is part of the process so don't let anyone or anything stop you. You are to be congratulated for wanting to learn another language, so don't worry about it being perfect for now. We still all make mistakes, no matter how long we've been speaking English. I hope you are able to shake off your fear of speaking English in public. People can be cruel and thoughtless sometimes, so if someone does make fun of you, don't let it get to you. Just write them off as the insensitive, ill-mannered people they probably are and go on enthusiastically with your efforts. Good luck!
Ansuya a little interruption to your lesson on punctution.Yesterday, I had a conversation about 'English matters' with my husband. He came up with a good one on the appropriate usage of 'hearty' and 'heartfelt' When congratulating someone 'hearty' is used where as 'heartfelt' is used for offering sympathy or condolences. Sometimes, people mistakenly use heartfelt congratulations while replying! Another one: Is it okay to say,' He should avail of this opportunity to learn English'? No it is not. An individual does not 'avail of something': he/she avails of himself/herself of something. The sentence should read 'He should avail himself' of this opportunity to learn English.
Vibusha, welcome to the thread. I have a suggestion for you. When you speak in English think in English. If you think in Tamil you will use Tamil grammar instead of English grammar, this way you can avoid some common grammatical errors. If you don't have cable, try watching Sun English news, they speak slowly and the quality of English is quite good.
Ansuya - I loved reading this thread although it did take me awhile to read all of it. I like the way you've explained things - your former students must miss you! I just wanted to jump in on this: The root word is the Latin "nigrum" which means black. I dont know if other European languages use the word. The poem on plurals reminded me of my father's favourite anecdote about Bernard Shaw who once pointed out that the word "fish" can be respelled as "ghoti" - gh as in tough, o as in women and ti as in celebration! Vanathi.
Sundarusha Thanks to your husband for drawing a distinction between "hearty" and "heartfelt". My understanding of these two words is that they mean different things: heartfelt - sincere hearty - enthusiastic This is why, as you point out, "hearty" matches the happy sentiment of congratulations better than "heartfelt", and vice versa. This is about feelings and respect and the appropriate word for the occasion. In light of this, it's good for us to sometimes understand the little subtleties of the language so we can use it efficiently. Now to "avail" - I have heard this word used often in India, where English is spoken quite formally. In my experience, though, it's not a word that is in common usage in other countries that use English extensively as India does. This may be because it is, like I said, a very formal expression. I have read up on it to give you a clearer picture of its usage, and it can be used in many ways. A more familiar word to us which has "avail" as its root is "available", which we all know to mean "can be obtained". "Avail" can be used as a noun (meaning: use) He waited for her outside the cinema for two hours, but to no avail. "Avail" can also be used as a verb (meaning: to be of use), without the accompanying personal pronouns, "himself", "ourselves", etc. All his studying did not avail against the difficulty of the exam. In the example you give, "avail" is used to mean "take advantage of", which is where the personal pronouns come in We should avail ourselves of the free parking offered to customers. Like I said, though, not a commonly used word, so I learnt something today. Thanks!
