Call me a party pooper, stick in the mud, fuddy-duddy, pedantic, or a purist ... Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize for Literature, somehow didn't sit well. Felt like one of those years when the Nobel Peace Prize leaves you shaking your head.
Being a spoken language trainer... I thank Ansuya for creating this thread. Hi Padma!! The influence of mother tongue often shades the usage of a foreign language. Brain is conditioned to think first in our mother tongue and then translate it into another language. Let me highlight two examples for discussion... 1. The usage of "can" and "may" In Indian languages, there is a thin line of difference in questions relating to permission and ability... Seyyattuma, parkattuma, Whereas in English, "Can" in a question asks about the ability to do a thing... Ex: Can I lift the iron bar? (the answer depends on your strength and ability to do the action) "May" is used when you seek permission for doing things... Ex. 1.May I come in? 2.May I do this? The usage of Can in the place of May gives a wrong impression... In the instance if you ask Can I come in ... that means .. there is an issue in you coming in either you are not capable of moving or there is a hurdle which your doubt could not be crossed.... 2. Question Tags:- In Indian Languages the most commonly used tag... is it? or isn't it? (irukka? illiya?). So we tend to use the same.. In English the basic condition is:- The question tag used should the opposite of the verb used in the sentence. Ex. He is coming, isn't he? They are walking, Aren't they? They haven't completed the work, Have they? It will not rain. Will it? Post your doubts... At your service
@Ansuya, Great thought, let me know if I could be of any help in the thread. I did love to help. @Laxmikrsnan .. Good initiative, hope lots and lots doubts are clarified here through training.. All of us have faced situations where we know what to say (in English) but the formation of words fails and delays. Which results in mumbling. It would be great if you keeping posting some common mistakes in english frequently and correction like posted above. Thank you.
Ability vs. capability vs. capacity Ability, capability, and capacity are synonyms in many of their uses. All are frequently used to refer to one’s power to perform an action. For example, one might have the ability, capability, or capacity to read two books in a week. But capacity—which is extended figuratively in the senses it shares with the other verbs—has special uses it doesn’t share with the others. It tends to relate to volumes and quantities; for example, in the sentence, “The vehicle’s fuel capacity is 120 gallons,” capacity refers to the measure of the vehicle’s ability to hold and is not interchangeable with the other two verbs. “The vehicle’s fuel ability” would not sound right. Another distinction commonly drawn between ability and capacity holds that, in humans and animals, capacities are inborn, while abilities are learned. For instance, a child might be born with the capacity to become a chef, but the ability to cook must be learned Capability, meanwhile, often refers to extremes of ability. For instance, if you say you have the ability to write well, I might ask whether you have the capability to write a 10-page essay by tomorrow. Also, capabilities tend to be either-or propositions, while ability tends to come in degrees. For example, I might say that while I have the ability to write, I don’t have the capability to write a novel. But as with most of the other distinctions between these words, the lines are blurry, and the words are interchangeable despite the general usage patterns.
When we are flustered by lack of a native analogue in English, we tend to import the original word. One usage in particular amuses me. He is my rakhi brother. Usages like "rakhi brother" and "rakhi sister" are used to denote siblings who affirm their association not by birth but through fondness. I was reading PG Wodehouse's Damsel in Distress few weeks ago and came across this sentence. The best thing for you to do is to regard me as an honorary brother. That's a nice wording - "honorary brother". Can "rakhi brother" be subbed with "honorary brother" for pristine English?
I gathered from English teachers and kids attending U.S. schools that it is considered okay to use "can" in conversation when asking for permission. It is one of those things that has managed to make itself acceptable though it is technically wrong. To the extent that now using the right word ('may' instead of 'can') could result in a puzzled expression from the listener. I don't know how far this is true. Haven't checked it out in any of the well-known English language usage/grammar websites.
We know that Thesaurus, is an extinct dinosaur. And Nobody knows Wren&Martin, or Fowler's in America. I was loitering in these parts of the forum... and a message on page one reminded me how American <language> can be so different. There is the formal use (the one that un-tattooed, un-body-pierced, white collar job interview candidates have to use in their resumes and cover letters), and the use in social media, and then there is the use among friends who are familiar with the same vocabulary. In India we have the home language, the one with friends, and then the one in class. Same thing... If I were a school teacher, I would be very amused, and quite impressed with "May I be excused to go to the can?" Here is that old message from 2008... that reminded me that American words could mean different things to different karass. There are a number of words, like going and coming, that have come to mean weird things in America. Our children who had been through a few years of (English medium) elementary schools, come to America and discover that other classmates are giggling at them whenever they use such words. For example "He is coming" ... could have a context of evangelical x-ianity.... or smut. The extremes. Un poco despues......I read a few more posts... and a leetul later, found this:
On California hiking trails, under the large conifer trees, there'd be slugs. Young elementary school age boys would be fascinated by those, squat on the ground, examine them in detail, poke them with sticks, and lag behind parents and sister who are up ahead on the trail calling him to catch up. For the sisters, and even mum's, the slug is always revolting, but for the boys, it is an amateur naturalist's dream-come-true.
Oh I 'd forgotten about this motion passed by the NSW parliament. Maybe that's why DT hung up on the call with Turnbull. LOL.
