English Matters

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Ansuya, Dec 20, 2008.

  1. Ansuya

    Ansuya Platinum IL'ite

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    Iswaryadevi, Uttaraa is right - the acceptable pronunciation is as she says. Just remember that it is a soft "j" sound; so, not hard as in "John", but obviously, since it is from the French, a silky smooth "zhhhh" kind of sound. This guide

    Pronunciation of genre - how to pronounce genre correctly.

    will let you hear the word as it is commonly pronounced (just mouse over the word "genre") but also gives the proper French pronunciation, which is slightly different (and oh, so cool - if someone told me, in French, that I was ugly and my mother dresses me funny, I'd still swoon).

    I only knew one lecturer at university who said it the right French way (and by all accounts, he was a pompous git) so I think it is sufficient for us mere mortals to just pronounce it as Uttaraa says: zhhaan-rah (with emphasis on the first syllable).

    For those of you wondering what we're on about, "genre" is pretty much the first word they teach first-year Humanities/Liberal Arts students (those of us doomed to occupy the Twilight Zone of knowing a little bit about everything but not a whole lot about anything).

    genre - a class or category: used commonly to describe a certain style of entertainment or art

    Examples:

    1) I will watch movies of any genre; my girlfriend prefers chick flicks.
    2) One of the things that distinguishes Frank Ocean as a musical artist is his ability to switch between musical genres. In fact, his music has been described as "genre-bending" or "genre-defying".

    Uttaraa, you're welcome. There's not much that's more delicious that a well-written, grumpy language-use diatribe ;)
     
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  2. Ansuya

    Ansuya Platinum IL'ite

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    Iswaryadevi, thanks for your question.

    As far as I can see (and it's usually not very far), your sentence is grammatically sound. What may be bothering you is its wordiness. There also might be a bit of redundancy: you may not need to use both "both" and "my husband's passport". So, you could re-write as follows, without losing meaning, but perhaps paring it down a bit:

    1. Should I bring both our passports?
    2. Should I bring my and my husband's passports?
     
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  3. iswaryadevi

    iswaryadevi Platinum IL'ite

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    Thanks Uttaraa and Ansuya for answering my queries! I am clear now. :)
     
  4. iswaryadevi

    iswaryadevi Platinum IL'ite

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    Ansuya,

    Though I have already read a considerable number of pages in this thread, I started re-reading this post from start just to refresh my memories. I sincerely regret for not having a good English teacher during my school days. I was pretty weak in grammar and she never missed a chance to humiliate me. Gradually I even started hating the language. Only a couple of years earlier I developed reading habit which helped me to improve my grammar a little. Anyway, sorry if I went off-topic, I had a doubt for a long time and remembered to ask you.

    During school, it was drilled into my mind to use 'anyway'. But few months back while I was talking with a client abroad (Swiss), he used the word 'anyways'. I felt so confused. The word 'anyways' just did not sound right! Can both the words be used interchangeably? Sorry if it was a silly question, and thanks!
     
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  5. Ansuya

    Ansuya Platinum IL'ite

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    Iswaryadevi, having a bad teacher sucks. It can really ruin your appetite for a certain subject, and make you think the subject is not for you, when really, it is just the teacher that is incapable.

    I'm glad you feel better about English now. Also, remember that while it is good to try to improve your grammar, don't forget to enjoy the more pleasurable aspects of English use, too. Language is an art, not a science.

    No apologies necessary. We're not allergic to diversion, digression, and deviation on this thread. It's like going for a walk; there's much to be gained from going off the beaten path.

    Not silly at all. "Anyway" was drilled into you at school because it is correct. "Anyways" is a fairly new invention (in my experience of English, anyway). You can use "Anyways" when you are speaking informally, chatting to friends, or in any other casual setting. It is considered slang, or colloquial language. However, you should use "Anyway" in more formal settings (presentation at work, school/college essay, job interview) - wherever proper language use is important and necessary.
     
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  6. Ansuya

    Ansuya Platinum IL'ite

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    Gauri03, who is a veritable fount of knowledge, just shared this link with me, and I would like to share it here:

    News Aggregator | SkimFeed.com

    In her own words, this is what it is:

    "It is an aggregation of the best articles on the net from science and technology, to literature and current affairs. Do take a look at the articles under Paris Review, Longform and Longreads. Scroll right down to the bottom of the page to find them."
    [Gauri03]

    This list is incredible. For those of you trying to improve your language skills, this is a great source (perhaps the greatest I've ever seen, all in one place) for clear, articulate, professional writing (some better than others, depending on the publication) on the widest variety of interesting topics.

    Check it out, but don't do it while something's on the stove/the baby's in the bath/your clothes are getting wrinkly because they're sitting in the dryer. You're going to need time... it's that good!

    Thank you, my friend ;)
     
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  7. seemaindia

    seemaindia New IL'ite

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    I have a question in my mind. I don't know if it has already answered in this topic or not.
    " everybody is or everybody are
    for instance everybody goes there or everybody go there?"
     
  8. Ansuya

    Ansuya Platinum IL'ite

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    Welcome, Seema :)

    This is right:

    Everybody is going there.

    Everybody goes there.

    Here's a quick and easy way to remember the right form:

    "Everybody" is plural (describing many people), but it is made up of

    every + body

    If you separate the word out like that (to mean, every single person), you can see why it acts as if it is a singular pronoun.

    He is going there. (singular pronoun)
    They are going there. (plural pronoun)
    Everybody is going there. (describes many, but acts as one - Every single person is going there)

    He goes there. (singular pronoun)
    They go there. (plural pronoun)
    Everybody goes there. (describes many, but acts as one - Every single person goes there)

    This is called concord - if you would like a more detailed explanation, this one

    Subject-Verb Agreement

    is more in-depth.

    Thanks for your question!
     
  9. iswaryadevi

    iswaryadevi Platinum IL'ite

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    Thanks Ansuya for the detailed reply! :)
     
  10. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Ansuya, I knew you'd enjoy the skimfeed link. It is a reader's delight. The website does have a bias towards tech related topics but there is plenty to read for non-tech oriented readers too. Thanks for sharing it here on EM.
     
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