Well Ansuya, I finally caught up. Thanks for all the explantaions. This is exactly the kind of explanation I was looking for - I could never have thought of a word like "single ownership". It helps me explain things better to my little one and other students I work with. The poem by Richard Krogh is simply too goodOh I was watching this program on TV about first day of KG and there was this lady in 50s or so who said she did not know that she was the Barbara her teacher was referring to because she was always called barbie or something like that and she never knew her real name till the first day of KG - just like the way the second poem said! I have to write more, but the kids are up and I need to run. Usha, I am enjoying your contributions as well...esp the one about "doing good" - it is indeed a deed! Never paid attention to it.
Kalyani and Chitra, I'm so glad you enjoyed the poem. There are hundreds of entertaining and inspiring poems out there like it, and I hope to share more with all of you as this thread progresses. Sundarusha, I second Srama's words - your tips are great! Very helpful, and it's those little Americanisms like "doing good" that we need to watch out for, as you have explained so well. Srama, I think most people have some sort of horror story to relate about the first day of school, usually as a result of confusion, inexperience, and having to deal for the first time with a strange, new world. That's why this poem is so powerful - it speaks to us all, and any piece of writing that can have that kind of universal application is a good one.
Ansuya, Thanks for this explanation about the origins of the name, "England". Needless to say this is something I was not aware of (now can I end a sentence like that?). It is so very interesting. Also reading your explanation about the tenses, I am reminded of my late Grandfather who taught English in the early 50 & 60s and was famous for chiding his students thus : "you dunces, you have no sense of tenses!" I am thoroughly enjoying this thread.
Hi Ansuya, very interesting thread. thanks for starting it..... will definitely follow this thread. nice explanations....and i am actually enjoying every post. love, Anu
Srama, you can go ahead and end your sentence any way you want! Your grandfather must have had a tough time of it (not to mention the poor students!), because tenses is one of the most confusing and technical sections of grammar to teach. It is much easier to learn instinctively as a child through use, than try to pick it up as an adult in an ESL class, or learn as a child in a grammar class. As always, your feedback is appreciated. Anu, great to hear from you! We can all pat ourselves on the back if, like you say, you're enjoying every post - thanks for the positive feedback Inspired by Sundarusha's note about when an abbreviation takes a full stop and when it doesn't, I thought I'd discuss abbreviations and acronyms today. 1. An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word. We use them for titles Dr - Doctor Mr - Mister Prof. - Professor names or phrases HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus RSVP - A reply is requested (French - respondez s'il vous plait) UAE - United Arab Emirates and to note certain Latin phrases that are commonly used in English e.g. - for example (exempli gratia) i.e. - that is, or in other words (id est) 2. Acronyms are slightly different, as they are "words" formed from the initial letters of a phrase or name. This means we do not say each initial letter, but pronounce them as a single word. Some of them are capitalised AIDS - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization while others have passed into common usage as words and are not scuba - self-contained underwater breathing apparatus modem - modulator/demodulator 3. When writing, especially technical documents, it is acceptable to use abbreviations and acronyms that are established and widely used (like the examples given above - chat-style abbreviations are a whole other story!). However, it is convention to write the name or words out in full the first time you use it, with the abbreviation or acronym in brackets. This is a courtesy to your reader, who may need clarifying the first time in order to make sense of the rest of your doocument. 4. A contraction is a type of abbreviation we use in everyday speech and writing, which generally should be avoided in formal writing. Notice the apostrophe here is not used for possession, but to signal that letters have been omitted. don't - do not won't - will not haven't - have not can't - cannot I'd - I would you're - you are it's - it is 5. It is sometimes tricky to figure out whether an abbreviation or acronym takes an "a" or "an" before it. Use the sound of the initial letter to guide you, as opposed to whether the letter is an actual vowel or not. a UNESCO spokesperson - while "u" is a vowel, the sound of it is actually a "y" sound ("yoo") a FEMA agent - FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is pronounced with an "f" sound, since it is an acronym said as an entire word BUT we say an FBI agent - although FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) starts with a consonant "f", the sound we make when we say "f" is more like "eff", which is a vowel sound. Ansuya
Dearie, Just keeping track of all the discussions, now I am scared of coming with my rusted English?? Wanted to say that the discussion is a roaring success... keep going and enlightening me, so that i do polish my vocabulary a little...
Shanthi, everyone is welcome, rusty or not! Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. One of my favourite poets is Ogden Nash, because his poetry is simple and humourous, and again, a great way to introduce children to the joys of poetry and language. Here are two short poems, typical of his witty and precise style. The first might be considered an excellent response for all those long-suffering husbands to use when confronted with that minefield of a question from the womenfolk in their lives: "Does my bum look fat in this?". On the other hand, it might be safer for husbands to skip the "honesty" and rather, take the good advice offered in the second poem. I hope you enjoy these! What's the Use? by Ogden Nash Sure, deck your limbs in pants; Yours are the limbs, my sweeting. You look divine as you advance -- Have you seen yourself retreating? A Word to Husbands by Ogden Nash To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. Ansuya
Dear Ansuya Loved the second poem. I learnt what the abbreviation eg. expands to and that scuba is an acronym! I had just taken scuba as a word! Here are some examples of redundancies ( words that repeat the same idea or whose meanings overlap) reverted back reflected back retreated back fell down climb up a true fact new innovation red in color burned down to resulting effect final outcome As we can see, the meaning is still the same although we cut the extra words highlighted in red.
Dear ansuya, This thread is really amazing. The way you explain things are quite easy to understand. Could you please give me clarification regarding the usage of "to" and "for". I build a house for my daughter I build a house to my daughter. By the way, Sorry for asking you silly questions. Thanks, Susi.
Sundarusha Yes, scuba is an acronym, and so is laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). If you liked the Ogden Nash poem, you might want to look up some of his other works. He has written many short, witty poems like the ones I've posted here. They don't take long to read, but the payoff is big in terms of entertainment value! Thanks very much for the list of commonly-used redundant phrases. This is one of those issues of style, and what we mean when we say we'd like to "polish" our writing or speaking. They aren't cardinal sins, as far as language use goes, but if we were editing or proofreading a document that should have been written in a formal style, or speaking in a formal setting, this is a prime example of the kind of error we should eradicate. Ansuya
