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Eudora13

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Everything posted by Eudora13

  1. There are so many beautiful words in English that I wouldn't mind keeping as my name (if I ever wished to do away with mine ). I like the words Felicity, Laurel, Ivory, Epiphany, Evanescent (yes, I know!), Demesne. In fact I would love to keep my name Demesne, it's a pity such a poetic word has such a banal meaning as land possession. What would be your choice of words?
  2. Haha, I can almost relate to this! I combine English with my mother tongue so effortlessly and so often that I don't even realize when I'm doing it. It used to bother my mother terribly, but I guess she realized I was a lost case. :confused: I'm trying to cut down on this and I've been making a conscious effort to keep myself from speaking hybrid languages.
  3. I simply feel too lazy to open the big fat dictionary that I have. If there's a word that I'm absolutely clueless about and cannot proceed any further unless I figure out its meaning, then I usually Google the word on my phone. I'm not exactly proud of this habit, but I guess it works for me.
  4. Oh thank you so much for taking the trouble to give so many examples! It certainly helped a lot! I guess, in being able to speak the language fluently I had never really bothered too much with its grammar, which is a shame. From all the examples you've put forth, I understand that the 'do-er' of the action - or the verb in the sentence - is always the subject, and if that subject is the main focus and is 'active', so to speak, then that sentence is an active sentence. Am I right?
  5. Hey this is quite a sound explanation you gave. I didn't know about the translation bit at all, thanks for sharing that! From you're point of view, it does seem like antithesis isn't the right answer. You've quite convinced me it's hypothesis. I'll find out which it is and come back with it for sure.
  6. In order to write well one must read regularly. There are no two ways about this. By write well I mean knowing how to manipulate words and phrases to put forth an idea is an appealing/catchy manner. Only through reading can we really learn the ways of language, learn how different authors write. It's amazing how the same thing can be said in so many different ways! Also reading helps in expanding your vocabulary which then improves your writing. However, if you're not into writing seriously I don't think not reading will make that much of a difference. If you speak the language regularly that should help you know enough to write decently. But then again, between reading and not reading, the former is ALWAYS a more sensible and obvious advice.
  7. I came across this question while solving a question paper, does anyone know the right answer? "Man proposes, God disposes." is an example of a/an _____. a) hypothesis synthesis c) antithesis d) thesis It can't be a) and d). I'm guessing it's antithesis. What do you think?
  8. Recently a young cousin of mine came to be with a grammar exercise in which she had to convert given sentences from active to passive voices, and vice versa. Embarrassing to admit but I wasn't sure about a number of them! :( Here's one of the questions: Which of the following is NOT a passive sentence? a) I was denied admission into the school. I was wheeled into the operating theater. c) I was informed of the dangers involved. d) I was tired by the end of the day.
  9. For me, poetry is most definitely an art. To be able to find the right words to say what one wants to say in the right way so as to convey the thought precisely to the reader, is nothing short of an artistic ability. I wrote my first poem in the third grade, about a teddy bear and a girl. Haha. That would be compared to a little kid's doodle! Over the years my writing has evolved, turned somewhat morbid, but I can say it takes time and effort to write a poem. Finding the perfect words is similar to finding the right shade of color for painting. Even harder sometimes! Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, John Keats, Robert Frost, all these poets are phenomenal.
  10. In India we use both "did you eat" and "have you eaten". Having the Brits as our colonial rulers once, and being heavily influenced by the American culture now, has led to a confusing concoction of Britmerican language here. :-/ For us "english" now just means english, inclusive of both countries and possibly others as well. This is somewhat unfavorable for a literature student like me because when we have to scan poetic passages and study its rhythm and meter, I never know if I'm right. The entire exercise depends greatly on word pronunciation and it doesn't do good to get confused between a pure American pronunciation and a British one.
  11. These haven't troubled me much as far as using them in simple, general form is concerned. It gets confusing, however, when the otherwise adjective form "loose" is used as a verb. Example - The tigers were let loose on the grounds. (Not likely to happen, though. Lol). or The snakes had been loosed on them. (Scary!) These are instances when I stumble and take time figuring out if it'll be 'lose' or 'loose'. Otherwise it's easy to differentiate between the verb (lose) and adjective (loose).
  12. My all time favorite play is Gaston Leroux' Phantom of the Opera. No matter how many times I see it, it moves me every time, particularly the last scene when the phantom is abandoned by Christine. This apart Shakespearean plays are a treat to watch, I've only watched Twelfth Night and Lear and both were quite well done. Recently I watched a school production of "Wicked", an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, which was neatly staged.
  13. Someone had asked this same question (cant recall who). My mother tongue isn't English but sadly I speak it better than the former. I was put into an English school when I had just about learnt to string two words together. So it hasn't been hard for me at all. On the contrary I have had to work hard to learn my mother tongue and the national language of my country, which I'm painstakingly making efforts to do because it's a shame not to know your own language!
  14. It would be really convenient if the world understood and could speak in one universal language. And yes, I do anticipate English becoming THE language of the world someday, not because I have any personal attachment to it or anything, but simply because every nation knows this language in some degree or the other. But that said, I wouldn't want English or any one language to eradicate all other tongues. There's a reason why we travel to different places and experience different cultures, and language forms one of the most important parts of any nation's culture. Imagine if the present diversity were lost. I'd hate that! In fact, I think every person should learn as many languages as they can and make efforts to keep obscure tongues from getting completely lost.
  15. I read the previous thread where each one added a line to create a story. It was really interesting to read, starting from a happy picture, through tragedy, morbid, funny, to downright bizarre! So here's another one..not a fairy tale beginning, perhaps not a beginning at all, but let's see where it goes! I was alone at home last Sunday, with the alert of the storm upon us, when the stranger came knocking at our door.
  16. I had never heard of any of these words, I'll have to make a mental note of them. Apricity and sweven sound beautiful! Especially the latter, it fits its meaning perfectly. I wonder why they ever went out of use. I suppose people are always trying to shorten the syllabic lengths of words, and find easy pronunciations for them.
  17. I had never heard of this word or even imagined 'kiss' would have another name to it! Osculation sounds like a biological process - "He osculated me on my birthday", gives the impression of an almost fatal action taking place! Haha.I think I would prefer kiss to the alternative.
  18. I took up a French course last year for 4 months and picked up the language decently enough. But since then I've had zero practice and no one to converse in french with, and now I've completely forgotten how to speak. Are there any sites or tutorials available online that will help in brushing up my grammar and stuff?
  19. Here are some phrases that we don't really use that often. They sound quite smart and 'cool' and I wish I'd get more chances to use them. Back to the drawing board - to have to start something from scratch again. Penny for your thoughts? - Asking someone what they are thinking Sit on the fence - To not take or avoid taking a decision Let sleeping dogs lie - Don't stir trouble I'll eat my hat - challenging someone who's opposing your point, when you're absolutely sure of yourself If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed - If it doesn't happen easily, work extra hard to make it happen In dire straits - in dangerous trouble If wishes were horses, beggars would ride - Life would be something if all we wished for came true
  20. My favorite novel by Dickens will be Oliver Twist. It has a lot of memories attached to it since I read it way back in school. It makes me nostalgic even to think. That apart I really liked Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, Bleak House. I'd have liked David Copperfield had it been a little less in volume, hehe. I like Dickens' works but at times his prolific descriptions that run for pages and pages, can get tiresome.
  21. I've managed to read quite a chunk of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I read it as part of my English Major's course and even had to write a paper on it. I'll admit I didn't really enjoy it. I don't think it's only because of the language, which is cumbersome, no doubt. But being so used to reading modern novels, the fable-like stories of Chaucer don't really appeal much. I think it's unfair to be biased but, oh well.
  22. There are so many. All books by Khaled Hosseini are very close to my heart. I think he writes with an honest truth that makes the pathos of human lives seem almost poetic in its misery. I've read A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner by him. I'm yet to read his latest. I recently read Lord of the Flies by Golding and it shook me to the core. I'm sure I won't forget it for a long long time.
  23. I read The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald again after a long time, and once again the last chapter moved me with its poignant reality. His language is poetic in its simplicity and it makes the tragedy of present human lives almost weep in its relentless search for an elusive hope. Some say it's an overrated novel, but I couldn't disagree more. Another novel I read that shook me with its stark reality was Golding's "Lord of the Flies". The intrinsic darkness of the human heart is something we choose to be oblivious to. But Golding's work forces you to face it without a shred of protection to shield you from the truth.
  24. Frankenstein may seem dated because of its setting, but the issues laid in the novel hold true even today. If it has been assigned to you I'd suggest you plunge head on without any preconceived notions. The best way to kill your appetite is to know snippets of the work from external sources. It's a classic, and for good reason. All I can say is that it won't be a relaxed read if you really want to get into it. But it will give you an insight into the workings of the human mind. All the best.
  25. The first idiom that I recall is "I'm all ears". I was as small as small gets and, I remember mom telling me this every time I badgered her with my day's tales. Obviously back then I didn't know it was an 'idiom' or what an idiom meant. All I knew was mom was listening to me with both her ears. Haha.
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