Some Latin Phrases Commonly Used in English
Ad hoc / ad ˈhÉ’k / This is a well assimilated expression used in a variety of contexts with slightly different meanings. It means "to this" or "for this matter". It denotes that something is created or done for a particular limited purpose. We formed an ad hoc committee to manage the publicity of the event. We have taken some ad hoc measures to mitigate the immediate impact of the slowdown in the market. The arrangement is very ad hoc. Generally there is a space between the two words but there are users who join the two…
A List of Indian Politicians with Excellent Communicative Skills in English
Improve your English, listening to these Indian politicians. The list is in no particular order except for the first one. Shashi Tharoor An international diplomat turned politician, he is an excellent orator. He got his PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, at an age of 22, the youngest in the history of the institute. An author of nearly 20 books, his latest one is about English words. Omar Abdullah Omar Abudalla was born in Rochford, Essex. His grandfather, father and himself were chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. His moth…
Talking about Rain : Useful Phrases
We can use the empty subject 'it" when we talk about rain in English. It is raining. It's drizzling. (light rain) It's pouring. (heavy rain) It's lashing. (heavy intense rain) It's bucketing down. (very heavy rain) It's spitting. (very light rain) It has been raining all day. It's been raining on and off this weekend. It's really coming down out there. (to indicate heavy rain, snow, hail, or sleet) It looks like it's going to rain. Some other sentences you can use Take your umbrella. It's likel…
Empty or Dummy Subjects and Anticipatory Subjects; "It"
Empty subject It In some sentences we have to use a dummy subject (also called empty subject, prop subject, slot-filler subject, or artificial subject) when there is no subject or when the subject is somewhere else in the sentence. It's raining outside. It's four o'clock. It's forty degrees. It's ten kilometers to the next town. It's lovely here. It's getting late. It's important to wear your mask when you go out. It's helpful to write down your passwords somewhere. It's thundering. It's lightning ou…
Sympathy, Empathy, Compathy, Mimpathy, Transpathy, Unipathy; Learn some -pathy words
Sympathy is a feeling of pity or sorrow for someone's misfortune. It is also an understanding or rapport. Empathy is an ability to sense or feel other people's emotions. Compathy is the emotional solidarity or a shared feeling. Mimpathy is a philosophical concept where you share another person's feeling on a matter without necessarily feeling sympathy. Transpathy is where the emotional display of someone is automatically and without understanding transferred to another like an emotional contagion Unipathy is the genuine emotional …
A, b, and c or a, b and c? The question of serial comma
Serial comma or Oxford comma is the comma used just before the conjunction (and, or etc.) while listing items. You can either use it or omit it. The clarity of the sentence should be the priority in taking that decision. For example My cousins, Jeffrey and Sheena were present on the occasion. Without serial comma, the sentence could be interpreted as saying that Jeffrey and Sheena are my cousins. With the comma these are three different entities. My cousins, Jeffrey, and Sheena were present on the occasion. Reordering the list can also be …