- by R. S. Karunaratne

Starters:

Spelling rules - Part III

1. Words ending in 'ce' and 'ge' retain the 'e' before a suffix beginning with 'a, o, or u'. This is done to avoid changes in pronunciation, because 'c' and 'g' are generally pronounced soft before 'e' and 'i', but hard before 'a, o, or u'.

courage - courageous

Abraham Lincoln was a resourceful and courageous President of the United States.

manage - manageable

Foreign debt has been reduced to a manageable size.

outrage - outrageous

Some men and women wear outrageous clothes.

peace - peaceable

The warring parties came to a peaceable settlement.

trace - traceable

Some of our traditions are traceable to very old times.

replace - replaceable

Some parts of this machine are not replaceable.

2. Words ending in 'ce' change the 'e' to 'i' before 'ous'.

vice - vicious

She keeps a vicious dog to frighten robbers.

malice - malicious

Don't believe in malicious gossip.

grace - gracious

She always wears a gracious smile.

space - spacious

John de Silva Memorial Theatre has a spacious auditorium.

3. When 'full' is added to a word the second 'I' is dropped.

beauty + full = beautiful (but beautifully)

I received a beautiful calendar with pictures of flowers.

use + full (but usefully)

Do you think a mobile phone is useful to a child?

If the word to which the suffix is added ends in 'll' the second 'l' is dropped.

Skill + full + skilful

He was praised for his skilful performance.

full + fill + fulfil

He was able to fulfil himself through music.

4. Words ending in 'y' following a consonant change the 'y' to 'i' before any suffix except 'ing'.

carry + ed = carried

The injured passengers were carried to the nearest hospital.

sunny + er = sunnier

Today is a sunnier day than yesterday.

happy + ly = happily

We were dancing happily when the telephone rang.

carry + ing = carrying

I bought a laptop with a carrying case.

'Y' following a vowel does not change.

obey + ed = obeyed

The teacher was happy because we obeyed her orders.

play + er + player

Sanath is a cricket player who did Sri Lanka proud.

5. Normally, 'i' comes before 'e' except after 'c'

believe

I cannot believe what you say.

sieve

Mother asked me to sieve the flour into a bowl.

deceive

Some people try to deceive innocent children.

Exceptions

Father has brought a beige carpet.

The man was charged with counterfeiting Rs. 1,000 currency notes.

There were eight birds on the branch.

We have to go either by bus or train.

They lived in a foreign country for twenty years.

He was disqualified because he did not have the stipulated height.

Concluded.

What you should know about ‘or’

‘Or’ is a conjunction that connects two or more possibilities. There are varying grammar patterns.

1. ‘Or’ is used to talk about alternatives. I’d like to buy a T-shirt - blue or green. Is that a boy or a girl? You can come here today or tomorrow. Carry an umbrella or you’ll get wet. Is it Monday or Tuesday today? You can pay for it now or later. I don’t know whether you’re listening to me or not. He was born in 1950 or 1951. There were ten or twelve students in the class.

2. ‘Or’ is used to say that there are two alternatives and no other alternatives are possible. His prediction is either true or false. I’ll take either the bus or the train. The judge will either send you to jail or impose a fine.

3. ‘Or’ is used to include two or more things in a negative statement. Some villagers cannot read or write. I can’t meet you on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. He never smiles or talks.

4. ‘Or’ is used to report, or ask indirectly, questions about alternatives. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going! Do you know whether he is coming or not?

5. ‘Or’ is used to warn or threaten somebody that something bad could happen. Stop shouting or I’ll punish you. Hurry up or we will be late for the show.

6. Certain verbs usually precede whether... or construction. I do not know whether to stay or go. She cannot decide whether to say yes or no. We cannot see whether he is reading or relaxing. I wonder whether I should vote for him or not. I don’t mind whether you buy it or not. She does not care whether she gets the promotion or not. I can’t say whether he will win or not. Do you remember whether you had bread for dinner or not?

7. ‘Or’ is used in certain set phrases. She will take ten minutes or so to type the letter. Can you give me a minute or two to decide? Serve me two or three spoonfuls of rice. Her name is Sheela, or Shyama, or something. Would you like a hot dog or anything? Are you playing with us or not? Do your homework, or else you’ll be punished. I visited Burma, or rather, Myanmar.

Use of ‘has’ and ‘have’

Both ‘has’ and ‘have’ are verbs. For one person or thing we use ‘has’. For more than one person or thing we use ‘have’.

Write ‘has’ or ‘have’ in the blanks.
1. Savitry ........... lost her keys.
2. Where ............ you been all day?
3. Somebody ........... left his pen on my desk.
4. ............ you read all these books?
5. ............ mother come home yet?
6. Both the puppies ............ black tails.
7. ........... the milkman called?
8. The elephant .......... a long trunk.
9. Elephants ............. long trunks.
10. He ....... a bad temper.
11. You ........ muddy shoes!
12. I ........... worked very hard.
13. He ........... fallen off a vehicle.
14. ........... you ever fallen off a horse?
15. Our cat ............ three kittens.

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Key: 1. has, 2. have, 3. has, 4. Have, 5. Has, 6. have, 7. Has, 8. has, 9. have, 10. has, 11. have, 12. have, 13. has, 14. Have, 15. has.

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Know your idioms Idiomatic

expressions are forceful, vivid and brief. At the same time, idioms are the most difficult part of the language. Here are some commonly used English idioms in the form of a quiz. Tick off (a), (b) or (c) which you think is nearest in meaning to the given idiom. Check your answers with the solution.

1. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
(a) a dangerous person who pretends to be harmless
(b) a wolf wearing a sheep’s skin
(c) an innocent person treated as an enemy

2. When I knew that his blood was up I stopped arguing.
(a) he was happy
(b) he was angry
(c) he was emotionally upset

3. I find that there is no love lost between them.
(a) they hate each other
(b) they love each other
(c) there is some misunderstanding between them

4. Do you think I would fish in troubled waters?
(a) make personal profit out of a disturbance
(b) catch fish on a rainy day
(c) fish in a flooded river

5. Look at his car. He must have bought a pig in a poke.
(a) bought something without examining it
(b) bought a pig put in a sack
(c) bought stolen property

6. Don’t try to build castles in the air.
(a) to indulge in visionary schemes
(b) to put up a castle
(c) to build a castle on top of a hill

7. He always tries to make a mountain out of a molehill.
(a) build a mountain on a molehill
(b) give great importance to trifles
(c) reduce the impact of a severe fall

8. The enemies turned tail when they saw the huge army.
(a) twisted the tail
(b) hid the tail
(c) retreated ignominiously

9. When I wanted to succeed in life my enemies put a spoke in my wheel.
(a) obstructed my progress
(b) delayed my journey
(c) expedited my progress

10. Mother advised me not to make a fool of myself at the party.
(a) mess around with strangers
(b) behave in a respectable manner
(c) act stupidly

*****

Key: 1. (a), 2. (b), 3. (a), 4. (a), 5. (a), 6. (a), 7. (b), 8. (c), 9. (a), 10. (c)

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Foreign words and phrases used in English

1. ab initio (Latin): from the beginning
2. ad infinitum (Latin): to infinity; without end
3. al fresco (Italian): in the open air
eg. al fresco (Italian): meal
4. alter ego (Latin): intimate friend
5. amicus curiae (Latin): a friend of the court
6. a posteriori (Latin): from effect to cause
7. a priori (Latin): from cause to effect
8. bete noire (French): object of dislike or dread
9. bon mot (French): witty saying
10. bon voyage (French): happy trip; farewell
11. caveat emptor (Latin): let the buyer beware
12. che sera sera (Italian): what will be, will be
13. de facto (Latin): in fact; actual
14. de jure (Latin): by right; lawfully
15. de novo (Latin): from the beginning
16. dramatis personae (Latin): the characters in a drama
17. enfant terrible (French): unruly child
18. entre nous (French): between us
19. exempli gratia (Latin): for example
20. ex officio (Latin): by right of office