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Sunday, 21 February 2010

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Starters :

Two word game

We can change the meaning of some words by adding a letter before them. Some examples are:

pill : spill

ink : pink

old : hold

Fill the blanks in the following sentences by

adding a letter to the keyword given in bold type.

Check your answers with the key.

1. Kamala wore a .......... sari for the wedding. ink

2. The cup of coffee was too hot to ........... old

3. The Kandyan dancer began to .......... around.

pin

4. I am going to .......... how to drive a car. earn

5. The .......... of the pen was Rs. 2000. rice

6. We walked along the .......... for many hours.

each

7. Mother uses a broom to .......... the floor. weep

8. .......... is another name for an animal. east

9. He lives .......... most of the time. broad

10. Teachers .......... good students. raise

11. The car was .......... for song. old

12. .......... comes before a fall. ride

13. There is a .......... in the rope. not

14. He was prepared to .......... that he didn't do

it. wear

15. Don't .......... your back by lifting the rock.

Train

*********

Key

1. pink

2. hold

3. spin

4. learn

5. price

6. beach

7. sweep

8. beast

9. abroad

10. praise

11. sold

12. pride

13. knot

14. swear

15. strain

*********


Nouns or verbs?

Read the list of words on the left and state whether they are nouns or verbs. Write 'N' for nouns and 'V' for verbs.

1. snake

2. live

3. life

4. baby

5. kite

6. keep

7. look

8. sweep

9. night

10. lane

11. milk

12. sign

13. dig

14. fix

15. leap

16. try

17. trial

18. say

19. length

20. fill

******

Key

1. N, 2. V, 3. N, 4. N, 5. N, 6. V, 7. V, 8. V, 9. N, 10. N, 11. N, 12. V, 13. V, 14. V, 15. V, 16. V, 17. N, 18. V, 19. N, 20. V

******


Make a word triangle

Here is a novel way to improve your vocabulary. Read the clues and find the word that fits into the slot. The number of squares stand for the number of letters in each line. Check your answers with the key.

Clues

1. The seventh letter in the alphabet

2. Great Britain (Abbreviation)

3. To prevent somebody from speaking freely

4. A way of walking

5. An embarrassing act or remark

6. Any of the large systems of stars in outer space

7. Brave

8. The practice of playing games

9. Talking too much about unimportant things

********

Key

1. G

2. GB

3. GAG

4. GAIT

5. GAFFE

6. GALAXY

7. GALLANT

8.GAMBLING

9.GARRULOUS

********


Use 'own' confidently

The word 'own' is both a pronoun and a determiner. It means 'belonging to someone' or 'done by someone'.

1. 'Own' can be used to say that something belongs to or is used by someone.

I have my own bedroom.

Do you have your own means of transport.


She bought her own camera.
 

She bought her own camera.

Sometimes he cannot identify his own signature!

Bring your own towel if you're coming for a bath.

2. 'Own' is used to say that something is personal.

I made my own arrangements to visit Sri Pada.

We grow our own vegetables.

I use my own library.

Through my own fault, I couldn't join the year-end trip.

It's my own opinion, I didn't borrow it from anybody.

3. 'Own' can be used to say that something belongs to someone and to nobody else.

I quit my job to start my own business.

Why do you want to borrow my pen?

What happened to your own?

This is my own baby and I am the

mother.

Can I do anything with my own money?

4. 'Own' is used to say that someone is alone, or does something without help.

She lives on her own without depending on anybody.

You can learn how to type on your own.

My son is old enough to travel on his own.

Don't copy, do it on your own!

How many of us can live on our own?

5. 'Very' is used to emphasize 'own'?

This is my very own house.


Don’t copy, do it on your own!

6. The verb 'own' is often used in the passive with certain adverbs.

The company is jointly owned by them.

The house is partly owned by Perera.

The company is wholly owned by the government.

I work in a privately owned company.

She works in a publicly owned business organisation.

Set phrases

Through no fault of my own, I missed the train.

Some people carry on as if they own this company!

Be nice to people. It's for your own good.

I saw it with my own eyes.

I heard it with my own ears.

You can do it in your own time. (leisurely)

He comes into his own in a crisis. (be useful)

I study for its own sake. (because it is interesting)

I'll get my own back on you one day! (Do something unpleasant)

She always gets her own way. (Persuade others to allow her to do what she wants)

Is this the way you treat your own flesh and blood? (your family members or relations)

I own this house. (I am the legal owner)

No one has owned up to defacing the painting. (No one has admitted.)

I am not the owner of this theatre. (noun)

Do you have any documentary proof of ownership of this house? (noun)


Electric words

Words are wonderful raw material for a writer or a speaker. Increase your word power by doing the following quiz. Check your answers with the key.

1. His father's death has left him distraught.

(a) very happy

(b) very sad

(c) penniless

2. Shopping in Dubai seems to become more fraught every year.

(a) dangerous

(b) frequent

(c) causing anxiety

3. The police produced a credible witness to court.

(a) elderly

(b) educated

(c) convincing

4. The country's population has burgeoned.

(a) decreased

(b) increased

(c) diminished

5. I go everywhere with my alter ego.

(a) a close friend

(b) spouse

(c) child

6. We had to go through a crummy little street.

(a) beautiful

(b) unpleasant

(c) small

7. The painting was defiled by vandals.

(a) damaged

(b) preserved

(c) done

8. The politician gave an equivocal answer.

(a) clear

(b) ambiguous

(c) long

9. She looked forlorn when the exam results were announced.

(a) happy

(b) excited

(c) unhappy

10. We saw a glimmer of light through the mist.

(a) faint unsteady light

(b) bright, light

(c) dark light

*****

Key

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

*****

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