In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful,
Do you know how the word "won" is pronounced?
If pronounced in a way similar to that of the word "one", it becomes the past tense of the verb win.
If pronounced in a way similar to that of the word "worn" but without the "r", it becomes the currency for South Korea.
Now try saying "I won one won!". That should help you to remember the pronounciations of the word "won".
External links:
Pronounciation for won (past tense of win) at www.howjsay.com
Pronounciation for worn at www.howjsay.com
Allah knows best.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Key to the house near the quay
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
If Bahasa Malaysia is the national language of Malaysia, why do developers still use English names for their projects?
Behold, Sunway South Quay.
Word of the day:
Quay
According to dictionary.com:
Noun - a landing place, esp. one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.
Quay is pronounced the same as key.
Allah knows best.
If Bahasa Malaysia is the national language of Malaysia, why do developers still use English names for their projects?
Behold, Sunway South Quay.
Word of the day:
Quay
According to dictionary.com:
Noun - a landing place, esp. one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water; wharf.
Quay is pronounced the same as key.
Allah knows best.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Never
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Sometime ago (This is a lie. This never happened. I'm making this up for this entry), during one of the trips to a factory of a prominent company over here, as a sign of goodwill from the host, they served us ham sandwiches and beer for lunch.
Me, being a Muslim, in no ways lamenting the fact that I could not indulge myself in those ham sandwiches, decided to go outside and enjoy the wonderful spring.
It was then, my colleague came up to me and asked me,
"You are not eating? We are having sandwich inside."
(This is another lie because they don't speak English over here)
"No, thank you. I am full." I spoke untruthfully to him.
"You are always full. Are you really full? Or are you just saying that because you don't like the food over here?"
I am always full? I didn't know how he came up with that conclusion since this was the first time I even talked to him. I never have had the chance to do it before.
"No seriously, I am full. The food here is actually interesting but seriously, there is not an inch left in here for that sandwich." Another untruth being told as I rubbed my tummy, attempting to indicate to him that I was full.
"Just a little bite wouldn't hurt, would it now? It's free after all. Here, I have an extra sandwich here." And he took the unappetisingly ham-filled sandwich from his plate and offered it to me.
I didn't want to offend him but it's ham! I don't eat ham. Well even if it was turkey ham I still would't eat it. Unlike some people who believe that when you are away from home it is permissible to eat meat which are not slaughtered in accordance to Islamic guidelines, I don't eat such meat. So I politely said to him,
"Thank you for the gesture but sorry, I don't eat pork. My religion forbids it." as I said that, I realised that I should have really told him straight away that I don't eat pork. Feigning that I was full wasn't really a good idea.
"Oh, really? So thats why you are not eating this sandwich?"
"Yes. Thanks for the offer though."
"Oh, interesting. So you have never had any pork in your life?"
"'No, I haven't."
Which is the grammatically proper reply as opposed to the more popular reply of 'No, I did not.'
The question asked for an action which started in the past and is still happening in the present so we use the perfect present tense (have + perfect form of verb) instead of the simple past tense.
For actions that happened in the past (started and ended in the past) , we use the simple past tense instead.
So if my colleague had asked me "You had pork yesterday?". I would answer "No, I did not." because the action being discussed was in the past (in this case: yesterday). In contrast, the question "Have you had pork in your life?" asked about an action which is referring to our life. We haven't ended our life yet, so we use the perfect present tense.
Summary:
1. The simple past tense is used to describe an action which was done in the past.
2. The perfect present tense is used to describe an action which began in the past but is still happening in the present.
3. When dealing with cultural differences in our lives, explaining is better than lying.
Allah knows best
Sometime ago (This is a lie. This never happened. I'm making this up for this entry), during one of the trips to a factory of a prominent company over here, as a sign of goodwill from the host, they served us ham sandwiches and beer for lunch.
Me, being a Muslim, in no ways lamenting the fact that I could not indulge myself in those ham sandwiches, decided to go outside and enjoy the wonderful spring.
It was then, my colleague came up to me and asked me,
"You are not eating? We are having sandwich inside."
(This is another lie because they don't speak English over here)
"No, thank you. I am full." I spoke untruthfully to him.
"You are always full. Are you really full? Or are you just saying that because you don't like the food over here?"
I am always full? I didn't know how he came up with that conclusion since this was the first time I even talked to him. I never have had the chance to do it before.
"No seriously, I am full. The food here is actually interesting but seriously, there is not an inch left in here for that sandwich." Another untruth being told as I rubbed my tummy, attempting to indicate to him that I was full.
"Just a little bite wouldn't hurt, would it now? It's free after all. Here, I have an extra sandwich here." And he took the unappetisingly ham-filled sandwich from his plate and offered it to me.
I didn't want to offend him but it's ham! I don't eat ham. Well even if it was turkey ham I still would't eat it. Unlike some people who believe that when you are away from home it is permissible to eat meat which are not slaughtered in accordance to Islamic guidelines, I don't eat such meat. So I politely said to him,
"Thank you for the gesture but sorry, I don't eat pork. My religion forbids it." as I said that, I realised that I should have really told him straight away that I don't eat pork. Feigning that I was full wasn't really a good idea.
"Oh, really? So thats why you are not eating this sandwich?"
"Yes. Thanks for the offer though."
"Oh, interesting. So you have never had any pork in your life?"
"'No, I haven't."
Which is the grammatically proper reply as opposed to the more popular reply of 'No, I did not.'
The question asked for an action which started in the past and is still happening in the present so we use the perfect present tense (have + perfect form of verb) instead of the simple past tense.
For actions that happened in the past (started and ended in the past) , we use the simple past tense instead.
So if my colleague had asked me "You had pork yesterday?". I would answer "No, I did not." because the action being discussed was in the past (in this case: yesterday). In contrast, the question "Have you had pork in your life?" asked about an action which is referring to our life. We haven't ended our life yet, so we use the perfect present tense.
Summary:
1. The simple past tense is used to describe an action which was done in the past.
2. The perfect present tense is used to describe an action which began in the past but is still happening in the present.
3. When dealing with cultural differences in our lives, explaining is better than lying.
Allah knows best
Friday, May 02, 2008
Flowers in a vase
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Ahh... spring. The time when the days are finally longer, the weather is getting warmer, joggers are back on their tracks, friends gather to grill (though summer would be a better time for grilling because it often rains in spring), and most importantly, the flowers, the natural crowns of mother nature, are blooming majestically.
Now is the time when SLR connoisseurs, well-abled and even the less well-abled photographers amongst them, take out their macro lenses to take pictures of flowers with which they would later upload it on their flickr pages, with sense of pride and satisfaction, expecting people to drop comments, praising their ability to take great pictures.
One fine day in this lovely spring, accompanied by a friend who is an SLR connoisseur like the one described above, we were on our way to the halal butcher when my friend pointed to the bed of colourful flowers by the roadside. Another trivial conversation ensued.
"Those flowers would really look great in my room.", my friend started the conversation ominously.
"Flowers? In your room? You being metro?"
"What do you think? They would fit perfectly well in my room, wouldn't it?"
"Don't you already have enough photos of flowers in your room? Thank God there are no bees in your room."
"Those are pictures. Not real flowers. These are flowers, real flowers! Perfect in my room I tell you!"
"Oh eh? So should we go the florist next?"
"Why should we? We could just take these ones here."
"Maybe you could, but I wouldn't. Is it right to take these flowers?"
"Eh, why not? These are flowers. Gift of nature."
"Subhannallah. But these are planted by the city council. Surely the flowers are planted to beautify the city. We should leave it as it is."
"But taking a flower or two wouldn't hurt."
"Are you certain? If you take these flowers, you would be taking what is not rightfully yours. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) forbade taking away what belongs to others without their permission.* Just like using the tram without a valid ticket, you are burdening others for the convenience that you are benefiting from. If is it not rightfully yours, should you take it?"
My friend paused for a while. Would he say that I was being pedantic? Or would he think that I was being uncool for not doing what is the norm but is essentially wrong?
But, all praise to Allah SWT, he concurred with me,
"Well, you got a point there. I never thought about it that way. Let us go the florist then. I could buy myself a vase as well. By the way, how do you pronounce vase?"
The conversation actually went on with me explaining the two different ways of pronouncing the word vase. Seeing that it is difficult for me to write here how I pronounced the word vase, here is a link where you can listen to the two different pronunciations of vase.
Summary:
1. Vase can be pronounced in two different ways. Blame the Americans for the second pronunciation.
2. You can listen to the pronunciation here.
3. www.howjsay.com is a great site to learn the proper pronunciation of words.
4. People like to take macro pictures of flowers.
Allah knows best.
*Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 654:
Ahh... spring. The time when the days are finally longer, the weather is getting warmer, joggers are back on their tracks, friends gather to grill (though summer would be a better time for grilling because it often rains in spring), and most importantly, the flowers, the natural crowns of mother nature, are blooming majestically.
Now is the time when SLR connoisseurs, well-abled and even the less well-abled photographers amongst them, take out their macro lenses to take pictures of flowers with which they would later upload it on their flickr pages, with sense of pride and satisfaction, expecting people to drop comments, praising their ability to take great pictures.
One fine day in this lovely spring, accompanied by a friend who is an SLR connoisseur like the one described above, we were on our way to the halal butcher when my friend pointed to the bed of colourful flowers by the roadside. Another trivial conversation ensued.
"Those flowers would really look great in my room.", my friend started the conversation ominously.
"Flowers? In your room? You being metro?"
"What do you think? They would fit perfectly well in my room, wouldn't it?"
"Don't you already have enough photos of flowers in your room? Thank God there are no bees in your room."
"Those are pictures. Not real flowers. These are flowers, real flowers! Perfect in my room I tell you!"
"Oh eh? So should we go the florist next?"
"Why should we? We could just take these ones here."
"Maybe you could, but I wouldn't. Is it right to take these flowers?"
"Eh, why not? These are flowers. Gift of nature."
"Subhannallah. But these are planted by the city council. Surely the flowers are planted to beautify the city. We should leave it as it is."
"But taking a flower or two wouldn't hurt."
"Are you certain? If you take these flowers, you would be taking what is not rightfully yours. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) forbade taking away what belongs to others without their permission.* Just like using the tram without a valid ticket, you are burdening others for the convenience that you are benefiting from. If is it not rightfully yours, should you take it?"
My friend paused for a while. Would he say that I was being pedantic? Or would he think that I was being uncool for not doing what is the norm but is essentially wrong?
But, all praise to Allah SWT, he concurred with me,
"Well, you got a point there. I never thought about it that way. Let us go the florist then. I could buy myself a vase as well. By the way, how do you pronounce vase?"
The conversation actually went on with me explaining the two different ways of pronouncing the word vase. Seeing that it is difficult for me to write here how I pronounced the word vase, here is a link where you can listen to the two different pronunciations of vase.
Summary:
1. Vase can be pronounced in two different ways. Blame the Americans for the second pronunciation.
2. You can listen to the pronunciation here.
3. www.howjsay.com is a great site to learn the proper pronunciation of words.
4. People like to take macro pictures of flowers.
Allah knows best.
*Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 654:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Yazid Al-Ansari:
The Prophet forbade robbery (taking away what belongs to others without their permission), and also forbade mutilation (or maiming) of bodies.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Pensive Keegan
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
In the live updates from BBC Sports today, Caroline Cheese described Keegan as looking pensive.
Pensive? Is it not an object that is used to keep memories? Or is that only in the world of Harry Potter?
Whenever in doubt, google.
From googling, I found out that pensive is an adjective and the object used to keep memories in the world of Harry Potter is not a pensive but rather, a pensieve.
According to dictionary.com:
Pensive - adjective: expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, usually marked by some sadness
Allah knows best.
In the live updates from BBC Sports today, Caroline Cheese described Keegan as looking pensive.
Pensive? Is it not an object that is used to keep memories? Or is that only in the world of Harry Potter?
Whenever in doubt, google.
From googling, I found out that pensive is an adjective and the object used to keep memories in the world of Harry Potter is not a pensive but rather, a pensieve.
According to dictionary.com:
Pensive - adjective: expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, usually marked by some sadness
Allah knows best.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Doughnuts
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Seriously, this came out of nowhere. There was this one time, during a 5-minute break in our lecture, my friend asked me this,
"Where are the nuts in doughnuts?"
Where indeed, I asked myself. Being happy that I have a friend who was willing to share this mystery of life with me, I decided to humour her,
"Are they really not made out of grounded nuts? That's why they are called doughnuts."
"Really? That doesn't explain the dough part though. Or is the dough in the word doughnut is actually a 'though' rather than a 'dough'? Then it would be 'though-nuts' and it still wouldn't make any sense. Surely there is an explanation to this."
"Surely there is and it ranks high up in my to-do list: Investigate the origin of the word doughnut."
And I thought that was the end of it. But the mystery of doughnuts shall not go unanswered to my friend.
"Wait wait wait. How do you spell doughnuts? D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T-S or D-O-N-U-T-S? It's the latter right? Thats how doughnuts is spelt right?"
"Dunkin Donuts perhaps. But there are two variations of spelling for doughnuts, one would be the one used by the Americans which is D-O-N-U-T-S and the other one is mostly used by the British and the commonwealth countries. Here in Malaysia, I think it is acceptable to use either one."
"But that still doesn't explain the nuts."
By then, I could not think of anything else to say to her and thank God, the break was over. The doughnut enigma was left unanswered.
Allah knows best.
Seriously, this came out of nowhere. There was this one time, during a 5-minute break in our lecture, my friend asked me this,
"Where are the nuts in doughnuts?"
Where indeed, I asked myself. Being happy that I have a friend who was willing to share this mystery of life with me, I decided to humour her,
"Are they really not made out of grounded nuts? That's why they are called doughnuts."
"Really? That doesn't explain the dough part though. Or is the dough in the word doughnut is actually a 'though' rather than a 'dough'? Then it would be 'though-nuts' and it still wouldn't make any sense. Surely there is an explanation to this."
"Surely there is and it ranks high up in my to-do list: Investigate the origin of the word doughnut."
And I thought that was the end of it. But the mystery of doughnuts shall not go unanswered to my friend.
"Wait wait wait. How do you spell doughnuts? D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T-S or D-O-N-U-T-S? It's the latter right? Thats how doughnuts is spelt right?"
"Dunkin Donuts perhaps. But there are two variations of spelling for doughnuts, one would be the one used by the Americans which is D-O-N-U-T-S and the other one is mostly used by the British and the commonwealth countries. Here in Malaysia, I think it is acceptable to use either one."
"But that still doesn't explain the nuts."
By then, I could not think of anything else to say to her and thank God, the break was over. The doughnut enigma was left unanswered.
Allah knows best.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Affectionate
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Recent decisions by the sultans of Malaysia have won the affection of the rakyat and it serves as a reminder to us that the sultans of Malaysia are still important in the Malaysian political system.
Though you might think the that word affection, because it looks like affect + ion, is the noun form for the verb affect (which was covered in the previous entry), it is actually not. A quick check in a dictionary reveals that affection has a different meaning altogether from the verb affect.
affection - dictionary.com noun: fond attachment, devotion, or love:
abd's definition: a word used to describe a sense of liking to someone or something
God willing, may this discovery be beneficial (benefit + tial = benefiCial) to the betterment of our vocabulary.
Allah knows best.
Recent decisions by the sultans of Malaysia have won the affection of the rakyat and it serves as a reminder to us that the sultans of Malaysia are still important in the Malaysian political system.
Though you might think the that word affection, because it looks like affect + ion, is the noun form for the verb affect (which was covered in the previous entry), it is actually not. A quick check in a dictionary reveals that affection has a different meaning altogether from the verb affect.
affection - dictionary.com noun: fond attachment, devotion, or love:
abd's definition: a word used to describe a sense of liking to someone or something
God willing, may this discovery be beneficial (benefit + tial = benefiCial) to the betterment of our vocabulary.
Allah knows best.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
It's quite effective
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
How do you cure the common cold?
You don't. There is no cure for common cold. You might have come upon medications that claim to cure the common cold but meh, I don't think such medications would really have any effect on curing the cold. It might affect your wallet though. You might as well wait for your antibody to kick off and cure yourself.
Effect - Dictionary.com: Noun: a result or consequence
abd's definition: This is the noun to describe a result of an action
affect - Dictionary.com: Verb: to act on; produce an effect or change in
abd's definition: this is the word that you use when an effect is taking place. Affect is the verb form of effect.
So, let's take a look at this example:
How do you think the new government will affect our lives?
I don't think it will have any effect on me. I'm just being ignorant.
Compare:
How do you think the new government will affect our lives?
I don't think it would affect me in anyway. I'm just being ignorant.
From these 2 answers to the same question, we could see that effect and affect are used to say the same thing but they are presented in two different styles. As to which one is better? Being an avid but incapable learner of the English language myself I think it's up to you to decide. Your writing, your style.
Allah knows best.
ps: Affection is a noun which has quite a different meaning from affect and effect. Affection shall be covered in the next entry which will be published hopefully sooner than later.
How do you cure the common cold?
You don't. There is no cure for common cold. You might have come upon medications that claim to cure the common cold but meh, I don't think such medications would really have any effect on curing the cold. It might affect your wallet though. You might as well wait for your antibody to kick off and cure yourself.
Effect - Dictionary.com: Noun: a result or consequence
abd's definition: This is the noun to describe a result of an action
affect - Dictionary.com: Verb: to act on; produce an effect or change in
abd's definition: this is the word that you use when an effect is taking place. Affect is the verb form of effect.
So, let's take a look at this example:
How do you think the new government will affect our lives?
I don't think it will have any effect on me. I'm just being ignorant.
Compare:
How do you think the new government will affect our lives?
I don't think it would affect me in anyway. I'm just being ignorant.
From these 2 answers to the same question, we could see that effect and affect are used to say the same thing but they are presented in two different styles. As to which one is better? Being an avid but incapable learner of the English language myself I think it's up to you to decide. Your writing, your style.
Allah knows best.
ps: Affection is a noun which has quite a different meaning from affect and effect. Affection shall be covered in the next entry which will be published hopefully sooner than later.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Invi
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Being an avid albeit untalented learner of the English language, I have a bad habit of asking people the grammatical validity of their sentences. This habit may be annoying to others but I see it necessary for me to improve my poor command of the language.
One day, there was a shout-out on an instant messaging software that piqued my curiosity.
"I am invicible!"
Is invicible a valid word? Feeling small that I do not know the word , I mustered all the strength in my cold body to ask him about the word.
Me: assalamualaikum
The other guy: Salamzzzzzzzzzzz. yo yo yo whats up?
Me: Hey, I have a question.
The other guy: k, k, sk wy?
(I assumed he said: Okay, okay, ask away)
Me: What's invicible?
The other guy: La dude........... Go google lah. Don't waste my time.
Me: Heheh, okay. Sorry.
So I did just that. I googled the word. You can learn so much from Google nowadays.
For example, I learned that invicible is not a valid word. Invisible, on the other hand, is a valid word and according to answers.com:
invisible - adjective
1. Impossible to see; not visible
2. Not accessible to view; hidden.
So maybe my acquaintance misspelt the word invisible. Hoping that others would do the same to me, in the sense that others would correct me when I'm wrong, I decided to message my aforementioned acquaintance.
Me: Eh, I think you spelt the word wrongly. Maybe you wanted to write invisible instead?
The other guy: Eh lah, what lah you? Please no try be super clever and be rite all the time. I got this from a song lah! It must be rite. Go shove this word up your nose lah!
(Please no try be? I apologise to my readers for the poor grammar used by the other guy.)
Me: But, I googled it. It is wrong. It should be invisible.
The other guy: Hey you cottage boy! (Maybe he wanted to say budak kampung?) This invicible is not meaning cannot see. This meaning i am super. Cannot be beat. Now go away!
Me: Oh, okay. I'm sorry.
Before I even got the chance to press enter, the other guy decided to go offline. (Did he really? Maybe he just appeared offline to me.)
That was an egg on my face. I didn't know that he took the word from a song. How was I to know?
With my face still red, I googled the term "song invicible". The first result is a YouTube link to a video clip of a song by Muse, which according to the video description, is entitled 'Invicible'.
So this was the song that The Other Guy was referring to. Silly me for wanting to correct him.
After 3 minutes of listening to the song, I found the lyrics to be quite interesting and maybe I could improve my English if I knew the lyrics to the song.
Again, I googled. This time I googled "Muse lyrics".
To my surprise, I couldn't find the lyrics to the song 'Invicible'. Instead I found lyrics for the song 'Invincible'.
I was really dumbfounded. Is 'Invicible' a valid word? Or should it have been 'Invincible' instead?
I looked up the definition for these two words and came to a conclusion:
Invicible is invincible spelt wrongly but deemed to be proper by those who think that people on the internet do not misspell words.
Summary:
1. invicible is wrong.
2. Invisible is a proper word.
3. Invincible is also a word, which according to dictionary.com, is defined as an adjective which brings the meaning of incapable of being overcome or defeated.
4. When someone corrects you, be nice to him or her.
5. Your collection of illegal media is not the definitive source for proper spelling.
Allah knows best.
Being an avid albeit untalented learner of the English language, I have a bad habit of asking people the grammatical validity of their sentences. This habit may be annoying to others but I see it necessary for me to improve my poor command of the language.
One day, there was a shout-out on an instant messaging software that piqued my curiosity.
"I am invicible!"
Is invicible a valid word? Feeling small that I do not know the word , I mustered all the strength in my cold body to ask him about the word.
Me: assalamualaikum
The other guy: Salamzzzzzzzzzzz. yo yo yo whats up?
Me: Hey, I have a question.
The other guy: k, k, sk wy?
(I assumed he said: Okay, okay, ask away)
Me: What's invicible?
The other guy: La dude........... Go google lah. Don't waste my time.
Me: Heheh, okay. Sorry.
So I did just that. I googled the word. You can learn so much from Google nowadays.
For example, I learned that invicible is not a valid word. Invisible, on the other hand, is a valid word and according to answers.com:
invisible - adjective
1. Impossible to see; not visible
2. Not accessible to view; hidden.
So maybe my acquaintance misspelt the word invisible. Hoping that others would do the same to me, in the sense that others would correct me when I'm wrong, I decided to message my aforementioned acquaintance.
Me: Eh, I think you spelt the word wrongly. Maybe you wanted to write invisible instead?
The other guy: Eh lah, what lah you? Please no try be super clever and be rite all the time. I got this from a song lah! It must be rite. Go shove this word up your nose lah!
(Please no try be? I apologise to my readers for the poor grammar used by the other guy.)
Me: But, I googled it. It is wrong. It should be invisible.
The other guy: Hey you cottage boy! (Maybe he wanted to say budak kampung?) This invicible is not meaning cannot see. This meaning i am super. Cannot be beat. Now go away!
Me: Oh, okay. I'm sorry.
Before I even got the chance to press enter, the other guy decided to go offline. (Did he really? Maybe he just appeared offline to me.)
That was an egg on my face. I didn't know that he took the word from a song. How was I to know?
With my face still red, I googled the term "song invicible". The first result is a YouTube link to a video clip of a song by Muse, which according to the video description, is entitled 'Invicible'.
So this was the song that The Other Guy was referring to. Silly me for wanting to correct him.
After 3 minutes of listening to the song, I found the lyrics to be quite interesting and maybe I could improve my English if I knew the lyrics to the song.
Again, I googled. This time I googled "Muse lyrics".
To my surprise, I couldn't find the lyrics to the song 'Invicible'. Instead I found lyrics for the song 'Invincible'.
I was really dumbfounded. Is 'Invicible' a valid word? Or should it have been 'Invincible' instead?
I looked up the definition for these two words and came to a conclusion:
Invicible is invincible spelt wrongly but deemed to be proper by those who think that people on the internet do not misspell words.
Summary:
1. invicible is wrong.
2. Invisible is a proper word.
3. Invincible is also a word, which according to dictionary.com, is defined as an adjective which brings the meaning of incapable of being overcome or defeated.
4. When someone corrects you, be nice to him or her.
5. Your collection of illegal media is not the definitive source for proper spelling.
Allah knows best.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Incident and accident
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
According to answers.com:
incident noun an event or occurrence
accident noun an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally
So what is the difference between incident and accident?
From the way I see it, every accident is an incident but not every incident is an accident.
Allah knows best.
According to answers.com:
incident noun an event or occurrence
accident noun an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally
So what is the difference between incident and accident?
From the way I see it, every accident is an incident but not every incident is an accident.
Allah knows best.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Singular plural - Every
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
One of the most painful rules in English for Malay speakers (at least I found it hard) is the usage of 's' for verbs used with singular nouns.
We Malay speakers tend to swallow the 's' because the aforementioned rule is not practised in our language which for now will remain to be called Bahasa Malaysia even after attempts by certain groups to change it to Bahasa Melayu instead.
Even after attending hours and hours of grueling extra private classes, for so is the norm of the Malaysian students, parents tend to send them to such classes after school, hoping that it would improve their beloved children's academic performances, I still have difficulties deciding whether I should put an 's' on the verbs in my sentences.
Okay, the previous sentence is needlessly too long. A better sentence would be:
Even after attending hours and hours of grueling extra private classes, I still have difficulties deciding whether I should put an 's' on the verbs in my sentences.
For example, I would want to put an 's' for the verb that follows the pronoun 'every*' (everyone, everything, etc.) because, after all, 'every*' is translated into 'semua' in Malay and I consider that to be plural.
But poor alas, every form of 'every*' is actually considered singular in English and therefore verbs used with 'every*' are in the singular form, which more often than not, are verbs with an extra 's' at the end of it.
Summary:
Every is considered singular in English.
For example:
Everyone likes ice-cream.
Everything on the table is up for grabs.
Allah knows best.
xoxo
One of the most painful rules in English for Malay speakers (at least I found it hard) is the usage of 's' for verbs used with singular nouns.
We Malay speakers tend to swallow the 's' because the aforementioned rule is not practised in our language which for now will remain to be called Bahasa Malaysia even after attempts by certain groups to change it to Bahasa Melayu instead.
Even after attending hours and hours of grueling extra private classes, for so is the norm of the Malaysian students, parents tend to send them to such classes after school, hoping that it would improve their beloved children's academic performances, I still have difficulties deciding whether I should put an 's' on the verbs in my sentences.
Okay, the previous sentence is needlessly too long. A better sentence would be:
Even after attending hours and hours of grueling extra private classes, I still have difficulties deciding whether I should put an 's' on the verbs in my sentences.
For example, I would want to put an 's' for the verb that follows the pronoun 'every*' (everyone, everything, etc.) because, after all, 'every*' is translated into 'semua' in Malay and I consider that to be plural.
But poor alas, every form of 'every*' is actually considered singular in English and therefore verbs used with 'every*' are in the singular form, which more often than not, are verbs with an extra 's' at the end of it.
Summary:
Every is considered singular in English.
For example:
Everyone likes ice-cream.
Everything on the table is up for grabs.
Allah knows best.
xoxo
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Dissuade <> Persuade
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Dissuade is the opposite of persuade.
Allah knows best.
Dissuade is the opposite of persuade.
Allah knows best.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
I am a 24-year-old student.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
A 24-year-old student? An undergraduate even? How pathetic is that!
The first sentence sounds grammatically improper but is it really wrong?
No, the sentence (as absurd as it might sound because a 24-year-old should already be working) is actually grammatically correct.
When a numerical quantity is used as an adjective, the letter 's' which accompanies the plural form of a noun is omitted.
So, a student who is 24 years old is also a 24-year-old student. A lecture which takes 3 hours to finish is a 3-hour-lecture and a pass, which grants you access for 3 days is called a 3-day-pass and not a 3 days pass.
Allah knows best.
A 24-year-old student? An undergraduate even? How pathetic is that!
The first sentence sounds grammatically improper but is it really wrong?
No, the sentence (as absurd as it might sound because a 24-year-old should already be working) is actually grammatically correct.
When a numerical quantity is used as an adjective, the letter 's' which accompanies the plural form of a noun is omitted.
So, a student who is 24 years old is also a 24-year-old student. A lecture which takes 3 hours to finish is a 3-hour-lecture and a pass, which grants you access for 3 days is called a 3-day-pass and not a 3 days pass.
Allah knows best.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Guinea, Ginny
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Guinea is pronounced with a hard g. Like that of a gun.
Ginny Weasley, from the world of Harry Potter, is pronounced with a soft g. Like a genie in a bottle.
Allah knows best.
Guinea is pronounced with a hard g. Like that of a gun.
Ginny Weasley, from the world of Harry Potter, is pronounced with a soft g. Like a genie in a bottle.
Allah knows best.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
I didn't do nothing!
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Observe:
Thug 1: You can't do nothing to me man! You can go to hell!
Policeman: What is it that I can't do? Nothing?
Thug 1: You heard me right! You can't do nothing to me!
Policeman: So I can do anything to you?
End observation.
Obviously Thug 1 doesn't frequent this site often. His sentence doesn't make any sense at all.
Can't do nothing? Huh? What? Let us dissect this sentence and find the true meaning behind it!
Can + not + do + nothing = Modal Verb + Negative + Verb + Negative
In this case, the not is used to indicate the negative state of the modal verb can to indicate an inability of someone or something to do something.
Do is an intransitive verb which according to dictionary.com means to perform or execute something. The usage of do in conjuction with nothing (do nothing) indicates that nothing is being performed or executed.
So when we combine can not + do nothing, we get =
Inability of someone or something to perform or execute nothing.
Which doesn't make sense at all. What he probably wanted to say is:
You can't do anything to me.
Which means:
Inability of someone or something to perform anything.
Aaaah, which makes more sense because maybe the policeman is powerless to do anything. Why is he powerless? Who knows, maybe the thug has political immunity like many of those working at the United Nations who park their cars anywhere they like because they don't have to pay parking tickets.
So the moral of this entry is: Instead of saying I didn't do nothing, say I didn't do anything. It makes more sense.
Allah knows best.
Observe:
Thug 1: You can't do nothing to me man! You can go to hell!
Policeman: What is it that I can't do? Nothing?
Thug 1: You heard me right! You can't do nothing to me!
Policeman: So I can do anything to you?
End observation.
Obviously Thug 1 doesn't frequent this site often. His sentence doesn't make any sense at all.
Can't do nothing? Huh? What? Let us dissect this sentence and find the true meaning behind it!
Can + not + do + nothing = Modal Verb + Negative + Verb + Negative
In this case, the not is used to indicate the negative state of the modal verb can to indicate an inability of someone or something to do something.
Do is an intransitive verb which according to dictionary.com means to perform or execute something. The usage of do in conjuction with nothing (do nothing) indicates that nothing is being performed or executed.
So when we combine can not + do nothing, we get =
Inability of someone or something to perform or execute nothing.
Which doesn't make sense at all. What he probably wanted to say is:
You can't do anything to me.
Which means:
Inability of someone or something to perform anything.
Aaaah, which makes more sense because maybe the policeman is powerless to do anything. Why is he powerless? Who knows, maybe the thug has political immunity like many of those working at the United Nations who park their cars anywhere they like because they don't have to pay parking tickets.
So the moral of this entry is: Instead of saying I didn't do nothing, say I didn't do anything. It makes more sense.
Allah knows best.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Loosen up! If you lose, try again.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Here are some words for today:
Loosen - Verb
1. To release from restraint
2. To cause or permit or become less strict
Loose - Adjective
1. Not rigidly fastened or securely attached
Lose - Verb
1. Not winning
Present: lose
Past: lost
Perfect: lost
Loosen up - Phrasal verb
1. To become less tense, to relax.
I am writing this entry to loosen up myself before an exam.
Allah knows best.
Here are some words for today:
Loosen - Verb
1. To release from restraint
2. To cause or permit or become less strict
Loose - Adjective
1. Not rigidly fastened or securely attached
Lose - Verb
1. Not winning
Present: lose
Past: lost
Perfect: lost
Loosen up - Phrasal verb
1. To become less tense, to relax.
I am writing this entry to loosen up myself before an exam.
Allah knows best.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Verbs as adjectives. Case study: Included
In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Case study: included
Included is the past participle of the verb include.
Taken from Dictionary.com:
include verb - to contain as a secondary or subordinate element
In some cases, included is used as an adjective, describing an object which has been subjected to the verb include.
Examples:
1. Included as an adjective:
The taxi fee is included in the ticket.
2. Included as a verb:
Two new ministers have been included into the new cabinet.
Further case study.
What is the difference between is included and was included?
In this case, the difference is the tense of the verb to be in the sentences. The first one is in present tense while the latter in the past tense.
Is included is used when you are describing something which is, as of the moment, included.
Example: The taxi fee is included in the ticket. Meaning: The ticket covers the taxi fee as well.
Was included is used when you are describing something which at first, you included it but at a later date you decided to exclude it.
Example:
Customer: I would like to buy a ticket to Rosenheim please.
Accountant: Eh? Excuse me? I'm sorry sir, this is finance, please hold on while I connect you to sales.
Customer: Oh, I'm terribly sorry. The girl before connected me here. I had no idea. Sorry to take up your time.
Accountant: No problem sir. This happens all the time. It seems that people nowadays are terribly useless at what they are supposed to do.
Customer: Tell me about it. The other day I had to fire 5 people because they didnt seem to like working. Yes, they wanted money but no, they did not want to work. How was that ever going to work?
Accountant: I'm terribly sorry to hear that.
Customer: Eh, thats finance right?
Accountant: Yes, sir.
Customer: I was wondering, whether the taxi fee is still included in the ticket?
Accountant: (What does that got to do with finance?) Oh sir, I'm sorry to tell you it is no more included. It was included last year but it has been excluded since January this year. I'm sorry to inform you that.
Customer: Oh, thats too bad. But hey, thanks for the info.
Accountant: Welcome.
From this lengthy example, we can learn that:
1. Good help is hard to get nowadays.
2. Was included is used for something which happened in the past.
Allah knows best.
Case study: included
Included is the past participle of the verb include.
Taken from Dictionary.com:
include verb - to contain as a secondary or subordinate element
In some cases, included is used as an adjective, describing an object which has been subjected to the verb include.
Examples:
1. Included as an adjective:
The taxi fee is included in the ticket.
2. Included as a verb:
Two new ministers have been included into the new cabinet.
Further case study.
What is the difference between is included and was included?
In this case, the difference is the tense of the verb to be in the sentences. The first one is in present tense while the latter in the past tense.
Is included is used when you are describing something which is, as of the moment, included.
Example: The taxi fee is included in the ticket. Meaning: The ticket covers the taxi fee as well.
Was included is used when you are describing something which at first, you included it but at a later date you decided to exclude it.
Example:
Customer: I would like to buy a ticket to Rosenheim please.
Accountant: Eh? Excuse me? I'm sorry sir, this is finance, please hold on while I connect you to sales.
Customer: Oh, I'm terribly sorry. The girl before connected me here. I had no idea. Sorry to take up your time.
Accountant: No problem sir. This happens all the time. It seems that people nowadays are terribly useless at what they are supposed to do.
Customer: Tell me about it. The other day I had to fire 5 people because they didnt seem to like working. Yes, they wanted money but no, they did not want to work. How was that ever going to work?
Accountant: I'm terribly sorry to hear that.
Customer: Eh, thats finance right?
Accountant: Yes, sir.
Customer: I was wondering, whether the taxi fee is still included in the ticket?
Accountant: (What does that got to do with finance?) Oh sir, I'm sorry to tell you it is no more included. It was included last year but it has been excluded since January this year. I'm sorry to inform you that.
Customer: Oh, thats too bad. But hey, thanks for the info.
Accountant: Welcome.
From this lengthy example, we can learn that:
1. Good help is hard to get nowadays.
2. Was included is used for something which happened in the past.
Allah knows best.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Prevaricate
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
According to Reuters, China is encouraging its pilots to improve their English. But some pilots have the wrong attitude and are prevaricating.
Example taken from this article.
Word for the day:
prevaricate - verb(intransitive): to stray from or evade the truth, to make untrue declarations.
Allah knows best.
According to Reuters, China is encouraging its pilots to improve their English. But some pilots have the wrong attitude and are prevaricating.
Example taken from this article.
Word for the day:
prevaricate - verb(intransitive): to stray from or evade the truth, to make untrue declarations.
Allah knows best.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Did you know?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Did you know that a verb that follows a did or a do is always in its root form?
So do verbs that follow a does.
Examples:
Did you do that? -> The root form of does is do.
He does not know how to answer that question. -> Know is used here for a third person pronoun(he) instead of knows.
Yes, she was here but she did not eat the pie. -> Eat is used in its root form even though the event was in the past.
Allah knows best.
Did you know that a verb that follows a did or a do is always in its root form?
So do verbs that follow a does.
Examples:
Did you do that? -> The root form of does is do.
He does not know how to answer that question. -> Know is used here for a third person pronoun(he) instead of knows.
Yes, she was here but she did not eat the pie. -> Eat is used in its root form even though the event was in the past.
Allah knows best.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Phlegmatic
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Word for the day: Phlegmatic.
phlegmatic - adjective: Having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional.
Example:
Everyone seems to be annoyed and some even angered by his decision. His phlegmatic manner in announcing the decision might have also contributed to the resentment against him.
Allah knows best.
Word for the day: Phlegmatic.
phlegmatic - adjective: Having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional.
Example:
Everyone seems to be annoyed and some even angered by his decision. His phlegmatic manner in announcing the decision might have also contributed to the resentment against him.
Allah knows best.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)