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English Edification Enrichment- Are there any apartment available in this complex? "Plenty.  The one opposite mine is available.  I can tell you its in good repair." "In good repair?  Does it mean that it's not in good condition? Do we have to spend a lot of money repairing it? It means just the opposite. When you say that something is in good repair, what you are suggesting is that it's in good condition." Can I say, my uncle's car is in bad repair? "Yes. when something is not in good condition, you say it's in bad repair. Many of the government schools in our district are in bad repair.

Thrill about dubsmash; just 7 months since its launch dubsmash has created a sensation in the app world  users can choose an audio recording of a well known quote from a list and record a video of themselves in which they dub the quote, many shy and less media savvy are spending more and more of there  leisurely time in to it. What ever you wanu say.. say it with video, just participate and have fun

English Edification Enrichment- What is the meaning of "volte-face"? It is very common to hear politicians say one thing one day and on the very next day say the exact opposite. This is what we mean by a volte-face. To say the exact opposite; to do a complete turnaround. It's a total change in one's attitude towards something or someone. By the way, the "o" in "volte" is like the "o" in "hot", "pot", and "not". Some people pronounce it like the "o" in "go", "so", and "no". The "a" in "face" is like the "a" in "bath" and "path" and the main stress is on "face". The final "e" in both the words is silent. Here are a few examples. *   The Chairman's speech represents a complete volte-face in company thinking. *   Some of the Ministers didn't go along with the party's volte-face ...

English Edification Enrichment- What is the origin of "honeymoon"? In the old days people wanted their marriage to start on a sweet note. It was therefore customary for newlyweds to drink mead for a month. Mead was a drink made from honey. The "moon" refers to the period of thirty days or one month that the couple was expected to drink the mead. After the first month, the couples came face to face with reality; they realized that their affection, like the moon, would wax and wane. By the way, the word "honeymoon" need not always be used to refer to the holiday that newly married couples take immediately after marriage. The term is now being used to refer to an early stage in any activity when people are happy with each other because everything is going smoothly. Here are a few examples. *   The President's honeymoon period with the press is over. *   The honeymoon between my boss and me still continues. *   The allegations...

English Edification Enrichment-What is the difference between "for sale" and "on sale"? When you sell something, it is "for sale". All the items that you see in a shop are for sale. You can buy them. When the same items are "on sale", they are being sold at a lower price.

English Edification Enrichment- What is the meaning of "drive someone round the bend"? When you "drive" or "send someone round the bend" you make him really angry by doing something which annoys him. It is an expression mostly used in informal contexts. It is also possible to say "round the twist". Here are a few examples. * His wife's constant whining was driving Rajeev round the bend. * The heat and the frequent power cuts were driving Neha round the bend. * The leaky faucet was sending Chaitra round the bend.

English Edification Enrichment- What is the meaning of "Would you like to powder your nose"? This is a question that is often asked of ladies. When somebody asks a woman whether she would like to powder her nose, what the person wants to know is whether she would like to use the bathroom. Native speakers of English don't ask you directly whether you would like to use the bathroom. It is considered impolite to do so. As a result, they ask the question in a roundabout way. "Would you like to freshen up" "Would you like to wash your hands" Unlike the earlier question, these can be posed to both men and women. What is the difference between "due to" and "owing to"? As far as the meaning is concerned there is no difference. Both "due to" and "owing to" can be used to mean "because of". Many people use the two words interchangeably. Here are a few examples. * Owing to/Due to bad weather, all flights were canc...

English Edification Enrichment- Is it okay to introduce myself in the following manner? “I am Mr. Thomas.” When James Bond introduces himself, he says, ‘My name is Bond. James Bond’. He doesn’t say ‘My name is Mr. Bond. Mr. James Bond’. We often hear Indian men introduce themselves as ‘Mr. Sharma’, ‘Mr. Rao’, etc. When you introduce yourself, there is no need for you to include ‘Mr.’ before your name. Native speakers of English do not include the word ‘Mr.’ when they introduce themselves.

English Edification Enrichment- What is the meaning of "chock-a-block"? This is an expression, which is mainly used in informal contexts. Chock-a-block means, "completely full; tightly packed". The expression is usually followed by "with". The main stress is on "block". The first word "chock" is pronounced like the first syllable of "chocolate". Here are a few examples. * The cupboard was chock-a-block with hundred rupee notes. * I wouldn't go there now. The place will be chock-a-block with tourists. * On Friday evening, Ashok's house was chock-a-block with guests.

English Edification Enrichment- Why do we say "an MBBS" and "an MP"? The rule for using the articles "a" and "an" is quite simple. Use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound and "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound. Notice that I am not referring to the letter which a word begins with, but the sound. Try this out. Say M.B.B.S. Now say the word "monkey". Do you hear a difference between the "m" in monkey and "MBBS"? The letter "m" when said in isolation, as it is done in the case of "MBBS" and "MP", begins with a vowel sound. That's the reason why you use the article "an". But the same letter in words like "monkey" and "man" begins with a consonant sound. This also explains why the word university" although it begins with the letter "u" does not take the article "an" before it. The word d...

A call center: Informs: A call center is an office where a company's inbound calls are received, or outbound calls are made. Call centers are increasingly popular in today's society, where many companized have centralized customer service and support functions. Call centers employ many staff in customer service, sales and support functions. Outsourcing referrs to a company that contracts with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas. Outgoing calls for telemarketing, clientele, and debt collection are also made. Business Process Outsourcing Definition Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the act of giving a third-party the responsibility of running what would otherwise be an internal system or service. survey :The call c...

What does ‘pushover’ and ‘push over’ mean? When you say that someone is a ‘pushover’ what you mean is that the individual can be easily influenced or won over. He can be easily got around. For example, * Getting money from Adam is very easy. He is such a pushover. * My school principal, Mrs.Janet, is no pushover. * Many people thought the West Indies would be a pushover. But they managed to defeat us in the series. What does ‘push over’ mean? When you push someone over, you knock him down. For example, * The students were in such a hurry to get out that they nearly pushed the teacher over. * The thief pushed the tables over and escaped.

How do you pronounce the word "blithe"? The "i" is pronounced like the "y" in "my", "by", and "fly". The following "th" sounds like the "th" in "this", "those", and "there". The final "e" is silent. One of the meanings of "blithe" is happy and carefree. It is a word that is mostly used in formal contexts. * John is one of those blithe spirits who cannot remain in one place for long. * Peter was blithely unaware of the trouble he had caused.

What is the difference between an "intruder" and an "infiltrator"? An "intruder" is someone who enters another person's property illegally - without the owner's consent. The act of intrusion may be accidental or deliberate. A thief who enters your house is an example of an individual who intrudes on your property intentionally. Sometimes when you go out on long walks you may intrude on someone else's property without being aware of it. Maybe you didn't see the sign that said, "Private Property: Keep Out". Whether you enter another person's property intentionally or accidentally, the moment you enter it, you have become an intruder. Technically, you are breaking the law. * The police shot the intruder. * The intruders were caught as soon as they crossed the border. An "infiltrator" is someone who enters a country or an organization without the others being aware of it. The individual enters secretly and he uses a lot ...

Why are ships called "she"? There are several explanations for this. Some say during the early days of sailing every ship was always dedicated to some goddess, and as a result the ship was referred to as "she". Another theory is that the crew always thought the ship represented their mother and as a result treated it with a great deal of respect. In most Romance languages the ship is always referred to as "she" and it is quite possible that English sailors began to adopt this practice as well. Thanks & Regards.

There are many Irish and Scottish names beginning with the prefix Mc or Mac (meaning "son of"). Mostly, this element is pronounced /m@k/ as in Macdonald , Maclean , McTaggart . If the part after the prefix starts with /k/ or /g/, then the prefix is pronounced /m@/ as in McKenna and McGee . However, there are quite a few names where the prefix bears a primary or secondary stress. In this case, the prefix is pronounced /m{k/. Here are some of the commoner names with this pronunciation: McAfee, McAteer, McAvoy, McEnroe, McIndoe, McIlroy, McIntosh.

English has a lot of compound nouns where the first element is the name of a colour. Here are some examples of compounds with blue, green, or red as the first element. All of these have the main stress on the colour term: bluebeard bluebell blueberry bluebird bluebottle bluejay blueprint bluestocking bluetit greenback greenbelt greenfinch greenfly greengage greengrocer greenhorn greenhouse greenroom greenstick greenwood redbreast redcoat redeye redhead redneck redshank redskin redstart redwing redwood Notice that compound colour adjectives have the main stress on the final element, so skyblue, seagreen and bloodred, for example, all have the stress pattern

English Edification Enrichment How is the word "potpourri" pronounced? The "o" in the first syllable is like "o" in "go", "so", and "no"; the following "t" is silent. The "pour" in the second syllable is pronounced like the word "poor". The "i" in the final syllable is like the "i" in "it", "hit", and "sit". This is one of the ways of pronouncing the word. A "potpourri" usually consists of a mixture or an assortment of dried flower petals and leaves, and sometimes, aromatic spices. It is normally used to perfume a room. When you say that there was a potpourri of things in a room, what you mean is that there were very different objects in the room; objects which didn't form a set of any kind. Here are a few examples, * The architect has employed a potpourri of styles to build the house. * The room consisted of a potpourri of dolls and ...

What is the meaning of the idiom "not let the grass grow under one's feet? When you tell an individual "not to let the grass grow under his feet", what you want him to do is to stop wasting time, to stop delaying. You want the person to get on with the job on hand, instead of trying to put things off. Here are a few examples, * The Chairman let the grass grow under his feet. As a result, the project wasn't completed on time. * You can't let the grass grow under your feet. You have millions invested in this project. What is the origin of "Uncle Sam"? It is quite common for people, both American and non-American, to refer to the American Government as "Uncle Sam". This is an expression that is generally used in informal contexts. * Uncle Sam did not take kindly to the comments made by our Government. * Uncle Sam will punish those who do not pay their taxes. It is interesting to note that the "Sam" referred to is not the first name...

Why do we play practical jokes on April 1 ? There are several theories regarding this. I understand that many European countries for a very long time celebrated New Year's Day on April 1 . Things changed however when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar. New Year's Day was shifted from April 1 to January 1 . But some people who either didn't know about this change or refused to accept it, continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Such people were thought to be fools and they soon became the butt of practical jokes. They were sent silly gifts and were invited to parties that were not going to take place. What is the meaning of "fait accompli"? First, let's deal with the pronunciation. The first word "fait" is pronounced like the word "fate". The "a" in "accompli" is like the "a" in "amount", "allow" and "aloud". The following "o" is like the ...