Antecedent and Anaphor

 An antecedent is a linguistic expression which provides the interpretation for a second expression (anaphor) which has little meaning of its own.

An antecedent is usually a noun phrase.

An antecedent usually comes before its anaphor.

·        If you see Ram, give him your shirt. (Antecedent – Ram; anaphor – him)

·        He went to his shop. (Antecedent – he; anaphor – his)

·        Ravi injured himself playing Volleyball. (Antecedent – Ravi; anaphor – himself)

An antecedent occasionally follows its anaphor.

An anaphor that precedes its antecedent is sometimes called a cataphor.

·        If you see him, give Ram your shirt.

Antecedent and its anaphor can be in different sentences.

·        Palaniappan is my brother. He is a merchant. (Antecedent – Palaniappan; anaphor – he)

An antecedent can be a verb phrase, an adjective phrase or a prepositional phrase.

·        My father asked me to open the door and I did it. (The antecedent ‘open the door’ is the verb phrase)

·        John thought Devi was in hospital, but he didn’t find her there. (The antecedent ‘in hospital’ is the prepositional phrase)

Antecedent can be a complete sentence.

·        Sita: Arun is teaching English.

·        Ragu: Who told you that?

The anaphor ‘that’ refers to the complete sentence ‘Arun is teaching English’.

Acrostics

 An acrostic is a poem written where the first letter of each line put together spells a word. The poem also tells something about the word thus made out.

An example:

In the grass or underground

Now and then they fly around

Slugs and worms and butterflies.

Each has its own shape and size.

Caterpillar, gnats, a bee

Take them all away from me!

English the funniest language

 We will begin with BOX and the plural is BOXES.

But the plural OX should be OXEN and not OXES.

Then one fowl is GOOSE but two are GEESE.

Yet the plural of MOUSE should never be MEESE.

You may find a lone MOUSE or a whole set of MICE.

But the plural of HOUSE is HOUSES not HICE.

If plural of MAN be always MEN

Why shouldn’t the plural for PAN be PEN?

If I speak of a FOOT and then you show me your FEET.

And I give a BOOT, would a pair be called BEET?

If one is TOOTH and a whole set are TEETH,

Why shouldn’t the plural of BOOTH be BEETH?

The one may be THAT and three may be THOSE.

Yet HAT in the plural would never be HOSE.

And the plural CAT is CATS not COSE.

We speak of BROTHER and also BRETHEREN.

But though we say MOTHER we never say MOTHEREN.

Then the masculine pronouns are HE, HIS and HIM

But imagine the feminine SHE, SHIS and SHIM!!

So English, I fancy, you will agree

Is the

FUNNIEST LANGUAGE you ever did see!

                              - Leo Angela Rupert

Telephone Language and Phrases

Answering the phone

·       Good morning/afternoon/evening, Geetha Stores, Rani speaking.

·       Who's calling, please?

Introducing yourself

·       This is Ram speaking.

·       Hello, this is Murugan from PR Transports.

Asking for someone

·       Could I speak to Dr. Raju, please?

·       I'd like to speak to Dr. Raju, please.

·       Could you put me through to Dr. Raju, please?

Explaining

·       I'm afraid Dr. Raju isn't in at the moment.

·       I'm sorry; he's in a meeting at the moment.

·       I'm afraid he's on another line at the moment.

Putting someone on hold

·       Just a moment, please.

·       Could you hold the line, please?

·       Hold the line, please.

Problems

·       I'm sorry, I don't understand. Could you repeat that, please?

·       I'm sorry; I can't hear you very well. Could you speak up a little, please?

·       I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.

·       I've tried to get through several times but it's always engaged.

·       Could you spell that, please?

Putting someone through

·       One moment, please. I'll see if Dr. Raju is available.

·       I'll put you through.

·       I'll connect you.

·       I'm connecting you now.

Taking a message

·       Can I take a message?

·       Would you like to leave a message?

·       Can I give him/her a message?

·       I'll tell Dr. Raju that you called.

·       I'll ask him/her to call you as soon as possible.

·       Could you please leave your number? I shall ask him to get back to you.

Opposite Proverbs / Proverb Opposites / Contrary Proverbs / Antonym Proverbs

• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. X A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder. X Out of sight, out of mind.
• A good beginning makes a good ending. X  It's not over till it's over. 
• All good things come to those who wait. X Time and tide wait for no man. 
• A miss is as good as a mile.  X   Half a loaf is better than no bread.
• An old fox is not easily shared. X  There's no fool like an old fool. 
• Ask no questions and hear no lies. X  Ask and you shall receive. 
• Better safe than sorry.  X  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• Birds of a feather flock together. X Opposites attract.
• Blood is thicker than water. X Many kinfolk, few friends.
• Clothes make the man. X  Never judge a book by its cover. 
• Dig the well before you are thirsty. X  Don't cross the bridge till you come to it.
• Do it well, or not at all. X Half a loaf is better than none.
• Do not build castles in the air. X Dreaming is the birth of achievement.
• Don’t change horses in midstream. X Variety is the spice of life.
• Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it. X Forewarned is forearmed.
• Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom. X Faith will move mountains.
• Face is the index of mind. X Do not judge the book by its cover.
• Good things come in small packages.  X   The bigger the better
• Great starts make great finishes. X  It ain't over until it's over.
• He who hesitates is lost X Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
• He who hesitates is lost. X Look before you leap. 
• Hold fast to the words of your ancestors. X Wise men make proverbs and fools repeat them.
• If at first you don’t succeed, try again. X Don’t beat a dead horse.
• If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas. X If you can’t beat’em join’em.
• Look before you leap. X Strike while the iron is hot.
• Practice makes perfect. X All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
• Seeing is believing. X Eyes and ears may be deceiving.
• Silence is golden. X  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
• Slow and steady wins the race .X Time waits for no man.
• Speech is silver, silence is gold.  X  Only the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
• The best things in life are free. X There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
• The pen is mightier than the sword.  X  Actions speak louder than words.
• There's safety in numbers. X  Too many cooks spoil the broth. 
• The best things come in small packages. X  The bigger, the better. 
• Too many cooks spoil the broth. X Many hands make light work.
• There’s safety in numbers. X Better be alone than in bad company.
• Too many cooks spoil the broth. X Two heads are better than one.
• Truth alone triumphs. X  The honest prisoner was whipped.
• What's good for the goose is good for the gander. X  One man's meat is another man's poison. 
• Wise men think alike. X  Fools seldom differ.
• You never know what can be done until you try to do it. X  Look before you leap.
• You're never too old to learn. X  You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Some nouns related to family

Exercise (Workout):

This may be considered as a basic level simple test for you.

Write down the equivalent names or meanings of the following terms in your own language.

You can also inform others by making comments.

·        Aunt

·        Boyfriend

·        Bride

·        Bridegroom

·        Brother

·        Brother-in-law

·        Child

·        Children

·        Cousin

·        Dad

·        Daughter

·        Daughter-in-law

·        Father

·        Father-in-law

·        Fiancé

·        Fiancée

·        Girlfriend

·        Godchild

·        Goddaughter

·        Godfather

·        Godmother

·        Godson

·        Grandchild

·        Granddad

·        Granddaughter

·        Grandfather

·        Grandma

·        Grandmother

·        Grandpa  

·        Grandson

·        Granny

·        Groom

·        Husband

·        Mom

·        Mother

·        Mother-in-law

·        Mum 

·        Mummy 

·        Nephew

·        Niece

·        Parent

·        Parents

·        Parents-in-law

·        Sister

·        Sister-in-law

·        Son

·        Son-in-law

·        Spouse

·        Uncle

·        Wife 

Differences between EFL and ESL, ESOL and TESOL, TOEFL and GRE, etc

·        EFL: English as a Foreign Language (A teacher who teaches English to speakers of other languages in a non-English speaking country teaches EFL)

·        ESL: English as a Second Language (An English teacher from an English speaking country teaches ESL at an English speaking country)

·        ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages

·        TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

·        TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

·        TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language

·        ELL: The English language learner

·        TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

·        ETS: Educational Testing Services

·        GRE: Graduate Record Examination