English Class

English Class

In the essay “On the Art of Speaking” I suggested you to recapitulate aloud whatever you read in order to be fluent.

I recapitulate editorials and news analyses. To my joy, I have noticed that whenever I recapitulate anything, my mind unselfconsciously develops an inclination to counter the points I am speaking about and brings forth the aspects which makes the recapitulated piece stronger. This recapitulation practice, besides making the speaker fluent and expressive, develops debating skills and brings forth the aspects which he would have overlooked. I feel that this is an excellent discovery.

Words of the day

Unselfconscious: adj. Not self-conscious, natural. The unselfconscious singing of any child is really very sweet.

Anglophile: n. One who admires England, its culture, and its people. It was due to a bunch of idiotic anglophiles that the Brits ruled India for so long.

Delve: v. 1. To search deeply and laboriously. 2. To dig the ground, as with a spade. I delved the whole lot of papers to get my certificate. An archeologist should be very patient because often delving doesn’t give any results.

Idioms of the day

Feet of clay: If you say that someone you praise have feet of clay, it means he has hidden faults. Most of the social workers have feet of clay.

At first blush (American): When you first start to think about something. At first blush holidaying in Vienna appeared a fine idea but later we decided flying to Paris.

Weigh your words: To think carefully before you say anything. A wise man always weighs his words.

Combinations of words

Indelible mark (indelible = impossible to remove): Parents must remember that child abuse leaves an indelible mark on the minds of children.

Inseparably linked: It is said that hearts of the true lovers are inseparably linked - no matter how far the both live.

Chain of connection: From Bollywood to drugs and police to underworld, there seem to be a chain of connection.

The class is over.