Sadism vs. Masochism?
Sadism = the activity of getting pleasure, sometimes sexual, from being cruel or hurting another person. This may be sometimes considered as a mental disorder.
- The man was a sadist who tortured animals and people.
- “I am afraid your children will never be safe”, he said with a sadistic smile.
- The germs of sadism are present even in children; you must have seen children hurting or annoying pet dogs or cats.
- The villain character in the film burned the shoulder of his newly married wife with a lighted cigarette. This can be a symptom of sadism.
Masochism = the tendency to derive pleasure, sometimes sexual, by inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation on oneself.
- He is a masochist who gets pleasure from his own physical pain or humiliation.
- Her ability to endure his violence is not seen as helplessness or masochism, but rather as evidence of her moral strength.
- You spent the whole weekend in a tent in the rain without food. That’s masochism.
What is SMALL TALK, gossip, socialize, chit-chat?
SMALL TALK = It is a conversation about unimportant things often between people who DO NOT KNOW EACH OTHER WELL. It is a starter for a serious conversation or discussion while engaged in on social occasions. In a way that fills up awkward silences and makes you both feel more comfortable and friendly with each other.
- We should find time for some small talk before any serious discussion.
- Our MD advised the new Managers to warm up the beginning of each office meeting with some small talk.
- Renz soon learned how to make small talk with people on social occasions.
- Reshma doesn’t like parties where she has to make small talk with complete strangers
Examples for small talk for practical situations at a travel.
- How’s your Hotel?
- What do you think of the food here?
- Will you have time for some sightseeing?
- Is this your first visit?
- I’ve come here twice and I find the people and their food habits good.
Gossip = idle, often ill-natured talk about the affairs of other people.
- He’s too fond of gossip.
- I don’t believe all the gossip I hear.
Socialize = Mix socially with others in a friendly way.
- He enjoys socializing with his students after class.
- We should find some time for socialization with the people around our locality.
Chit-chat = informal light conversation about matters that are not important.
- It was a leisurely dinner with much chit-chat and laughter.
Note:- Small talk, socialize, chit-chat are viewed with a positive approval but the word GOSSIP often has a tone of disapproval.
Question Tags – Part 3
See previous parts – http://sunnyvarkeyk.com/question-tags-part-1/, http://sunnyvarkeyk.com/question-tags-part-2/
Note:- Imperative sentences ( i.e. request or command) are a class apart. If they are simple requests or commands, they usually take ‘will you?’, no matter whether it is positive or negative.
- Pass me the newspaper, will you? (P)
- Don’t be late for dinner, will you? (N)
BUT if you give more urgency or a tone of personal entreaty, “won’t you” may be used.
- Don’t be hasty when you cross the road, won’t you? (N)
- Remember to lock the door, won’t you? (P)
Note:- To show annoyance or for a rebuke, you may use “can’t you?”
- Use your common sense, can’t you? (P)
- Never take my pen again without my permission, can’t you? (N)
Question Tags – Part 2
See Part – 1 for introductory contents – http://sunnyvarkeyk.com/question-tags-part-1/
Note:- A suggestion that uses ‘let us ‘ (let’s) uses ‘shall we?’ in the tag
- Let’s have a game of cricket, shall we? (P)
Note:- Although ‘everybody’ and ‘everyone’ are singular, they are usually treated as plural for the purpose of tag and referred to by ‘they’.
- Everybody can’t come in first, can they? (N)
- Everyone cheered wildly, didn’t they? (P)
Note:- ‘None of’ followed by a plural noun is treated as plural.
- None of the workmen arrived in time, did they? (N)
- None of us knew the way, did we? (N)
- None of the food was fresh, was it? (N)
Note:- The adverb ‘only’ may take either a positive or a negative tag. But, the positive is more usual.
- There were only six people present, were there? OR
- There were only six people present, weren’t there?
Question Tags – Part 1
Question tags are phrases added at the end of a sentence to make it a QUESTION or ask for agreement from the hearer.
The important aspect to be noted in tag formation is that a Positive statement takes a negative tag and a Negative statement takes a positive tag with a few exceptions. On this basis, analyze the following sentences. Let me make it clear that this is not an exhaustive list of tags and explanations are minimum due to practical constraints. Question Tags will require a little more space than my usual posts. Therefore it will be presented in three parts back-to-back.
Please note the following short forms which will be used in place of full forms:
P = Positive sentence, N = Negative sentence.
Other tips to note regarding the formation of TAGS :
(1) the statement must end with a comma (,)
(2) the beginning letter of the tag must be in small letter, eg- i
(3) the tag must end with a question mark (?)
- It is very cold today, isn’t it? (P)
- It’s not very warm today, is it? (N)
- None of the food was wasted, was it? (N)
- We saw no one we knew, did we? (N)
- A small scratch like that is nothing, is it? (N)
- Few people knew the answer, did they? (N)
- A few people knew the answer, didn’t they (P)
- Little progress has been made, has it? (N)
- A little progress has been made, hasn’t it? (P)
- We could scarcely hear what he said, could we? (N)
- We seldom see them nowadays, do we? (N)
- I am older than you, aren’t I? (P)
- I am not older than you, am I? (N)
- We mustn’t be late, must we? (N)
- One can’t be too careful, can one? (N)
- She used to be quite a good tennis player, didn’t she? (P)
- She didn’t use to be a good dancer, did she? (N)
Valuation Vs evaluation
Valuation = “an estimation of the worth of something, such as price, value etc.”
- When company ‘A’ takes over company ‘B’, proper valuation of the assets and liabilities of company ‘B’ should be done.
- It’s wise to get the valuation carried out by a professional valuer.
- The company was acquired at a high valuation.
Evaluation = “making a JUDGEMENT or assessment of merit, significance of something or somebody”
- What’s your evaluation of his acting talent?
- The teacher had a poor evaluation about the student’s learning capacity.
- The patient is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
- As part of a standard evaluation, job applicants are given a series of tests to measure the level of their intelligence and suitability.
Brunch, Snack, High Tea
Brunch = late morning meal instead of breakfast and lunch, usually occurring around the hour of 11 a.m.
( i.e. the eater avoids breakfast and lunch, instead they combine breakfast and lunch which results in brunch)
Note: History and etymology for brunch. Breakfast + Lunch = BRUNCH.
(Etymology = Science of origin and history of words.)
- They always have brunch together on Sundays.
- Having a meal with friends at eleven o’ clock in the morning is an example of brunch.
- He had earlier got drunk during a champagne brunch.
Snack = (noun) a small amount of food eaten between meals
- Snack bar/counter.
- They finished the snack in silence.
- If there’s a cafe nearby, we could stop for a snack.
- The school authorities give snacks to the LKG students during intervals.
Snack = (verb) have a snack
- They snacked on tea and cake.
Note:- Unlike brunch, in the case of snacks we don’t avoid our regular meals.
High Tea = A meal eaten in the late afternoon or early evening typically consisting of a cooked dish, bread and butter, and tea. A possible explanation why this type of meal is called HIGH TEA is the fact that it is eaten at a table. In comparison, afternoon tea is taken seating in LOW, comfortable chairs or sofas.
- My friend Ravi has asked us round to high tea on Wednesday.
- The Secretary announced that we would be having only high tea around 7 p.m after the meeting and he added that an elaborate dinner would be arranged after the Annual General Meeting to be held after two months.
Useful Idioms – part 1
Out of this world = extremely enjoyable or impressive.
- What a restaurant, the food was out of this world!
- The performance was out of this world!
- This bakery sells some out-of-this-world desserts.
Like gold dust = something very difficult to get because a lot of people want it.
- Tickets for the concert are like gold dust.
- You can’t get those new trainers anywhere. They’re like gold dust.
Leave a lot to be desired = be highly unsatisfactory.
- Apparently, her cooking leaves a lot to be desired.
- I’m sorry to have to fire you, Mary, but your work leaves a lot to desired.
The lesser of two evils = The less unpleasant of two choices, neither of which is good.
- People voted for him as the lesser of two evils.
(i.e here both the candidates are unsatisfactory with slight difference) - I was offered the post either as a typist or office clerk. Aptitude-wise both the jobs didn’t satisfy me, but I chose the post of a typist as the lesser two evils.
Suppress vs. Oppress
Suppress = to end something by force; prevent from being known or seen
- The government suppressed the pro-democracy movements by lathi-charge and arrests.
- They could not suppress the rebellion by force.
- She suppressed her feelings for the sake of peace.
- He managed to suppress his irritation.
Oppress = 1. rule people unjustly or cruelly
- For years people of Uganda were oppressed by the ruthless dictator Idi Ameen.
- Oppressive laws and rules.
- A cruel tendency to oppress racial minorities.
- Years of violence and oppression.
Oppress = 2. cause to feel troubled or uncomfortable
- Oppressive weather/heat.
- The strange dream about his gloomy future oppressed him.
Desert vs. Dessert
desert = (noun) A desert is a barren area of landscape where little rain occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.
- Arabian desert, Sahara desert, Thar desert etc.
dessert = (noun) course of fruit etc. at the end of a meal.
- We had ice-cream for dessert.
- They had arranged a large choice of desserts at the wedding party.
desert = ( verb) 1. go away from
- The streets were deserted on the day of harthal.
desert= (verb ) 2. leave without help or support, especially in a cruel way.
- He deserted his ailing parents and went after his hobbies with friends
deserts = (noun, plural) what somebody deserves, if bad.
- You will be punished according to your deserts.
- A time will come when you’ll have to meet with your deserts.