Select as an adjective
select (adjective) = 1. (of a group of people or things) carefully chosen from a larger number as being the best or most valuable;
2. (of a place or group of people) only used by or consisting of a wealthy or sophisticated elite; exclusive.
- Renz is studying in a select school at Kakkanad.
- A select club of the upper class.
- The programme was conducted for a small and highly select audience.
- He only drinks select wines.
- They are living in a select area of London.
select (verb) = choose.
- To select a book.
- He has been selected to lead the delegation.
- How do you select people for promotion?
- The selected candidates may appear for the medical test.
- It has been distributed to selected bookshops in Chennai.
Purist or Puritan?
Purist = a person who insists on absolute adherence to traditional rules or structures, especially in language or style.
stickler, traditionalist.
Most purists are fans of traditions and traditional rules. To be a purist is to be a kind of a perfectionist.
- If you are a language purist, it upsets you to hear someone using bad grammar.
- A baking purist might feel that cookies made without a certain brand of chocolate chips are vastly inferior.
Puritan = person who is strict in morals and religion, who looks upon some kinds of fun and pleasure as sinful.
- The Puritans were English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to ‘purify’ the church of England.
- The Puritans do not approve of the theatre because of the pleasure that seeing plays gives to the audience.
- Puritanical readers will be horrified by the amount of bad language that the book contains.
Misogamist, misogynist, misandrist?
Misogamist = Hater of marriage [mis-uh–gam-ist]
Misogynist = A person who dislikes or hates women [mi-soj–uh-nist]
Misandrist = A person who dislikes or hates men [mis-an-drist]
Connected words:
Misogamy = dislike or aversion to marriage [mi-sog–uh-mee]
Misogyny = dislike or hatred for women [mi-soj–uh-nee]
Misandry = dislike or hatred for men [mis-an-dree]
Similarly,
Feminism = movement for recognition of the claims of women for rights ( legal, political, etc.) equal to those possessed by men.
Sexism = prejudice or discrimination typically against women, on the basis of sex.
Connected words: Feminist, Sexist.
Miss, Ms, Mrs, Missis/Missus?
Miss – title for an unmarried woman or girl who has no other title.
- Miss Reshma
Ms – is used for a married or unmarried woman (OR in other words, it is the feminine gender of Mr.) ‘Mr’ doesn’t indicate whether one is married or unmarried.
There are women who prefer to be known as individuals in their own capacities as women instead of being known as the wives of their husbands. And in certain cases, we do not know whether they are married or not. In such cases, we have got to use ‘Ms. before their names.
Mrs – is used for a married woman before her name.
[ Miss, Ms, and Mrs are prefixed before the names of women as the case may be and therefore they are not used alone ]
BUT, Missis or Missus = a person’s wife.
- I’ll have to ask the missis.
- How is your missis?
- John and his missis.
- My missis won’t like horror movies.
Assume vs. Presume
Assume = suppose to be the case WITHOUT PROOF
- We can’t assume the suspects to be guilty.
- I’m assuming everyone here has a pen to write with.
Presume = suppose something is the case on the BASIS OF PROBABILITY.
- I presume they are not coming since they haven’t replied to the invitation.
- I presume he is Dr Rajiv Zachariah, the cardiologist because there’s a stethoscope hanging around his neck.
Use of I and me
- Neethu loves you more than I.
Here Neethu and I love you.
But she loves you more than I love you. There are two subjects here – Neethu and I. - Neethu loves you more than me.
Here Neethu loves you and she loves me too.
Of the two people (i.e., you and me) she loves you more than she loves me. Here there is only one subject – Neethu.
Thus both sentences are correct.
Appears past, but indicates present
These sentences relate to unlikely or unreal situations.
We simply imagine or sympathise ourselves if the situations would be better or otherwise than what they are.
- If I were you, I wouldn’t buy this coat.
- If I were you, I wouldn’t tolerate his arrogance.
(This is a present situation and I’m not in your place)
In the above two sentences, you MUST use ‘If I were you’ invariably. (NOT ‘If I was you’) probably because, on account of frequent repetition, it has become a set expression.
BUT,
- If he was/were a bird, he would fly.
(Here ‘was’ or ‘were’ is possible) - If he was/were a millionaire, he would buy an aeroplane.
- If you asked (not ‘ask’) for details, he could give you.
(i.e., you are not asking for details and so he is not giving details) - If he came now, we could start the meeting.
(Alas! he hasn’t come yet) - If I had (not have) enough money, I could help you.
(i.e., I haven’t enough money now) - If your father was/were here, he wouldn’t tolerate your impudence.
- If it weren’t/wasn’t raining now, we could start our journey.
NOTE – In all the above sentences, there are two clauses viz (a) ‘If Clause’ or Conditional Clause and (b) ‘Main Clause’. In the ‘If Clause’ we use simple past form of the verb ( such as was, were, asked, had etc) and in the Main Clause, the future-in-the-past (would, could, should, might etc.) should be used.
Caretaker or caregiver?
Caretaker = A person employed to look after a building or animals; janitor, warden, watchman.
- He works as a college caretaker.
- Two lions escaped from their cage and killed their caretaker.
Caregiver = someone who takes care of a person who is young, old, sick or differently abled. Some caregivers are family members. Others are paid.
- When she got sick her husband became her caregiver.
- She has become a caregiver for her mother and father.
- Since I am away on my official duties very often I have employed a caregiver for my ailing mother.
Perceptual, perceptive & perceptible
Perceptual = relating to the ability to interpret or become aware of something through senses.
- A patient with perceptual problems.
- Perceptual skills are particularly important in sports.
Perceptive = Having or showing an unusually good ability to notice and understand.
- A perceptive woman.
- perceptive comments.
- He is so perceptive when it comes to other people’s feelings.
Perceptible = Noticeable, perceivable.
- Perceptible improvement in working standards.
- A perceptible decline in public confidence.
- A perceptible change in his behaviour.
Faculty vs. faculties
Faculty = Power of mind or physical or natural ability to hear, see, think, move, etc. (in this case plural ‘faculties’ is possible as the case may be)
- Prof. Thomas has a great faculty for learning languages.
- Even at the age of 90 he still had all his faculties.
- The mental faculties.
BUT never use faculties in the following cases.
A) Faculty = The whole teaching staff of a University or department such as the Faculty of Law/Science.
- The principal convened the meeting of the faculty ( NOT faculties)
- He is a faculty member in the Department of Electronics.
B) Faculty = a specific academic department in University or College.
- The faculty of history/Mathematics.