Heart-felt vs. Hearty
Heart-felt = (of a feeling or its expression) deeply and strongly felt; sincere. Please accept my heartfelt apologies/thanks. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the fishermen who volunteered in the rescue operation. Louis expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Hearty = cheerful, spirited, enthusiastic etc( often loudly expressed) Louis extended a hearty welcome to the guests. A hearty laugh/handshake. Hearty congratulations. (2) (of food) wholesome and substantial. We ate a hearty breakfast before we set off.
Idiomatic expression of ‘Wish’ part 2 (possession based)
This part deals with the present wishful thinking of someone about how good/happy it would have been to have/possess something in the past though actually they didn’t possess it. Or in other words it refers the present wishful thinking of someone about an unsuccessful desire to have or possess something in the past. She wishes she had had a post graduation in Science. (but she didn’t have a PG) She wishes she had had long beautiful hair. (but unfortunately she didn’t have it) The Headmistress…
Grammatical intricacies
I haven’t seen him this morning vs. I didn’t see him this morning. How would you differentiate the above two sentences grammatically. The first one is constructed in the Present Perfect Tense and the second one in the Past Simple. At the very outset let me make it clear that both the sentences are correct if used in appropriate situations. . I haven’t seen him this morning. ( This sentence is correct if the speaker is saying this while he/she is still in the morning…
Indoor vs. Indoors
Indoor = (adjective) inside a building. Indoor games. The new house has an indoor swimming pool. They have an indoor tennis court. Indoor plants. Indoors = (adverb) in or into a building. As it was raining they decided to stay indoors. I don’t like spending the whole day indoors.
Dependent vs. Dependant
Dependent = (adjective) depending on/upon someone or something. He is dependent on his parents as he is out of job. success in your career is dependent upon your hard work and determination. The majority of Indian farmers are dependent on traditional methods of cultivation. . Dependant=(noun) someone who depends upon another or others for a home, food etc. Bank employees can claim reimbursement on the medical expenses of their dependants also. All his children are minor and therefore they are fully his dependants. Married women receive…
Open vs. Open
.The word ‘ OPEN ‘ can be used both as verb and adjective. He opened a new shop in the city.(verb). The shop was opened( verb-passive) at 9 a. m and stayed open(adjective) until 7 p.m. Leave the door open.(adjective). I couldn’t buy provisions because the shop was not open(adjective).
Confident vs. Confidant
Confident = (adjective) showing confidence. We are confident of success. The class teacher made a confident prediction that Rahim would secure the first rank. She was a confident swimmer. I feel much more confident about using the web now. I am confident that I have chosen the right job. . Confidant = (noun) A person to whom one tells one’s secrets or with whom one talks about personal matters. In prison the killer told his confidant, his roommate, about all the murders he had committed.…
Useful Idioms – part 13
(1) Be miles away = not be conscious of what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else. You could tell by the expression on her face that she was miles away, thinking about home. (2) Be caught in the middle = To be in a position between two or more sides in an argument or contentious issue. When my friends broke up , I was often caught in the middle as each one complained to me about the other. When parents…
Bony vs. Bonny
Bony = of or like a bone. Renz likes the antics shown by his grandfather with his bony fingers. He was all skin and bone after his illness.(ie = emaciated , abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food) she had a bony intelligent face. He poked a bony finger in David’s chest. a delicious but extremely bony fish. . Bonny = attractive and beautiful. You will find the bonny lass , Glory, sitting there reading some book. A bonny child…
Useful Idioms – part 12
(1) Be (talking) at cross purposes. = If two or more people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking different subjects without realising this. I think we’ve been talking at cross purposes- I meant next year, not this year. We’re talking at cross purposes. (2) Keep oneself to oneself = to stay apart from other people ; to avoid other people. She was a shy girl who kept herself to herself. Titus is a very private person , he…