Know your English

“I’ve been ringing the bell for nearly two minutes. What took you so long? Were you...”

“I was taking a bath. There was no way that I could...”

“Taking a bath? You mean ‘having’ a bath, don’t you?”

“Both are correct. You can ‘take a bath’ or you can ‘have’ one. You know that I usually have a bath around seven o’clock.”

“My grandmother takes her bath at six. Met Sujatha on my way here. She said that you’re getting a new boss. Are you looking forward to working with him?”

“I’m not really sure. People say that he has a heavy-handed style of management.”

“Heavy-handed style of management? Does it mean he is clumsy?”

“Clumsy is one of the meanings of the word. But ‘heavy-handed’ can also be used to refer to someone who uses excessive force when dealing with people. The protesting students accused the police of using heavy-handed tactics.”

“In our colleges and universities, it’s not uncommon to see students being heavy-handed.”

“To keep the workers in check, Raman employed heavy-handed measures.”

“I’m sure it didn’t solve the problem. So, when is your new boss joining the company?”

“Nobody is really sure. Some say it could be as early as next week.”

“You don’t sound very happy about getting a new boss. But you know, you could end up liking him. I hope you have no intention to be rude to him.”

“Don’t worry! I have no intention of being rude to anyone. By the way, it’s ‘intention of’ and not ‘intention to’. For example, the kidnappers had no intention of releasing the girl.”

“The children have no intention of going to bed early tonight.”

“That’s a good example. The students have no intention of calling off the strike.”

“It’s good to know that you have no intention of being rude to your new boss. Do you think he’ll be making a lot of changes?”

“Changes? I don’t think so. Not immediately, anyway. He might start making changes once he succeeds in getting his feet under the table.”

“Won’t he be getting his feet under the table on the very first day? I mean...”

“When you get your feet under the table, you settle in. In other words, you begin to grow in confidence because you’ve figured out what are the things you need to do in your new job. My new boss may get his feet under the table within a week.”

“I don't think that will happen. It may take him several weeks to get his feet under the table. Who uses this idiom?”

“The expression is mostly used in informal contexts in British English. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go lie down for a while. I’m not feeling so good.”

“Is it lie down for a while or lay down for a while?”

“You use the expression ‘lie down’ when you mean ‘recline’. He was rather tired after the long drive. So he decided to lie down.”

“Well, in that case, you go lie down for a while. I’ll watch some TV.

A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting.

— Terri Guillemets

Courtesy:the hindu

Download monthly pdf of February