Fiona Chan mentioned a few terms that irritate her to no end. This is such an interesting article that I have to blog about it.
I am guilty of having used the word "whatever" many times in the past. That caused my best friend to verbally express his strong dislike of it in our interaction. It was valid because I would utter it whenever I disagreed with his views but did not want to blatantly show that. Now I barely utter it, not just with him but with others too. The only time I do is when I am irritated. Oops, I am also guilty of using "k" to mean "ok".
How can "literally" be substituted for "really"? Their meanings are different. It is the same case for "whereby" and "where". I will not explain the variations here though. The dictionary clearly does it.
"chillaxing"?! What kind of word is that? I know it is a combination of "chill" and "relaxing", but this is yet another attempt to maul the English language.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Teachers with Facebook profiles
A male primary school teacher was exposed for posting sexually graphic videos on his Facebook profile when his student's relative caught her viewing them. I am ashamed to have been associated with such a teacher since I am in the teaching line too, but I am glad he has resigned from the force.
A teacher is a moral example to his/her students and this man had failed terribly at it. As a professional with the duty to educate the future generations, he should have been more selective with the posts on his profile, especially when he had given his students access to his profile. In fact, he should have edited his profile before giving his username to them. It is one thing to post videos for one's personal enjoyment but it is another thing to enable extremely young viewers to gain access to them. This is worse than just posting them and restricting the students' access to them.
Some parents have implemented measures to prevent their children from logging onto unsavoury websites or videos. The idea of placing the home computer in the living room so that they can monitor their children's internet activity is a good one. Another suggestion by an internet security agent is to install parental control software. This is an effective measure as it blocks access to websites that may be unsuitable for children.
A teacher is a moral example to his/her students and this man had failed terribly at it. As a professional with the duty to educate the future generations, he should have been more selective with the posts on his profile, especially when he had given his students access to his profile. In fact, he should have edited his profile before giving his username to them. It is one thing to post videos for one's personal enjoyment but it is another thing to enable extremely young viewers to gain access to them. This is worse than just posting them and restricting the students' access to them.
Some parents have implemented measures to prevent their children from logging onto unsavoury websites or videos. The idea of placing the home computer in the living room so that they can monitor their children's internet activity is a good one. Another suggestion by an internet security agent is to install parental control software. This is an effective measure as it blocks access to websites that may be unsuitable for children.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Inaccuracy over popularity?
A reader wrote in to comment about Mr Devan's column on the English language. His focus was on the words "enormousness" and "enormity". Both mean very big in a noun form but the correct term is the latter. The reader argues that since they have the same meaning and both are accepted in society, there should be no difference in the term used. I beg to differ. If we use a certain ungrammatical/improper/inaccurate term or slang just because everyone else uses it, we are mauling the English language and depriving it of its true beauty.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
A grammatical review of a service provider's gripes
His comparison of the review written about his menu items and his own review on other places is ironic without his knowledge. In fact, his own is harsher in the choice of words, and his opinion of the review written about his own food shows some arrogance. "Pathetic" possesses more subjective emotion than "sickeningly". It smacks of feelings of condescension on the food, since he himself owns a restaurant.
Excessive sugar can cause the tongue to feel a sharp taste, so that can somehow explain the usage of "sickeningly" in the review. If that is so, people will not order those particular menu items, yes, but it is the truth, isn't it? He seems to be unable to take constructive criticism.
As food bloggers, we present our opinions after having tried the food, or at least come across it. They may be subjective but they are factual. The terms in the review by the food blogger are merely common ones used when giving an opinion on menu items. There is no intent of malice when using such terms.
The macaroons' taste was compared to eating jam on its own, and it is merely an allusion used to ensure the readers comprehend the extent of their sweetness. The owner completely misunderstood this allusion. The blogger was not implying that jam is used in the making of the macaroons.
It is obvious that I am referring to a certain newspaper article in this entry, but I will not spell the name of the owner out lest I get threatened or sued by him. My intention here is to point out his terribly inaccurate misinterpretation of the review about his food, from an English tutor's perspective.
Excessive sugar can cause the tongue to feel a sharp taste, so that can somehow explain the usage of "sickeningly" in the review. If that is so, people will not order those particular menu items, yes, but it is the truth, isn't it? He seems to be unable to take constructive criticism.
As food bloggers, we present our opinions after having tried the food, or at least come across it. They may be subjective but they are factual. The terms in the review by the food blogger are merely common ones used when giving an opinion on menu items. There is no intent of malice when using such terms.
The macaroons' taste was compared to eating jam on its own, and it is merely an allusion used to ensure the readers comprehend the extent of their sweetness. The owner completely misunderstood this allusion. The blogger was not implying that jam is used in the making of the macaroons.
It is obvious that I am referring to a certain newspaper article in this entry, but I will not spell the name of the owner out lest I get threatened or sued by him. My intention here is to point out his terribly inaccurate misinterpretation of the review about his food, from an English tutor's perspective.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Technology on real-life
Tan Shzr Ee explores the effect of the Internet on our lives and it is an unhealthy result. She is on the Internet while she waits for her instant noodles to be cooked. What if she gets so focused on her surfing that she allows her noodles to burn? It has happened to me before. I was on the phone and totally forgot about my noodles. :S Also, the virtual conversation she is having with her friend who is overseas has sadly encroached on her real-life conversation with her husband. It is rather hurtful to do that to the one you love, to not give your full attention to him.
In terms of linguistic ability, Internet language aka acronyms or instant messaging, has tainted our proper usuage of English. What a sad state of affairs to behold. The rationale behind it is to obtain instant comprehension from others but the language I love most has been mauled and brutalized in the process :S
Technology may be very advanced with the various choices we have but the new knowledge we are introduced to is also one that is temporal. It is quickly replaced by another that is better and more up-to-date. A case in point is the games I play on Facebook. I used to love Farmville but now I have given up on it, as I discover new games like Roller Coaster Kingdom and Home Inn.
Though the human brain is capable of absorbing and applying vast amounts of information, technology moves too quickly for the brain to catch up, I feel. Sometimes it is better to be involved in singular activities so that full understanding of each is obtained. Having too many choices on one's plate can cause greed. Though more time is spent on singular activities, it is well worth it, I feel. Saving time compromises on the quality of the activities. I have always been a serialistic person rather than a holistic person.
Technology is also used by some to build a wall against others, for fear of revealing their inner insecurities. They bury themselves in surfing the Internet to look busy in public places. It becomes a source of protection and refuge for them. I myself am guilty of using short message service to communicate and interact with people, instead of a telephone conversation. I feel more comfortable revealing my deeper feelings in a written form.
The effect of the Internet on humans is frightening. A mother went online to ask for advice instead of calling for medical help or at least a friend, when there was a suicide attempt in her family. The first thing that she should have done is to get professional medics to attend to the person. That applies to anyone. There is also a higher chance of getting opinions from more laymen which may not be correct, as a result. Then again, did she feel ashamed to reveal such a matter to people she knew? Her choice of action was based on emotion and not instinct/rationale. Alas.
In terms of linguistic ability, Internet language aka acronyms or instant messaging, has tainted our proper usuage of English. What a sad state of affairs to behold. The rationale behind it is to obtain instant comprehension from others but the language I love most has been mauled and brutalized in the process :S
Technology may be very advanced with the various choices we have but the new knowledge we are introduced to is also one that is temporal. It is quickly replaced by another that is better and more up-to-date. A case in point is the games I play on Facebook. I used to love Farmville but now I have given up on it, as I discover new games like Roller Coaster Kingdom and Home Inn.
Though the human brain is capable of absorbing and applying vast amounts of information, technology moves too quickly for the brain to catch up, I feel. Sometimes it is better to be involved in singular activities so that full understanding of each is obtained. Having too many choices on one's plate can cause greed. Though more time is spent on singular activities, it is well worth it, I feel. Saving time compromises on the quality of the activities. I have always been a serialistic person rather than a holistic person.
Technology is also used by some to build a wall against others, for fear of revealing their inner insecurities. They bury themselves in surfing the Internet to look busy in public places. It becomes a source of protection and refuge for them. I myself am guilty of using short message service to communicate and interact with people, instead of a telephone conversation. I feel more comfortable revealing my deeper feelings in a written form.
The effect of the Internet on humans is frightening. A mother went online to ask for advice instead of calling for medical help or at least a friend, when there was a suicide attempt in her family. The first thing that she should have done is to get professional medics to attend to the person. That applies to anyone. There is also a higher chance of getting opinions from more laymen which may not be correct, as a result. Then again, did she feel ashamed to reveal such a matter to people she knew? Her choice of action was based on emotion and not instinct/rationale. Alas.
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