Help to the study of English by Sandip Sir

About the poet Toru Dutt, born on March 4, 1856, in Kolkata, India, was a translator, poet, and essayist. She is the author of  Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan  (Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1882) and  Le Journal de Mademoiselle d’Arvers  (Didier, 1879), the first novel written by an Indian writer in French. A prolific translator, she published  A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields  (C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1877), a book of over three hundred French poems translated into English. She died on August 30, 1877, at the age of twenty-one. "Our Casuarina Tree" by Toru Dutt is a poignant and introspective poem that explores themes of nostalgia, identity, and the passage of time. Here's a detailed analysis: *Summary* The poem revolves around the speaker's childhood memories of a Casuarina tree in their family's garden. The tree serves as a symbol of the speaker's connection to their past, family, and cultural heritage. Summary Toru Dutt’s  ‘Our Ca...

About the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892 ) was a leading Victorian poet and England's Poet Laureate:  Life Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. He was the fourth of 12 children and showed a talent for writing from an early age. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he developed a close friendship with Arthur Hallam.  Works Tennyson's poetry is known for its rich imagery, verbal melodies, and metrical variety. His works often dealt with the difficulties of an age when science and modern progress called into question traditional religious beliefs. Some of his best-known works include In Memoriam (1850), Maud (1855), Poems (1842), The Princess (1847), Idylls of the King (1859), and Enoch Arden (1864).  Recognition Tennyson's poetry helped Queen Victoria cope with her grief and he was summoned to see her on several occasions. He was a popular and widely acknowledged figure for the rest of his life.  Legacy ...

A Few Latin Phrases used in English 1. Ad lib Ad lib  is the shortened version of the Latin word “ad libitum,” which means “to one’s pleasure or as much as one likes.” Today, it refers to “improvising or performing something without preparation, such as a song, speech, or act.” I blanked on stage, but thankfully I was able to  ad lib  some lines, and the audience didn’t even notice. Keep in mind that  ad lib  can function as a verb (as shown in the example above), noun, adjective, or adverb. 2. Alias The word  alias  is defined as “an additional, false, or alternative name sometimes used by a person.” The Medieval Latin word “aliās” is short for “aliās dictus” which means “at other times called.” For years, he had been using the  alias  “Timothy Gray,”  which is why he could not be found. 3. Alibi An  alibi  is “the proof that someone was not present when an action (typically a crime) took place.” The Latin version o...

Old English (700–1150 CE) The era of anonymous writers, with the exception of Caedmon and Cynewulf, who wrote on biblical and religious themes.  Middle English (1150–1485 ) The era of Geoffrey Chaucer, whose most famous work is The Canterbury Tales, and the Pearl Poet, whose most famous work is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  Renaissance (1485–1660 ) The era of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Edmund Spenser, and Sir Walter Raleigh. Restoration (1660–1750 ) The era of Daniel Defoe and John Milton, who wrote the religious epic poem Paradise Lost.  Romantic (1750–1837 ) The era of Mary Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge, William Blake, and Lord Byron.  Vctorian (1837–1901 ) The era of Oscar Wilde, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Christina Rossetti.  Twentieth century (1900–1999 ) The era of James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling, G. K. Chesterton, and others.  Modern (1914–1945 ) The era of W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Dylan Thom...

some unusual words in the English language and their meanings: Kerfuffle : A commotion caused by an argument or disagreement. It originated in Scottish English and may have Scottish Gaelic origins.  Gobbledygook : A word invented by US politician Maury Maverick to describe a text with official jargon and complex sentence structures. Lollygag : A word used to describe wasting time or messing around. For example, "I'm just lollygagging instead!".  Pulchritudinous : A word that comes from the Latin word pulcher which means "beautiful". It was first used in the early 18th century and began to be used to describe people's beauty in the mid-19th century.  Odd : A word that means a departure from the regular or expected.  Bizarre : A word used to describe something very strange, especially when it's also whimsical.  Bungle : A word used to describe saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, dropping something, or ...

Many English words have different meanings in their singular and plural forms, including: Advice : In the singular, it means counsel, but in the plural, it means information Air : In the singular, it means atmosphere, but in the plural, it means proud Authority : In the singular, it means command, but in the plural, it means persons in power Iron : In the singular, it means metal, but in the plural, it means fetters or chains Force : In the singular, it means strength, but in the plural, it means army Content : In the singular, it means satisfaction, but in the plural, it means things contained Respect : In the singular, it means regards, but in the plural, it means compliments Work : In the singular, it means job, but in the plural, it means compositions or factories  Arm: hand(organ of body) Arms: weapons Blind – unable to see because of injury, disease, or a congenital condition. Blinds – a screen for a window, especi...

Some of the extra long words in the English language: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis This 45-letter word is the longest word in the English dictionary and refers to a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. It's a combination of Latin terms and is also known as "P45" by researchers. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism This 30-letter word refers to an inherited disorder. Floccinaucinihilipilification This 29-letter word means the act of estimating something as being worth so little as to be practically valueless. Antidisestablishmentarianism This 28-letter word refers to a 19th-century political movement that opposed the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church of England.  The English language allows for the creation of arbitrarily long words by adding prefixes and suffixes to existing words. This process is called agglutinative construction .   Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  (thirty-four letters) Mary Poppins ...

A silent letter is a letter that is written in a word but not pronounced when the word is said. Silent letters can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Some examples of silent letters include: b : As in "subtle" c : As in "indict" d : As in "bridge" g : As in "foreign" h : As in "ghost" k : As in "knee" l : As in "calf" m : As in "mnemonic" n : As in "autumn" p : As in "raspberry" t : As in "castle" u : As in "guide" w : As in "answer" Silent letters can help with: Distinguishing homophones : For example, "in" and "inn", or "be" and "bee" Showing long vowels : For example, "rid" and "ride" Showing "hard" consonants : For example, "guest" and "gest" Connecting different forms of the same word : For example, "resign" and "res...