The High Speech

2022-08-20 17:30:20 #synonymiser
Hello, dear readers! After a lengthy pasue, here I am another synonymiser post! In it, I am presenting a list of verbs with the meaning of looking. Please enjoy if you will!

to look – to see something intentionally
He looked at the door, when the officer came in.
George was ralaxing and looking at the sky, while lying on the grass by the river.
Magnifying glasses with bright plastic handles are furnished for those who like to peer into the world of fine detail. (The New York Times)

to stare – to look in puzzlement, reflection or surprise without moving your eyes
He was staring at space, thinking about the mission at hand.
'Stop staring at me as if you have seen an alien!', – Helen told her brother.
They young explorer of nature was staring at the trees as if he had seen some rare spicies or plant.

to glower – to look with menace or annoyance
He was glowering at the crowd of journalists looking to further remind him of his difficulty.
You cannot shirk this duty; therefore, you'd better get on with it rather than glower at me.

to peek – to look furtively
He peeked into the hall to have a glimpse of the final rehersal for the performace.
The child was brimming with curiosity and peeked at his birthday present a day early.

to peer – to look carefully or with difficulty
When no one answered the door, she peered through the window to see if anyone was there. (Cambridge Dictionary)
He was peering into the thickening dusk. (Paul Theroux – Monkey Hill)

to ogle – to look at in a lecherous manner
She is from legal, and she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that. (Iron Man 2)

to glare – to look at someone or something with contempt or apparent indignation
He then refused to say whether he had used the Press Complaints Commission and Turner was by now aware that the conversation had gone sour. Evidently, he was glaring at her fiercely. (The Guardian)
Glaring at the reporters, the President continued, "You heard me. (The New Yorker)

to contemplate – to look emotionlessly and calmly at something
The man was placidly contemplating the landscapes opening from the train window to his gaze.
People who are well at peace with themselves can take true pleasure from contemplating simple things around them however ordinary or trivial they may seem to the average observer.

to gaze – to look continuously at something intently or absently
The voice belonged to a girl about twenty-one who was standing next to the bed, gazing down at Jason. (Harry Harrison – Deathworld)
He took it and gazed long at it, and he
shook his head; for if he did not altogether
approve of dwarves and their love of gold, he
hated dragons and their cruel wickedness, and
he grieved to remember the ruin of the town of
Dale and its merry bells, and the burned banks
of the bright River Running. (John R. R. Tolkien – The Hobbit) Open / Comment

2022-06-27 17:30:38 #sticky_and_tricky
The Usage of 'all', 'all of the' and 'all the' with Plural Nouns

To understand the difference in the usage of the determiner 'all' with the definite article and without it, you need to bear in mind the difference in reference that the definite article creates, i.e., particularity.

1. All + plural noun

When speaking about all objects in a group of homogeneous objects without making any exceptions.

Examples:
All living things normally want to keep on living.
All school teachers must not forget about setting an example for their students.
Our family have owned many cars, and we can all agree on one common feature all cars have – they break down.

2. All of the + plural noun

When speaking about a specified group of homogeneous objects. The definite article in this case performs the individualising or restrictive function with countable and uncountable nouns respectively.

Examples:
All of the water was used up by the irrigating system.
The administration of the charity event announced that all of the wearable merchandise prepared for the event had been sold out.
When we arrived to the stadium, all of the parking lots were occupied.

3. All the + plural noun

This construction is a shortened, more colloquial variant of 'all of the + plural noun'.

Examples:
The evacuation of the building engaged all the emergency exits.
He told his mother that he had done all the housework before going out with his friends.
When we entered the cinema hall, almost all the seats were occupied though the showing had not started yet. Open / Comment

2022-06-20 17:01:01 #synonymiser
Hello, dear readers! Here I am with another bunch of synonyms for you. In this post, I will share a selection of verbs with the meaning of making someone annoyed or angry.

But before I start, I want to announce a simple poll below this post. The question is 'Are you ready to support this channel financially?' If you are, please press the button. Your financial support will allow me to post more content more regularly and will be vastly appreciated.

And now to the post! And as always I encourage you to look for more authentic context with the words in the list to improve your own command of the words in it.

to peeve – to annoy
It peeves me that it is raining the whole weekend.
Helen was peeved by her sister's request to pick up a delivery for her from the post office.
Some people's egotistical behaviour can peeve you a lot.

to annoy – to get on someone's nerves up to an extent of making them angry
Sara gets annoyed when mosquitoes start buzzing over her ear in the night, interrupting her sleep.
It annoys me when people are coughing en masse during spectacles in theatres.
It annoys Tom when someone is answering a call during a showing in the cinema.

to irk – to make someone feel annoyed
His arrogance irks me.
Denis was feeling nervous about the approaching exam, and his self-centred behavior irked his mother when she needed his help.
The need to postpone his meetup with friends because of the sudden change in his work schedule irked him.

to irritate – to make someone lose temper
It was the offhand, unimportant manner it had been done that irritated him. (Harry Harrison – Deathworld)
He brimmed with enthusiasms and self-confidence and issued pronouncements on all sorts of subjects, which amused some of the Rhodes scholars and irritated others. (The New Yorker)

to bother – to annoy or cause problems for someone
The boy did not want to bother his father with questions about his homework because he looked tired after a day at work.
They thought they could live happily in a bungalo away from civilisation without being bothered by city chaos.
The news about a prison break bothered the citizens.

to pester – to annoy someone by repetitively asking the same thing
John has been pestering her to go out with him all month. (Cambridge Dictionary)
Baggers were pestering tourists for coins at the railway hub.
Kevin was pestering his mates to lend him some money to pay back what he owed to his boss. Open / Comment

2022-06-16 17:00:29 #original_high_speech
I was deeply shaken by Russia's military invasion of Ukraine when it began, could hardly even get myself together to do my regular work – let alone this channel – because all seemed utterly futile and discouraging. As time went on, I just managed to get myself to work and follow the news regarding this military outrage most of the time apart from some free-time activities. Working on this channel was too far at the back of my mind from mid-March to late May, just could not concentrate and focus on any business outside my regular work.

Now I feel I must resume my work on this channel to keep myself in a more proactive mood and reinvigorate myself for some positive things and hopefully produce meaningful educational content for you. So here is another piece of authentic elegant English for you from The Forsyte Saga, book 'To Let', chapter XI 'The Last of the Old Forsytes'. A small supportive glossary is there to help you get through.

Supportive dictionary:
soundness – цельность, крепость
evidence – свидетельство
harp – арфа
barrel organ – шарманка
drat! – пропади пропадом!
halfpenny – полпенса
organ – шарманка
bluebottle – синяя муха
to take one's own line – иметь своё мнение, действовать самостоятельно
to put about – расстраивать, огорчать

When they came to prepare that terrific symbol Timothy Forsyte – the one pure individualist left, the only man who hadn't heard of the Great War – they found him wonderful – not even death had undermined his soundness.

To Smither and Cook that preparation came like final evidence of what they had never believed possible – the end of the old Forsyte family on earth. Poor Mr. Timothy must now take a harp and sing in the company of Miss Forsyte, Mrs. Julia, Miss Hester; with Mr. Jolyon, Mr. Swithin, Mr. James, Mr. Roger, and Mr. Nicholas of the party. Whether Mrs. Hayman would be there was more doubtful, seeing that she had been cremated. Secretly Cook thought that Mr. Timothy would be upset – he had always been so set against barrel organs. How many times had she not said: "Drat the thing! There it is again! Smither, you'd better run up and see what you can do." And in her heart she would so have enjoyed the tunes, if she hadn't known that Mr. Timothy would ring the bell in a minute and say: "Here, take him a halfpenny and tell him to move on." Often they had been obliged to add threepence of their own before the man would go – Timothy had ever underrated the value of emotion. Luckily he had taken the organs for blue-bottles in his last years, which had been a comfort, and they had been able to enjoy the tunes. But a harp! Cook wondered. It was a change! And Mr. Timothy had never liked change. But she did not speak of this to Smither, who did so take a line of her own in regard to heaven that it quite put one about sometimes. Open / Comment

2022-01-26 18:00:27 #original_high_speech
Hello again, everyone! This is another sample of original high speech from The Forsyte Saga, to whose end I am getting ever closer. This time it is going to be an extract from the book 'To Let' chapter XI 'Timothy Prophesies' with a most ironical polylog. This might seem a rather bulky chunk, but its amusing part should make it easier for you. My tiny glossary is there to help you.

Supportive glossary:
deslutory – вялый, монотонный
syncopated – с ударением на слабую долю
mid-off – полевой игрок на левой стороне от боулера (в крикете)
pigeon-pie – пирог "толстяк"
to interject – вклиниться в разговор
munition – завод военного материально-технического снабжения (контекстуальное)
flapper – молоденькая девушка
to hit in the eye – вызывать изумление
disquisition – подробное обсуждение, рассуждение
cryptically – загадочно
cynical – циничный
creak – скрип

Soames stole a glance. No movement in his wife's face! Whether that fellow were coming or not, she evidently knew all about it. It did not escape him that Fleur, too, looked at her mother. If Annette didn't respect his feelings, she might think of Fleur's! The conversation, very desultory, was syncopated by Jack Cardigan talking about "mid-off." He cited all the "great mid-offs" from the beginning of time, as if they had been a definite racial entity in the composition of the British people. Soames had finished his lobster, and was beginning on pigeon-pie, when he heard the words, "I'm a small bit late, Mrs. Dartie," and saw that there was no longer any empty place. That fellow was sitting between Annette and Imogen. Soames ate steadily on, with an occasional word to Maud and Winifred. Conversation buzzed around him. He heard the voice of Profond say:
"I think you're mistaken, Mrs. Forsyde; I'll – I'll bet Miss Forsyde agrees with me."
"In what?" came Fleur's clear voice across the table.
That sharp reply caught the ears of all, and Soames moved uneasily on his thin green chair.
"Well, I don't know, I think they want their own small way, and I think they always did."
"Indeed!"
"Oh, but – Prosper," Winifred interjected comfortably, "the girls in the streets – the girls who've been in munitions, the little flappers in the shops; their manners now really quite hit you in the eye."
At the word "hit" Jack Cardigan stopped his disquisition; and in the silence Monsieur Profond said: "It was inside before, now it's outside; that's all."
"But their morals!" cried Imogen.
"Just as moral as they ever were, Mrs. Cardigan, but they've got more opportunity."
The saying, so cryptically cynical, received a little laugh from Imogen, a slight opening of Jack Cardigan's mouth, and a creak from Soames' chair. Open / Comment

2022-01-18 17:00:39 #sticky_and_tricky
Next vs. the next

Hello, dear all! Today I want to revisit a sticky point for many English learners – the use of next as an adjective with and without the definite article. It can easily be misleading for a non-native speaker, and I believe this post will give you much clarity about it.

1. Next and the next with time periods.

a) We use next week, month, semester, etc. when we are talking about the time period that begins after an equal ongoing time period.

E.g.:
We will meet next week. (The week following the ongoing week.)
I am going to Paris next month. (The month following the ongoing month.)

b) We use the next hour, 24 hours, week, month, etc. when we are talking about the said time period starting from the moment of speaking.

E.g.:
The next week is going to determine my having a job in this company. (From Monday to Sunday or from Friday to Thursday.)
The next month is going to decide the manager's fate at the club. (The next 30 days or so though they usually say the next 30 days.)
In the next 12 hours, the carrier rocket will dock with the International Spaces Station.

2. The next with non-temporal nouns
When we use next to describe non-temporal nouns, we always use it with the definite article.

E.g.:
The next class is geography.
The next Nottingham Forest game is against Derby County.
The next underground station is Chiswik Park. Open / Comment

2022-01-07 19:30:22 #original_high_speech

Good day, dear readers! In this post, I am going to share with you another piece of elegant English from The Forsyte Saga, the fifth concluding book 'To Let', chapter X 'Decision'. The extract is not long but will have a few words and collocations that might embellish the English you already know. A little English-Russian glossary is included.

Supportive glossary:
shilling – 1/20 фунта стерлинга
to gasp – шумно вдохнуть от изумления
irresolution – нерешительность
to go full bat – идти быстрым шагом
to sprawl – растянуться
lark – жаворонок
chalk-pit – меловой карьер
to tramp – тяжело ступать

He put a ten-shilling note on the tray with a doubting and gained the door. He heard the Austrian gasp, and hurried out. He had just time to catch his train, and all the way to Victoria looked at every face that passed, as lovers will, hoping against hope. On reaching Worthing he put his luggage into the local train, and set out across the Downs for Wansdon, trying to walk off his aching irresolution. So long as he went full bat, he could enjoy the beauty of those green slopes, stopping now and again to sprawl on the grass, admire the perfection of a wild rose or listen to a lark's song. But the war of motives within him was but postponed – the longing for Fleur, and the hatred of deception. He came to the old chalk-pit above Wansdon with his mind no more made up than when he started. To see both sides of a question vigorously was at once Jon's strength and weakness. He tramped in, just as the first dinner-bell rang. His things had already been brought up. He had a hurried bath and came down to find Holly alone – Val had gone to Town and would not be back till the last train. Open / Comment

2022-01-04 18:30:26 #language_advice
How to Keep your English Fresh When There is No One to Talk to

Maintaining proficiency in a foreign language without regular speaking practice can be challenging even for advanced learners. Original English books are a good solution, but they can sometimes be overwhelming and frustrating. For this reason, you might get stuck with it for a long time and have little or no progress whatsoever.

An alternative to this would be podcasts and streams. It is important to find a topic that would genuinely resonate with you. For me, this has been English football and one particular football club. There is just one specific hazard of this approach – improper use of English grammar by native speakers. This will largely depend on the cultural background and education of the speaker, but you can very often hear Brits and even Londoners use incorrect verb forms among some other things.

For this reason, you might be misguided by the inaccurate use of grammar by the speaker. But at the same time, you will get exposure to diverse vocabulary and intricate idiomaticity. This will help you to maintain your passive lexicon, make it fresher in your memory, and it may allow you to learn new words and usages of the words that you already know. Therefore, such practice would work best for English learners who have a good command of English grammar unless you do not care about using grammar correctly.

If the topic is really interesting to you, you will be able to listen regularly without getting bored. Otherwise, it will not be sustainable and enjoyable. And at the same time, you will be nurturing the neural connections in your brain responsible for your English word stock and establishing new ones, allowing yourself to become even more proficient.

So, for those of you looking to have the Advanced proficiency level or higher, my recommendation would be to find a podcast or video blog that would align with your interst in life. You might benefit language-wise as well as expand your knowledge on the subject. Open / Comment

2021-12-31 22:07:34 #synonymiser

I feel reinvigorated and motivated to carry on! If you have the time to pay attention to my closing post of the year before it's ended, let's jump right in, my dear folks. If not, you'll have a good chunk of synomyms to occupy your mind with during the holidays.

The talk will be centred around the action of confusion.

to confuse – to make someone feel uncertain about making the right choice
The question in the exam ticket confused the student with its ambiguity.
People were confused by the announcement that they can keep the flight tickets to the cancelled flight for a different flight.
Samantha being new in London was confused by the directions to Hyde Park her colleagues gave her at the office.

to bewilder – to make someone feel uneasy or embarrassed
Near the beginning of the book, Kennedy is shocked and bewildered when a civil rights activist says he would not willingly defend his country in wartime. (Washington Post)
The boy felt bewildered when asked why he was late for the class.
The car mechanic bewildered the customer by telling him that his car's engine would have done another 70,000 kilometres if he had been changing the engine oil more frequently.

to discombobulate – to make someone feel uncomfortable or confused
I congratulate you on acquiring this studio, and I've met a couple of your team today. I don't want to spook or discombobulate them by mentioning them by name, but I am afraid I feel tempted to do so, Don Robbie. (John Bercow, News Daily at AFTV)

to perplex – to take aback and confuse
The fall in revenues perplexed City analysts after the decision to raise bonuses last year. (The Guardian)
Children who learned at grandpa's knee that the hyena is an evil, snarling beast that haunts the night are sometimes perplexed to see real hyenas placidly sunbathing. (The Economist)

to abash – to perplex someone with an unexpected and confusing piece of information
Tottenham fans must have been abashed to have found that their game against Rennes had been cancelled and Tottenham was out of the Europa Conference League at the group stage.
The sudden passing of Joey Jordison abashed many metal fans around the world.

to flummox – to confuse by putting an unsolvable dilemma before someone
Many music artists have been flummoxed by the need to find ways to earn money in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and public events being cancelled everywhere around the world.
When he waddled on to the pitch at Wembley last month, he immediately showed how he can still flummox younger opponents with his sleight of foot, and spry football brain. (The Independent)

to baffle – to deeply perplex someone so that they do not know how to explain something
Even then, interest is limited, not least because the rows in Northern Ireland tend to be about flags, marching and other things that baffle the rest of the country. (The Guardian)
Indeed, in the political transformation of Myanmar that continues both to baffle and amaze, the rise of parliament is one of the more surprising features. (The Economist)
Many Arsenal fans were baffled by the lack of integrity in their team's play in the 5:0 beatdown at Etihad.

to befuddle – to make someone deeply perplexed or unable to understand how to react to something
Federer has a wide repertoire of clever shots that befuddle even the best of his opponents. (Cambridge Dictionary)
The fear of being fired may also befuddle rather than focus minds. (The Economist)
Without the fog of prestige or heritage to befuddle us, we would be more prone to select cars on their merits. (The Independent)

to bemuse – to confuse slightly
He met some of the young revolutionaries that led the uprising, as well as bemused locals. (The Guardian)
The child was bemused by the question about the difference between a penguin and an ostrich.
Mary bemused her little sister by asking her whether she wanted to spend time in summer in Venice or to go to her uncle's country house. Open / Comment

2021-12-19 10:00:42 #vocabulary_builder
Places to see

Hello, everyone! I had this post almost prepared back in May but then got too busy with work and left the channel behind. Now, I have feel like it is no good putting it off anymore.

At long, long last, this is the closing post for the vocabulary builder on travel. In it, I will list the generic names of places of general interest that people visit while travelling.

gallery – галерея
theatre – театр
opera house – опера
exhibition – выставка
park – парк
garden – сад
monument – монумент
concert hall – концертный зал
meseum – музей
square – площадь
cathedral – собор
castle – замок
fortress – крепость Open / Comment