The High Speech

2020-06-04 14:01:39 #language_advice
Idiomaticity Creates Authenticity

To define idiomaticity, I would like to borrow the definition I came up with quite a while ago. Idiomaticity is the conventional use of words in form and order within expressions the meaning of which is rather determined by history and language tradition than by grammar and lexical meaning of the words in them. Thus, idiomaticity embraces not only idioms but also set expressions.

In their writing and speaking, English native speakers rely largely on set and idiomatic expressions. They are more frequent in spoken English and appear more or less in all styles of speech probably accept the frozen. So, for those who want to master English and be able to use it or at a near-native level it is imperative to learn idiomatic and set expressions.

This knowledge is important not only for expressing yourself eloquently but also for understanding your interlocutor. This is especially the case with well-educated native speakers whose word-stock exceeds 30,000 words, and whose knowledge of idiomatic English is impressive.

To learn idioms thoroughly, you may go different ways, and they may be more or less productive depending on your present mastery of the language. And it certainly takes a substantial amount of patience and persistence.

One option is to read fiction novels, especially more classic ones. The dialogues in them contain quite many idiomatic expressions. Another is to learn idiomatic expressions on purpose. To do this, it will be best to move from word to word to memorise set expressions and idioms containing one similar word to make the memorisation process more consistent. To make it more efficient, you can write them down in a notebook: the writing will make them imprint better in your memory, and you will be able to refresh them in your memory after a time. Open / Comment

2020-05-31 13:11:17 #synomyniser
Всем привет! Согласен, подзатянул. Исправляюсь.

На этот раз у меня для вас английские синонимы со значением русского слова "суть". Их не так уж много, но все они весьма хороши в речи, поэтому их не помешает знать.

gist – the main part of something written or said without details
What is the gist of this story?
The researcher formulated the gist of her research in an article she wrote for an academic journal.
What is the gist of your argument?

substance – the subject matter of a speech or text
The substance of this research is in historic correlation between the adaptive qualities of microorganisms and the changes in the Earth's atmosphere.
Many tried to understand the substance of the message, but only few came to understand it.

tenor – the general meaning, the main idea
In loyalty to the tenor of his life for forty years and more, ever since he married and founded that mysterious thing, a family, came this warning thought - - None of his blood, no right to anything! (John Galsworthy – The Forsyte Saga)

essence – the most important part of something
The essence of the difference of a human being from other living beings is in its new mental formations, for example, consciousness.
The essence of this plan is to control the machine's engine temperature by using a coolant. Open / Comment

2020-05-23 17:00:30 #heed_and_hear
Hello, dear subscriber! I am joyfully getting back to one of my favourite series on this channel and invite you to listen to an episode of the radio programme One to One broadcast on BBC Radio 4. This is a rather speculative programme where different hosts raise fundamental questions about human lives in the modern world and things and phenomena which more or less shape this modern world.

The programme is delivered in relatively short episodes, so I will likely view more of it in the future.

Programme: One to One
Episode: The Value of Idling – Verity Sharp meets Tim Parks

You can find the episode here.

In this episode, the host Verity Sharp meets the writer and translator Tim Parks, and they talk about the value of having time to yourself, meditating, slowing down and forgetting about the everyday rush in our speedy world.

As for the language and the actual intelligibility, it is overall well done, but there is a piece at around 10:50 that sounds like unintelligible nonsense to me. I have even downloaded it and played it at around 25% of the normal speed, but it still has remained a mystery to me. But the general idea there, fortunately, stays clear enough: she wanted to ask how those practices affect Tim's general productivity. UPD It is 'and of course these things aren't clear-cut', one subscriber helped me to understand this. Also, at 12:26 it is 'calm and know'.

So good for the description, now you are well prepared for the listening. My glossary shall considerably simplify the task. So, go ahead and listen!

A glossary for the episode:
byproduct – побочный продукт
downtime – нерабочее время
idleness – безделье
idler – ленивый человек
to endure – терпеть
to bring about – вызвать
grim – мрачный
prostate – простата
infinite – бесконечный
pelvic pain syndrome – синдром тазовой боли
excessive – чрезмерный
pelvic floor – тазовое дно
to pinch – ущипнуть
to nurture – воспитывать
adolescence – отрочество
clergyman – священнослужитель
vocation – призвание
to capture – захватить
to intercut – вставлять один кинокадр в другой
mind-boggling – ошеломляющий
reservations – недоверие
to loathe – ненавидеть
wacky – дурацкий
V-passiona meditation – медитация V-passiona
retreat – уединение
to render – интерпретировать
to knit – вязать
to drop some balls – не суметь что-то сделать
to toss – кидать, метать
to overwhelm – приводить в возбудение
to take over – завладеть, одержать верх
torment – мучение Open / Comment

2020-05-15 11:10:46 #synonymiser
И снова всем привет! Пауза немного затянулась, но вот новый пост. В этом синонимайзере я затрону англоязычные эквиваленты слова "свойства". Их не очень много, но все они достойны внимания.

Как это обычно бывает с синонимами, разница между ними весьма тонкая, поэтому для лучшего её понимания непременно стоит обратиться к контексту.

idiosyncrasy – a peculiar or strange habit or feature that something or someone has
Like her paintings Ms. Kalman's collection is designed to give the impression of fun-loving idiosyncrasy. (The New York Times)
Being adamant when it comes to his choices is one of his idiosyncrasies.

property – a constant quality of an object
One of the physical properties of diamonds is their extreme hardness.
The Equivalence Principle, which states that gravitational mass and inertial mass are different ways of measuring the same property, is the experimental foundation for modern gravitational theory. (Advances in Space Research)
A key property of buildings in seismically active areas is their seismic resilience based on seismic-resistant structures and construction materials.

feature – an important part of something
A unique feature of iPhones is their high cost.
A common feature of administrative and command economies is a mismatch between offer and demand.
If you make a scratch on your smartphone, you may take it as a custom design feature.

quality – a peculiar and essential feature
One of his good qualities is patience.
The leadership qualities of the captain helped to coordinate the team's play.
A high horsepower output is one of the most prominent qualities of a racing car.

trait – a distinguishing quality of a living being or inanimate object
In follow-up surveys, they associated that specific trait with the communicator: he was viewed as cruel to animals (The New Yorker).
Rhotisation is one of distinctive traits in the accent of Scots.
This was seen as further evidence that the species had already evolved a distinctive trait of early prehumans. (The New York Times) Open / Comment

2020-05-02 14:01:12 #original_high_speech
Hello, everyone! Today, I want to present to you an extract from a speech that is one of the most celebrated speeches in the history of mankind, the speech pronounced by Winston Churchill in the time of the Second World War called 'We Shall Fight on the Beaches'. In it, Winston Churchill informed the British nation about the events on the front of the British Army and its allies and about their confrontations with their common enemy – the German Army – as of 4 June 1940.

I will provide the last paragraph from this speech for which it is best known and has received its title. I will also enclose a link to the full speech, so you can read more of it if you like.

Supportive glossary:
resolve – намерение
odious – гнусный, мерзкий
comrade – товарищ
to subjugate – покорять, порабощать
to starve – голодать

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government – every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

Link to the full speech: https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches/ Open / Comment

2020-04-24 15:00:26 #sticky_and_tricky
Punctuation with Participle Clauses and Participial Phrases

1. We separate both participle clauses and participial phrases from the rest of the sentence with a comma or commas whenever they do not follow the word they modify. In bold are the words modified.

Participle clauses
Schoolchildren were going home rather mutely, unwilling to discuss the day's events.
The jewel did not lose its charm, despite being left untouched in the ground for many years.
Having come home, Jerry called his mom.

Participial phrases
The student sat down on the couch, ruminating over the lecture he had just heard.
Looking at the clouded sky, the gentleman said that it was going to rain in a half-hour's time.
Having paid his debt, John gave a sigh of relief.

2. We do not separate a participle clause or participial phrase with a comma(-s) when they follow the word they modify.

Participle clauses
The speech nicknamed We Shall Fight on the Beaches pronounced by Churchill in the time of World War II produced a profound effect on the British nation.
Plants growing in the wilderness have far-reaching root systems
The toy car having crossed half the country in 3 days found its happy owner on his birthday.

Participial phrases
When he was going to school, he was looking at the trees coverd with snow.
The player having scored his first goal for his new team was jubilant.
The tracks laid in the ground by cars were leading to the riverside.

Note! In order to correctly punctuate a participle clause or a participial phrase, you must correctly identify the word that they modify.

P.S. The difference between participle clauses and participial phrases is quite subtle, so they are quite easy to confuse. For this reason, I might have confused the two somewhere. Please do not be to hard on me if I have. Open / Comment

2020-04-16 17:30:12 #sticky_and_tricky
Differences between Participle Clause and Participial Phrase

There are three types of participles in English: present, past and perfect.

1) The present participle is the base form of the verb + -ing, e.g. walking, talking, running, laughing.

2) The past participle is the base form of the verb + -d/-ed/-ied for regular verbs, e.g. walked, locked, leaned. The past participle for irregular verbs is irregular forms, e.g. brought, shaven, gone, bet.

3) The perfect participle consists of having + past participle, e.g. having done, having run, having swum, having come.

Participle Clause vs. Participial Phrase

1) Participle Clause
Any clause must have a subject, however, a participle clause does not have its own subject, but it shares the subject with the main clause. And a participle clause always modifies the subject. However, a participle clause also acts as an adverbial modifier, because it modifies the action(-s) of the subject too.

Examples:
Sitting quietly, John spent half an hour. (Present participle)
Looked at, John spent half an hour. (Past participle)
Having been verified, the tests were given back to the students. (Perfect participle)

2) Participial Phrase
A participial phrase does not have a subject but modifies it. A participial phrase acts as an attribute, modifying a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase. A participial phrase consists of a participle + an object/complement/modifier. The participle expresses an action, while the object/complement/modifier is a direct or indirect object or a complement to that action.

Examples:
Looking through the window, John was enjoying the view. (Indirect object)
Having taken the pills, John reset the alarm. (Direct object)
Feeling well, John decided to go for a walk. (Modifier)
Having been done on time, the work was well received. (Complement) Open / Comment

2020-04-11 23:00:40 #synonymiser
Всем привет! На очереди глаголы-синонимы со значением отвергать, отказывать. Их немного и все они довольно простые и часто встречающиеся слова.

to reject – not to accept something or someone
The company rejected many candidacies while searching for the right candidate.
The evidence presented by the complainant was rejected as not viable by the jury.
They rejected me when I asked for the chief editor.

to refuse – to openly demonstrate reluctance to do or accept something
John refused a cigarette when his schoolmates offered it to him.
The Prime Minister refused to step down when he was alleged of bribery.
The security stubbornly refused to let a student inside the university without his student card.

to decline – to refuse
We declined the bagel. (The New York Times)
You may decline our offer if you do not want to accept it.
Esquire declined the writer’s story. (The New Yorker)

to turn down – an informal way of saying to refuse
I'll never turn down an autograph. (The New Yorker)
Do not be upset if they turn you down: they do not offer much.
She would turn down all contacts during the quarantine. Open / Comment

2020-04-02 12:01:20 #language_advice
Check out lyricstraining.com for Listening

Hello, subscribers! This is going to be a very compact and practical piece of advice. There is a website lyricstraining.com that has been present for quite a few years now. I learnt about it myself about two and a half years ago.

It lets you improve your listening skills in a very fun and entertaining way. It uses music videos from YouTube, and you need to type the lyrics in a limited time period before the time runs out. You can choose the difficulty level starting from novice where you have to fill quite short gaps up to the hardest one with no pre-written lyrics where you have to type them all yourself.

It can be really challenging for a speaker of any level, because sometimes it's virtually impossible to understand what such bands as Arch Enemy, Kreator or Immortal sing even if the singers articulate pretty well. And pop singers mumble a lot! Plus there is music or all major if not minor genres, so you can find what suits both your language purposes and musical tastes.

I am sure you will get lots of fun and use out of it, so give it a try! Visit lyricstraining.com.

P.S. It's great to see that my work has helped so many of you to read the Hobbit. I am very pleased! Open / Comment

2020-03-29 17:30:53 #heed_and_hear
Hello, ladies and gentlemen!

Thankfully, the BBC does not stop its work in these times of hardship, and we can still enjoy its work. I have become quite keen on the BBC Radio 4 programme 'More or Less: Behind the Stats', and I want to present to you another episode that was interesting to me and more than likely will be interesting to you. I am not going to follow the popular subject of COVID-19 just yet, because there is quite a lot of information about it everywhere. And the topic of this episode does not become less relevant because of the COVID-19 buzz.

Programme: More or Less: Behind the Stats
Episode: How much heat do you lose from your head?

Запись передачи доступна здесь.

So, should you where a hat or not? That is the question for many. In a nutshell, research shows that the lower the temperature becomes, the more body heat is accumulated in the head, because less blood is directed into the extremities to sustain the brain and vital organs active. And I suggest that you learn the other details yourself. Enjoy the talk!

A glossary for the episode:
bitterly – очень, исключительно
to rival – превзойти
field guide – полевое руководство
hunt for answers – поиск оветов
grim – мрачный
cooling – охлаждение
abhorrent – чудовищный
to persists – продолжаться
insulation – изолирование (в медицинском смысле)
kinesiology – кинезиология
prairie – степь, луг
bracing – бодрящий
to submerge – погрузить
to wrap up – обернуть, одеть
factor – множитель
tissue – ткань
to vasoconstrict – сужать сосуды, ограничивать ток крови
frostbite – обморожение Open / Comment