Friday, August 9, 2013

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language ....

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language ....:     Become an expert  in the USE of English language .  Yes, You CAN!!!   PURPOSE Th...

Become an expert in the USE of English language . Yes, You CAN!!!









  Become an expert 
in the USE of English language . 
Yes, You CAN!!!



 PURPOSE

The intention of this BLOG is to make you read a passage and study the words and think about it . Words have been separated from the passage and their meaning have been given with other usages. The brief writing about the statement is to provoke you further into thinking after assessment .

BENEFITS

Presenting ideas ,helping to increase your vocabulary, and  helping you to better your language. To understand words and their usage contextually

What you should do ?

Read the passage carefully , study the meanings with full attention ( in the process you will come across many new words ) . then read the brief article given below which is  an addition to  the  ideas in the statement or an expansion of it .

You should make an attempt to write two sentences using these words so that you will never forget these words. 

You may feel that you know that word and their meanings but the fact is that every word has to be studied to bring those into your active vocabulary ( using the words when you write or speak ) 

The more words you KNOW the more POWERFUL will be your communication and your ability to communicate effectively.Your progress in your career depends entirely upon how you communicate with others in all the FOUR spheres : READING,SPEAKING ,WRITING and LISTENING  and these needs good vocabulary .this BLOG is a humble attempt to help you understand more words and also to give you some very meaningful ideas to make you think on various aspects of LIFE


PASSAGE 

“ Do not blame people so much as the environments into which they are born .Their surroundings and circumstances force them to become worse than they  really are .That is true of both EAST and WEST. Society must be brought into tune with a higher note. Materialism must be balanced by idealism ; there is no other real cure for the world’s difficulties. The troubles into which countries are everywhere being plunged are really agonies which will force this change ,just as failure is frequently a sign-post pointing to another road”
PAUL BRUNTONA Search In Secret India  

Brunton was one of the twentieth century’s greatest explorers of the spiritual traditions of the East. He was also a journalist with a healthy regard for critical impartiality and for commonsense. These characteristics ,together with a rich inner life ,made him a superb writer on spirituality of the ORIENT .
A Search In secret INDIA is one of the great classics of spiritual travel writing.

“ Paul Brunton was surely one of the finest mystical flowers to grow on the wasteland of our civilization. what he has to say is important to us all”
..George Feuerstein

WORDS: Every word will have several contextual meanings and it may change according to where it is used

ENVIRONMENT :
1. The circumstances or conditions that surround one; surroundings.

2. The totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of organisms, especially:
a. The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, and survival of organisms:"We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism" (Paul Brooks).
b. The complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature of an individual or community.




3. Computer Science
a. The entire set of conditions under which one operates a computer, as it relates to the hardware, operating platform, or operating system.
b. An area of a computer's memory used by the operating system and some programs to store certain variables to which they need frequent access

environment [ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt]
noun
1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour
3. the state of being environed; encirclement
4. (Electronics & Computer Science / Computer Science) Computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application a word-processing environment
environmental  adj
environmentally  adv


1. the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.
2. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.
3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.
4. the hardware or software configuration of a computer system.
[1825–30]
en•vi`ron•men′tal, adj.
en•vi`ron•men′tal•ly, adv.
syn: environment, milieu, ambiance, setting refer to the objects, conditions, or circumstances that influence the life of an individual or community. environment may refer to physical or to social and cultural surroundings: an environment of grinding poverty. milieu, encountered most often in literary writing, refers to intangible surroundings: a milieu of artistic innovation. ambiance applies to the mood or tone of the surroundings: an ambiance of ease and elegance. setting tends to highlight the person or thing surrounded by or set against a background: a lovely setting for a wedding.

MATERIALISM
1. Philosophy The theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena.
2. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life.
3. A great or excessive regard for worldly concerns.

ma·te ri·al·ist n.
ma·te ri·al·is tic adj.
ma·te ri·al·is ti·cal·ly adv.

Materialism [məˈtɪərɪəˌlɪzəm]

1. interest in and desire for money, possessions, etc., rather than spiritual or ethical values
2. (Philosophy) Philosophy the monist doctrine that matter is the only reality and that the mind, the emotions, etc., are merely functions of it Compare idealism [3] dualism [2] See also identity theory
3. (Philosophy) Ethics the rejection of any religious or supernatural account of things
THE WORD APPEARS IN ; The very simplicity of his reasoning was its strength, and his materialism was far more compelling than the subtly complex materialism of Charley Furuseth.
(Cambridge University Press, 1920), will see that an old-fashionedmaterialism can receive no support from modern physics.
You know, one of those uncouth new people one's so often coming across nowadays, One of those free-thinkers you know, who are reared d'emblee in theories of atheism, scepticism, and materialism.

IDEALISM : . 
1. The act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal form.

2. Pursuit of one's ideals.

3. Idealized treatment of a subject in literature or art.

4. Philosophy :The theory that the object of external perception, in itself or as perceived, consists of ideas

5 belief in or pursuance of ideals
6 the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are
7 (Philosophy) any of a group of philosophical doctrines that share the monistic view that material objects and the external world do not exist in reality independently of the human mind but are variously creations of the mind or constructs of ideas Compare materialism [2]dualism [2]
idealist  n
idealistic  adj
idealistically  ad


i•de•al•ism (aɪˈdi əˌlɪz əm)

noun
1. the cherishing or pursuit of high or noble principles, purposes, or goals.
2. the practice of idealizing.
3. something idealized; an ideal representation.
4. treatment of subject matter, as in art, in which a mental conception of beauty or form is stressed.
5. any philosophical system or theory that maintains that the real is of the nature of thought or that the object of external perception consists of ideas.




THE STATEMENT and MY understanding

Brunton is a fine writer( WITH SPIRITUAL LEANINGS ) who wrote convincingly about abstract things in a very clear, understandable language Though he was initially confused about the contradictions he found in Hinduism , he pursued the subject passionately and discovered very satisfying answers. This passage deals with two important aspects which haunt us even now. We are not able to decide what is more important : Materialism or Spiritualism in the modern situation. but the thing is that materialism has tremendous limitation  whereas spiritualism has no limits .
Materialism is nothing but pursuing material things and pleasures which becomes and end in itself. this usually ends up in frustration and disappointment But the problem that arise out of our material pursuit could be solved by spirituality which has the power to pierce to the root the problem and solve it permanently. Many think that idealism is madness but it is not. Idealism  is “the cherishing or pursuit of high or noble principles, purposes, or goals” . This means that we have to aim high to achieve something in life.
” Hitch one’s wagon to a star To aim high, to have high ideals, to be idealistic. Ralph Waldo Emerson apparently coined this metaphor which appeared in his Society and Solitude (1870):
Now that is the wisdom of a man
… to hitch his wagon to a star.


   

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language . ...

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language . ...: Become an expert  in the USE of English language .  Yes, You CAN!!! PURPOSE The intention of this BLOG is to make you re...

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language . ...

Learn-to-use-English -Words: Become an expert in the USE of English language . ...: Become an expert  in the USE of English language .  Yes, You CAN!!! PURPOSE The intention of this BLOG is to make you re...

Become an expert in the USE of English language . Yes You CAN!!!


Become an expert 
in the USE of English language . 
Yes, You CAN!!!


PURPOSE

The intention of this BLOG is to make you read a passage and study the words and think about it . Words have been separated from the passage and their meaning have been given with other usages. The brief writing about the statement is to provoke you further into thinking after assessment .

BENEFITS

Presenting ideas ,helping to increase your vocabulary, and  helping you to better your language. To understand words and their usage contextually

What you should do ?

Read the passage carefully , study the meanings with full attention ( in the process you will come across many new words ) . then read the brief article given below which is  an addition to  the  ideas in the statement or an expansion of it .



“Human imagination seems to be turning to the macabre and the perverse. Books and films are either on violence or sexual deviations. Nothing seems to awaken people except unpleasant shocks

L.K. ADVANI

MR. Advani’s statement is to the point and there is much sense in what he says and there are thousands of incidents to support his concern. Let us understand the words in detail so that we get the full meaning of the statement :

Imagination

a. The formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.
b. The mental image so formed.
c. The ability or tendency to form such images.
2. The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness: handled the problems with great imagination.
3. A traditional or widely held belief or opinion.
4. Archaic
a. An unrealistic idea or notion; a fancy.
b. A plan or scheme

Synonyms: imagination, fancy, fantasy

These nouns refer to the power of the mind to form images, especially of what is not present to the senses. Imagination is the most broadly applicable: "In the world of words, the imagination is one of the forces of nature" (Wallace Stevens).
Fancy especially suggests mental invention that is whimsical, capricious, or playful and that is characteristically well removed from reality: 
"All power of fancy over reason is a degree of insanity" (Samuel Johnson).

Fantasy is applied principally to elaborate or extravagant fancy as a product of the imagination given free rein: "The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy" (Lionel Trilling)

Allied words
1creativityvisioninventioningenuityenterpriseinsightinspirationwitoriginalityinventivenessresourcefulness He has a logical mind and a little imagination.
2. mind's eyefancy Long before I went there, the place was alive in my imagination.
3. interestattentioncuriosityfascination Italian football captured the imagination of the nation last season.

Quotations

"By the Imagination" [Emily Dickinson]

"People can die of mere imagination" [Geoffrey Chaucer The Miller's Tale]

"Nature uses imagination to lift her work of creation to even higher levels" [Luigi Pirandello Six Characters in Search of an Author]

"I have imagination, and nothing that is real is alien to me" [George Santayana Little Essays]

"Only in men's imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life" [Joseph Conrad A Personal Record]

"My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it" [Ursula Le Guin Winged: the Creatures on My Mind]

"Imagination, the supreme delight of the immortal and the immature, should be limited. In order to enjoy life, we should not enjoy it too much" [Vladimir Nabokov Speak, Memory

MACABRE
1. Suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome: macabre tales of war and plague in the Middle Ages. See Synonyms atghastly.
2. Constituting or including a representation of death.

[Ultimately from Old French (Danse) Macabre, (dance) of death, perhaps alteration of Macabe, Maccabee, from LatinMaccabaeus, from Greek Makkabios.]
ma·ca bre·ly adv.
Word History: The word macabre is an excellent example of a word formed with reference to a specific context that has long since disappeared for everyone but scholars. 
Macabre is first recorded in the phrase Macabrees daunce in a work written around 1430 by John Lydgate. Macabree was thought by Lydgate to be the name of a French author, but in fact he misunderstood the Old French phrase Danse Macabre, "the Dance of Death," a subject of art and literature.
In this dance, Death leads people of all classes and walks of life to the same final end. The macabre element may be an alteration of Macabe, "a Maccabee."
The Maccabees were Jewish martyrs who were honored by a feast throughout the Western Church, and reverence for them was linked to reverence for the dead. Today macabre has no connection with the Maccabees and little connection with the Dance of Death, but it still has to do with death


macabre - shockingly repellent; inspiring horror; "ghastly wounds"; "the grim aftermath of the bombing"; "the grim task of burying the victims"; "a grisly murder"; "gruesome evidence of human sacrifice"; "macabre tales of war and plague in the Middle ages"; "macabre tortures conceived by madmen"

alarming - frightening because of an awareness of danger

PERVERSE
1. Directed away from what is right or good; perverted.
2. Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn.
3.
a. Marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict.
b. Arising from such a disposition.
4. Cranky; peevish.


Adjective

1. deliberately deviating from what is regarded as normal, good, or proper
2. persistently holding to what is wrong
3. wayward or contrary; obstinate; cantankerous
4. Archaic perverted
[from Old French pervers, from Latin perversus turned the wrong way]
perversely  adv
perverseness  n
   perverse - marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict; "took perverse satisfaction in foiling her plans"
negative - characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features; "a negative outlook on life"; "a colorless negative personality"; "a negative evaluation"; "a negative reaction to an advertising campaign"

perverse - resistant to guidance or discipline; "Mary Mary quite contrary"; "an obstinate child with a violent temper"; "a perverse mood"; "wayward behavior"
disobedient - not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority; "disobedient children"
3.
perverse - deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good; "depraved criminals"; "a perverted sense of loyalty"; "the reprobate conduct of a gambling aristocrat"
corrupt - lacking in integrity; "humanity they knew to be corrupt...from the day of Adam's creation"; "a corrupt and incompetent city government"


 A BRIEF ARTICLE BASED UPON THE STATEMENT


Mr. Advani’s statement  is very true and very thought provoking considering the daily news the media feed us day and night. Media works full time to report news create news, interpret news ,and also misinterpret news .but the people listen to it because all  channels are ( whether is print or electronic ) are essentially sensational in character to get more readership and viewership. They are , most of the time not concerned with the impact they make on the young and old minds of the heterogeneous crowd watching these .Imagination runs riot and there is not limit to the extent which many  channels go to make the  people listen to them. Morality and ethics seem to have been driven to the back seat and that tell upon the general psyche of the population. Rapes , murders, molesting ,child abuse, robbery, frauds, scams corruption are reported rather subjectively , taking sides. Any such news becomes a starting point for a sort of “celebration for the media and they build stories upon stories with few people ( so called specialists appearing for interviews fighting with each other ) who take the stories to different levels .

The public also has developed a taste for macabre and they have become hungry for such macabre stories which give them a kick. this is a dangerous situation and the future generation has started taking things for granted . Sex ,violence and perverse sex have become the order of the day. Lust has replaced Love and the thin line between the two has disappeared or fast disappearing .some cases are highlighted and they are taken to the extreme and finally the issues just disappear from the media . To understand this , it would be better to to follow a case ( rape ,murder ,scam ,child abuse ..) on the day it is reported and follow it up in all media and one can see how the whole thing develops and just disappears from the media. Take any number of scams, corruption, murders or anything liked that and see how it is born , how it develops and how it disappears without leaving a trace until another such thing happens .It has become a big game and  news come and bark at you to get attention.


This trend should change and people should bse told sbout new things too to strike a balance. what is happening now will only make such crimes increase . Now criminals are everywhere and young people have started appreciating them
Even advertisement endorsed by people whom the court found guilty of some crime appear with all glory. Young generation has stared taking all these for granted and their role models need not have any good background at all  to get their acceptance.THEY HAVE BECOME ADDICTED TO NEGATIVE NEWS . This is unfortunate and calls for some drastic change before it becomes beyond correction.

Imagination of authors of books and directors films and media has become macabre and they produce things that highlights violence ,sexual deviations and these provide unpleasant shocks to people which thye have started liking .A new culture is invading our society and let us not allow it to destroy our generation and the new generation

 PURPOSE

The intention of this BLOG is to make you read a passage and study the words and think about it . Words have been separated from the passage and their meaning have been given with other usages. The brief writing about the statement is to provoke you further into thinking after assessment .

BENEFITS

Presenting ideas ,helping to increase your vocabulary, and  helping you to better your language .

COMMENTS

Please leave your valuable comments