Category Archives: WOTD

class, English, knowledge, vocabulary, WOTD

#EngKnowledge: Autumn and Fall

October 30, 2021 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

It’s nearing the end of October already. Have you ever wondered why British English uses the word ‘autumn’ while American English uses ‘fall?’

Autumn or fall refers to the season between spring and winter in countries, continents, or regions that have four seasons. It usually begins on 22 or 23 September in the Northern Hemisphere (northern part of the equatorial line) and 20 or 21 March in the Southern Hemisphere. The season generally lasts for 3 months.

Autumn is indicated by the leaves that change colour to yellowish or brownish shade, the falling leaves, shorter days, birds migration to areas with warmer weather, the last harvest before winter and thus harvest festival, and damp weather.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the older of the two words is ‘autumn’. It has been existing since 1300s. It probably came from the Latin word ‘autumnus.’

Over time, autumn was getting more commonly associated with the ‘fall’ of the leaves. By 1600, the word ‘fall’ started to gain popularity to call this particular season.

As years went by, the English spoken in Britain and the English spoken in America diverged. Even though ‘autumn’ and ‘fall’ both came from Britain, ‘fall’ is considered more American and continued to flourish in American English. In fact, it is regarded as carrying an ‘American identity’ to distinguish the continent from its former British occupant.

In both British and American English, the word ‘autumn’ and ‘fall’ can be used interchangeably, although ‘autumn’ is more popular in countries that use British English and ‘fall’ is more popular in countries that use American English.

Source:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/autumn-vs-fall

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, 30 October 2021.

conversation, English, speaking, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD #EngTips: How to Speak Eloquently

July 11, 2021 alicesaraswati 1 Comment

Sometimes, when I look at someone who speaks English, I admire how eloquent they are, and sometimes, it’s not a matter of whether they are using a perfect grammar or the right vocabulary. It’s the way they express what they want to say with such confidence.

This article is going to discuss the word ‘eloquent’ and how we can speak eloquently.

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

‘Eloquent’ means having the ability to use language clearly and effectively. When the word ‘eloquent’ is used to describe a speech or a writing, it can also mean clearly expressing the feelings or meaning.

An eloquent person is good at speaking and persuading people. Words synonymous to eloquent are articulate, expressive, and fluent.

So, the next question we have is how to be eloquent.

From my experience, even though I was interested in learning English and I tried to study from as many textbooks as I could, I still lacked in one thing: practice.

When I was faced with the possibility of speaking English real time, especially to native speakers, I always felt shy and said, “No. Please let other people do it.”

That was the case until I joined a group of friends who encouraged me to speak English.

Learning from reading and writing is a good start, but to be able to speak English eloquently, we have to practice with other people. It’s important to be within a community or a group where everyone encourages us to learn even if we make mistakes.

So, always practice and don’t let our mistakes hold us back.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 11 July 2021.

class, vocabulary, WOTD

#EngVocab: Thou, Thee, Thy, Thine

June 13, 2021 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

“Ask and thou shalt receive.”

This sentence has been my mantra for most of my adulthood. It always reminds me that to achieve something, I must be ready to fight for it.

This article is discussing the archaic (old, no longer used) form of ‘you,’ that is ‘thou,’ along with its variations, ‘thee,’ ‘thy,’ and ‘thine.’

As you might have guessed, the word ‘thou’ is a second person singular pronoun. It’s an old-fashioned, poetic, or religious version of ‘you.’ ‘Thou’ is the nominative/subjective case, meaning it’s a subject pronoun.

Example:
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”

Meaning:
“You should not lie or spread rumours about your neighbours and the people around you.”

What do we do if we need to address more than one person?
We use ‘ye.’

Example:
“I forgot to introjuice him to ye.” – William Makepeace Thackeray in Vanity Fair (1837).

Our Indonesian followers might be familiar of the Dutch version of this word, ‘jij,’ as it has similar pronunciation.

So, what is ‘thee?’
‘Thee’ is the accusative and dative form of ‘thou,’ which means that it is the object pronoun, the receiving end of an action.

Example:
“I salute Thee, oh, Mother of the Universe.”

Meaning:
“I pay my respects to You, oh, Mother of the Universe.”

Possessive pronouns ‘thy’ and ‘thine’
If we want to refer to something that is owned by the second person, we use ‘thy,’ the possessive adjective pronoun of ‘thou.’ If the possession starts with a vowel, we use ‘thine.’

Example:
“Honour thy parents.”
“Thine eyes shall behold strange things in this land.”

Meaning:
“Honour your parents.”
“Your eyes will see strange things in this land.”

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 13 June 2021.

conversation, English, speaking, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD: Touché

March 6, 2021 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

“I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. We can never compare with her.”
“The grass is always greener because it’s synthetic. I’d rather be myself than be fake.”
“Touché!”

This article is going to discuss an interjection, ‘touché.’ In Indonesian language, the word is comparable to, “Iya, juga, ya!” or, “Benar juga, ya!”

*Fencing, a sport where the word ‘touché’ is used a lot. Image: Wikipedia*

“Is ‘touché’ an English word?”
It’s a good question. ‘Touché’ is a passive form of French verb ‘toucher,’ which means ‘to touch.’ It has been adopted by English-speaking people with a slight change in its meaning and use.

Origin
In English, ‘touché’ is an expression acknowledging a clever response in a discussion or debate. Essentially, it’s another way of saying ‘well said.’ Rarely will we hear French-speaking people use ‘touché’ in this context.

In French, ‘touché’ as an expression is more commonly used in fencing. It’s to acknowledge that a contender has been hit by the rival. In everyday French conversation, ‘touché’ is used in the same context as ‘being moved.’

The use of ‘touché’ as an expression is believed to have started becoming popular in 1897. It’s pronounced ‘tuːˈʃeɪ.’

Usage in English
How do we use ‘touché’ in English? Generally, we use it whenever we are unable to counter an argument or a valid point. In the speechlessness, we can only admit that we don’t have a response by saying ‘touché.’

Other examples:
“I don’t eat junk food.”
“Really? You always have carbonated drinks with your meal, though. What’s the difference?”
“…touché.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now. Can I call you back once I get home?”
“But you said your place doesn’t have good reception.”
“Touché! All right, what’s wrong?”

“This song breaks my heart.”
“Wait, you have a heart?”
“Touché.”

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, 6 March 2021.

English, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD: PRODIGY

February 22, 2021 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

Did you know, fellas? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart started composing when he was five. He was a musical prodigy.

On this article, we will discuss the word ‘prodigy.’

A prodigy is a highly talented child, especially under the age of ten years old, who is capable of producing a meaningful output in a field which the child is interested in, in a level of an adult expert.

In the course of history, there are several different areas where a prodigy could be found: mathematics and science, arts, and sports, particularly chess.

Some researchers believe that prodigious talent tends to arise as a result of the innate talent of the child, and the energetic and emotional investment that the child ventures. Others believe that the environment plays the dominant role.

For example, a chess grandmaster might train their children starting at a very young age, resulting in an emotional investment of the children in the game. We also see how children of famous actors or performers tend to acquire the same talents as their parents’.

There could also be occasions where, even though the environment a child grows up in doesn’t necessarily provide support to the child’s development in specific areas, the child still becomes prodigious. Researches suggest that working memory and the cognitive function of the cerebellum are what makes a prodigal child. This theory is supported by brain imagery.

The term ‘prodigy’ itself initially only meant ‘an omen’ or ‘something extraordinary’ when it was first used in English around the 15th century. It came from the Latin word ‘prodigium.’ ‘Wunderkind’ is a German word (literally: wonder child) that is often used as a synonym to ‘prodigy.’

Aside of Mozart, prodigies we might be familiar with are Frédéric Chopin and Blaise Pascal.

“My mother said that I should finish high school and go to college first.” – Saul Kripke, an American philosopher and logician who is a prodigy, in a response to an invitation to apply for a teaching position at Harvard.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 22 February 2021.

English, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD: RAMBUNCTIOUS

February 4, 2021 alicesaraswati 1 Comment

Our #WOTD for this article is ‘rambunctious.’ Having read it on various news portals, I found the word quite intriguing.

Firstly, I like how it sounds and how easy it is to remember. When I read the word for the first time, I thought it came from British English; it just sounded like it did.

As I looked into it further, the word is actually an informal American English word, which means exuberant, lively, cheerful, boisterous. Essentially, ‘rambunctious’ is used to describe someone or something that is overly-energetic and has a cheerful manner.

My guess about the word coming from British English was not entirely baseless, however, as there is another word that has similar meaning, ‘rumbustious,’ and the latter did come from British English.

According to Merriam-Webster, ‘rumbustious’ first appeared in Britain in 1700s. It was probably based on ‘robustious,’ which could mean both ‘robust’ and ‘boisterous.’

‘Rambunctious’ began gaining popularity in the United States by 1830. At that time, the States was a fast-growing nation that encouraged the coinage of some new words and terms that represent the nation’s optimism and exuberance.

Example of ‘rambunctious’ in a sentence:
“Bali beaches are packed with rambunctious people every weekend.”
“The rambunctious puppies apparently chewed on one of my shoes last night.”

On the same note, ‘rambunctious’ could also carry a meaning of being too full of energy that we become noisy and unruly.

Example:
“Rambunctious concert-goers caused injuries to their peers as they pushed each other to get closer to the stage.”

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, 4 February 2021.

English, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD: GESTICULATIVE

January 25, 2021 alicesaraswati 2 Comments

Fellas, have you ever lost words in the middle of a sentence and decided to use your hands to deliver the message instead? Or have you ever met someone who moves their hands a lot while talking?

In English, we have a word to describe that type of person, ‘gesticulative.’

The word ‘gesticulative’ came from late Middle English ‘gesture,’ which came from medieval Latin ‘gestura,’ which we can trace back to Latin ‘gerere,’ that means ‘bear, wield, perform.’ Hence, ‘gesture’ means ‘the use of posture and bodily movements for effect in oratory.’

Most English speakers would opt for the verb ‘to gesticulate’ or the noun ‘gesticulation,’ which is probably why it is hard to find the definition of ‘gesticulative.’

Examples:
“He gesticulated a lot during the debate.”
“Her gesticulation is more effective than words.”

Another similar word, which is also an adjective, is ‘gesticulatory.’ Both ‘gesticulative’ and ‘gesticulatory’ mean ‘of or relating to a gesticulation.’

Example:
“He didn’t say much, not with words, at least. It was quite a gesticulative/gesticulatory conversation.”
“Pardon me for being gesticulative; I was too nervous during the speech.”

Now that we have the word ‘gesticulative’ as an addition to our vocabulary, try using it on our everyday conversation to get more familiar with it.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 25 January 2021.

English, vocabulary, WOTD

#ENGVOCAB: WORDS RELATED TO ANNIVERSARY

January 2, 2021 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

We turned 10 years old, fellas! On 2 January 2011, we started sharing English knowledge via Twitter. Thank you all for joining us in this incredible journey!

As today is our 10th anniversary, we are going to share some words related to anniversary.

Anniversary (of course)
This word specifically refers to a celebration or a commemoration of a certain annual event. This means ‘anniversary’ is only correct if used in regards to an event that is celebrated every year.
Example:
“This year, my parents will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.”

Lately, we have seen the use of ‘anniversary’ to commemorate something that happens monthly or even weekly, such as, “Happy 10th month anniversary!”

I’m not saying that it is wrong. Some English speakers do use ‘anniversary’ in that sense, informally. However, if we look into the origin of the word ‘anniversary’, we will realise that there is only one correct way to use it. ‘Anniversary’ came from Latin words ‘annus’ (year) and ‘versus’ (turning).

So, what are the equivalents for monthly or even weekly celebration?

Mensiversary
This word came from Latin ‘mēnsis’ (month) and ‘versus’ (turning). ‘Mensiversary’ is currently the most popular option for monthly celebration. The alternatives are ‘monthsary’, ‘monthiversary’, ‘monthaversary’, ‘luniversary’, or ‘lunaversary.’ The last two words, ‘luniversary’ and ‘lunaversary’ came from Latin word ‘luna’, which means moon.
Hebdomadariversary
It is quite a mouthful, isn’t it? It is proposed as the word to use to commemorate a weekly event. It came from the late Latin word ‘hebdomadal’ (lasting seven days). If you find it hard to pronounce, ‘weekaversary’ is a good option.
Jubilee
A jubilee is a celebration every 25 years, but it is now also used on the 60th and 70th anniversary. The 25th anniversary is called silver jubilee, the 50th called gold, the 60th called diamond, the 70th called platinum.

@ndyahforentina: Time flies. Thank you for being my best friend during my college till now. I always learn something new from you. My favorite tweets are about English Trivia. Stay safe and healthy, Mimiin. Keep it up!

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, 2 January 2021.

australian, conversation, slang, trivia, WOTD

#WOTD: FLEXING

November 23, 2020 alicesaraswati 1 Comment

“Weird flex, but okay.”

Have you ever heard or read this sentence, fellas? It’s usually directed to people who have skills or styles that are a little outlandish or out-of-the-box.

‘To flex’ in the sense of bragging about personal things is an informal expression that means showing off or flaunting something (Indonesian: pamer). According to Urban Dictionary, it dates back as far as 2004.

When did ‘flexing’ start becoming popular? The word gains popularity thanks to one of Rae Sremmurd’s songs, No Flex Zone (2014). Until today, it is one of the most used internet slangs, partly thanks to flexing culture.

Now, what is flexing culture? It is an competition to show off expensive things (gadget/electronic devices, clothings, jewelleries, merchandise, etc.), lavish lifestyle, places we recently visited, or our fine dining experience to our circle of friends and family, particularly on social media, in order to seem wealthy and up-to-date and to increase our social standing.

Many articles have pointed out the psychological effects of flexing culture; some of them are the need to always compete, the replacement of self-worth and self-esteem with material things, unhealthy coping mechanism, and unnecessary spending, but I guess it all comes back to us whether we let ourselves be affected or not.

Let us know what you think about flexing and flexing culture on the comment section below.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 23 November 2020.

class, conversation, English, grammar, knowledge, speaking, vocabulary, WOTD

#ENGCLASS: PARADOX

November 21, 2020 alicesaraswati 1 Comment

Two days ago, we talked about oxymoron, which is a figure of speech that is made of two or more words with contradictory meaning. If you want to read the article on oxymoron, CLICK HERE.

Today, we are going to talk about its sibling, paradox. Both have similar features and are often mixed up.

What is a paradox? The word paradox came from Latin word ‘paradoxum’, which came from Greek word ‘paradoxon’, which means ‘contrary to expectation.’

Just as an oxymoron, a paradox is also a figure of speech. Furthermore, it is a rhetorical device that seems to contradict itself, but actually has some truth to it.

Does this confuse you, fellas? To put it simply, a paradox is a statement that is logical but contrary to our expectation.

Example:

“The only constant thing is change (Indonesian: satu-satunya hal yang tidak pernah berubah adalah perubahan).”
Explanation: nothing in life is constant, except change. Change happens all the time, to everything, and to everyone, which makes it constant.
“Failure leads to success (Indonesian: kegagalan adalah sukses yang tertunda).”
Explanation: by failing over and over again, it means we keep trying and it might mean that someday we will be successful.
“Social media brought us apart and brought us together (Indonesian: media sosial mendekatkan yang jauh dan menjauhkan yang dekat).”
Explanation: focusing on social media often makes us ignore the people who are physically present around us.
“The more you learn, the less you know (Indonesian: seperti padi, semakin berisi, semakin merunduk).”
Explanation: the more knowledgeable we are, the more we will realise that there are so many things of which we have little knowledge.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend (Indonesian: musuh dari musuh saya adalah sekutu saya).”
Explanation: meeting another enemy could easily make someone our enemy, too, but sometimes they can become our friend out of a mutual dislike towards someone else.

How do paradox and oxymoron differ?
How do we differentiate a paradox and an oxymoron when we see them in a sentence? The key is to remember that an oxymoron is made of words that have opposite meanings, while a paradox is a collection of words that contradicts itself. Check our sources below for complete reading.

Source:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradox
https://www.dictionary.com/e/paradox-oxymoron/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox
https://tom-stevenson.medium.com/13-paradoxes-you-can-use-to-improve-your-life-today-b32d7dca4e0f

Do you have a favourite paradox, fellas? Share it with us.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, 21 November 2020.

class, English, reading, speaking, vocabulary, WOTD, writing

#ENGCLASS: OXYMORON

November 19, 2020 alicesaraswati 2 Comments

Are you familiar with the word ‘oxymoron’, fellas? No, it has very little to do with the m-word except that they both came from the same Greek word mōros, which means ‘foolish’.

Oxymoron came from the Greek word oksús, which means ‘sharp’, ‘keen’, or ‘pointed’, and mōros which means ‘foolish’. So, it directly translates to ‘sharply (or smartly) foolish’.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an oxymoron (plural form ‘oxymorons’ or the less used ‘oxymora’) is a combination of contradictory words. Based on the literal meanings from the two Greek words, an oxymoron is autological or homological, which means the meaning of the word applies to itself, i.e.: an oxymoron is also an oxymoron.

Simply put, an oxymoron is a figure of speech (or ‘majas’ in Indonesian) made of two or more words that have opposite meanings.

Example:

Bittersweet (‘bitter’ and ‘sweet’ have opposite meanings).
“Such a bittersweet feeling overwhelms me whenever I think about the good old days.”
Living dead (‘living’ and ‘dead’ have opposite meanings).
“I’m so tired of movies with zombies or the living dead.”
Deafening silence (‘deafening’ means making someone deaf because of how loud the sound is, whilst ‘silence’ means a situation where there is no sound).
“The silence that followed the brief speech was deafening.”
Pretty awful (‘pretty’ and ‘awful’ are contradictory in meanings, but ‘pretty’ is used here as an intensifier, to strengthen the word ‘awful’).
“The singer sounds pretty awful; I think he should never give up his day job.”
Love-hate (‘love’ and ‘hate’ are contradictory).
“I have a love-hate relationship with social media; can’t live with it, can’t live without it.”

It’s pretty easy, isn’t it? The purpose of using figures of speech like oxymorons is to make your language output (writing, speaking) more colourful. Can you mention other examples of oxymorons, fellas?

@Keystone_Eng: I like:
Act naturally!
A small crowd
It’s your only choice

@NituYumnam:
~ pretty ugly
~ social distancing
~ cleverly stupid

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, 19 November 2020.

English, vocabulary, WOTD

#ENGVOCAB: VARIOUS WAYS TO SAY ‘TO CRY’

October 8, 2020 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

This is such a time to be alive, fellas. Not only are we in a middle of a global pandemic and climate crisis, many people are struggling to make ends meet (to survive). Sometimes, it’s okay to take a break and sort out the emotions you are feeling.

Crying is one of some healthy ways to cope with stressful situations. However, it’s sometimes underrated because someone who cries is perceived as fragile or weak, whereas we know that expressing our emotions in a healthy way is actually a sign of strength.

On this article are going to discuss several words we can use as an alternative of ‘to cry.’

1. To sob (terisak) = To shed tears audibly or sometimes noisily.

2. To weep/to shed tears (meneteskan air mata) = Usually used to describe someone who sheds tears quietly.

3. To wail (menangis sambil berteriak) = A cry caused by a deep pain, grief, and anger.

4. To bawl (menangis keras dan lama) = Typically more dramatic, more noisy, and lasting longer than sobbing.

5. To snivel (menangis pelan) = To cry and sniff in a feeble way.

6. To blubber (menangis tak terkendali) = To sob noisily and uncontrollably.

7. To squall (menangis keras, biasanya dilakukan bayi atau anak-anak) = Of a baby or a small child to cry noisily and continuously.

I hope you find this article useful. Having feelings or emotions is not wrong, fellas, and we could learn to handle them in a healthy way, as not to overwhelm us and the people around us. Stay safe and healthy!

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, 8 October 2020.

#EngKnowledge: Twitter Handles to Expand Your Vocabularies

June 11, 2020 alicesaraswati 3 Comments

Many of us are on self-quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only to keep ourselves safe and healthy, we are doing this to prevent further transmission of the virus to other people with whom we interact. We might not be showing symptoms (asymptomatic), but it does not always mean we are not carrying the virus with us. For me, it is better to be safe than sorry.

However, being on self-quarantine does come with challenging times. Eventually, I noticed my sleep pattern changes as I sleep or take frequent naps during the day and stay awake almost the whole night. Do you also experience the same?

I figured that I needed to find new interests to keep me busy and I decided to read and learn more especially about topics that I had never really touched before the pandemic.
Recently, I completed the 30-day word challenge by Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

On this article, I’m going to share some accounts that will help you expand your vocabularies and learn grammar effectively.
1. Merriam-Webster dictionary
@MerriamWebster provides you with Word of the Day, the background story behind words and phrases, and trending words.

Dictionary.com
@Dictionarycom also provides word of the day and trending words, with quite a sassy and hilarious manner.
The Oxford English Dictionary
My most favourite feature of @OED is its Word of the Year, which doesn’t only cover the most searched word of the year as it might also introduce a new word that is widely used but not registered on any dictionaries yet.
The Yuniversity
@The_YUNiversity posts daily vocabulary and grammar lessons in just a few tweets and helpful infographics. Its explanation is also really easy to comprehend. Bonus: KPop fans will relate so much to this handle.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, 11 June 2020.

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English, knowledge, trivia, vocabulary, WOTD

#EngKnowledge: Word of the Year

February 20, 2020 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

Hi, fellas, did you know that Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year 2019 is ‘climate emergency?’

We face more and more weather and climate-related crisis every year, so it is natural that people all around the world are getting more curious about the term ‘climate emergency’ and decided to look it up on the dictionaries.

As defined by Oxford Dictionaries, climate emergency is “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.”

But what is ‘Word of the Year’ and how did this tradition start?

words text scrabble blocks — Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Word(s) of the Year refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) during a specific year.

The first known version of this tradition is the German one, Wort des Jahres, which was started in 1971. The American Dialect Society is the oldest English version, started in 1991. By early 2000s, a lot of organisations began to announce their versions of Word(s) of the Year for various purposes and with various criteria for the assessment.

Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year for the last five years are:

2015: Face with tears of joy emoji or laughing-crying emoji, the first emoji to have ever been selected.
2016: Post-truth.
2017: Youthquake.
2018: Toxic.
2019: Climate emergency.

The American Dialect Society also chose the Word of the Decade, which is ‘web’ for 1990s, ‘to google’ for 2000s, and singular ‘they’ for 2010s. According to the Society, the Word of the 20th century is jazz and the Word of the Past Millennium is ‘she.’

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, 20 February 2020.

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English, knowledge, vocabulary, WOTD

#EngVocab: Words Related to Mobile Phone

February 10, 2020 alicesaraswati Leave a comment

Nowadays, a mobile phone has become a permanent part to our hands. We check our phones constantly even if there is no notification of incoming messages or calls or anything important on social medias. Do you also experience the same, fellas?

person taking photos of food — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

This article will discuss words related to mobile phones.

1. Credit
This is a common term for prepaid mobile phone service, where we purchase some amount to use the provider’s service. In Indonesian, the term ‘phone credit’ has the same meaning as ‘pulsa.’

2. Data
(Mobile) data is what connects the phone to the internet when it is not connected to a Wi-Fi network.

3. Plans
Plans mean a package that might include a number of SMS, several minutes of phone calls, and some gigabits of mobile data that we purchase from the provider on a one-off occasion or on a regular basis.

Made Wirautama (@wirautama): In Indonesian we call it “paket data”.

4. 4G and 4.5G
4G means the fourth generation of mobile phone connection. It allows a mobile phone to connect to the internet with a relatively high download speed, which is 7-12 Mbps (megabits per second), and converts the phone to a mobile multimedia. 4.5G is an improved version of 4G with faster connection that could reach 14-21 Mbps. At the moment, we’re all excited for 5G, of course.

5. 4K
What is a 4K video? A video with 4K on it means that it was shoot with a lens with 3840 x 2160 pixels. It provides clearer, less fuzzy motions.

6. 720p
720p is currently the most common number to describe screen resolution. ‘P’ means progressive-scan and ‘720’ is the number of horizontal lines on the display. Higher screen resolutions are 1080p, 2160p (4K), and 8K.

7. HD
HD stands for high definition, which is also another name for a video with 720p resolution. 1080p is full HD (FHD). 1440p is Quad HD (QHD). 2160p or 4K is Ultra HD (UHD).

8. Lite
A lite version is a ‘lighter’ version of an application. It typically takes smaller space of the phone memory, displays media with lower resolutions, and has limited features compared to the full version.

9. Beta version
A beta version generally refers to a version of a piece of software that is made available for testing, typically by a limited number of users outside the company that is developing it, before its general release.

10. International roaming
The term refers to a feature that allows us to use the service of the provider in a foreign country where the service is not available. It usually costs more than the regular service.

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 10 February 2020.

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English, vocabulary, WOTD, writing

#WOTD: Cast

September 9, 2019 alicesaraswati 1 Comment

Hi, fellas, how are you today? I hope your Monday went well.

Today, we are going to discuss the word ‘cast’ on #WOTD. What do you have in mind every time you read or hear this word, fellas?

For me, the word ‘cast’ is always associated with an actor or actress being chosen to play a specific role in a movie.

E.g.: “When I heard that Joaquin Phoenix was cast as the Joker, I really couldn’t wait to see the movie.”

Clapper

However, aside of that meaning, there are also other meaning of the word ‘cast.’ Let’s start on how it functions as a verb.

The verb ‘to cast’ means to set or throw something aside, especially with force.
E.g.: “He cast the newspaper aside when he found a misleading article written about him.”

It can also mean to cause a light or a shadow to appear on a certain surface.
E.g.: “The morning sun cast an orange shade over the empty field.”

‘To cast’ can also mean to shape or to mould something (usually of metal) in its molten form and let it cool until it becomes solid.
E.g.: “The ring was cast in Mordor.”

If we ‘cast a look/glance/smile, etc.’ towards something, it means that we throw a look, a glance, a smile, etc. to a specific direction.
E.g.: “As she wasn’t prepared, she couldn’t help casting nervous glances towards her classmates during the quiz.”

There are also ‘to cast a vote,’ which means to vote, and ‘to cast a spell/curse,’ which means to put a spell or a curse on someone.

In past tense and participle tense, the word ‘cast’ retains its form. So, the past form, the participle form, and the passive form of ‘cast’ are still ‘cast.’

As a noun, ‘cast’ generally refers to an object made in a mould. For example, an accident just happened to someone causing his ankle to sprain, so he needs to wear a cast.

Written and compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 9 September 2019.

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English, WOTD

#WOTD: Embezzle

July 19, 2019 EnglishTips4U 2 Comments

Hi, Fellas! How do you do along this week?

In this session, I would like to share some information about “embezzle.” Have you heard about this word?

“Embezzle” is adopted from the word “embesiller” Anglo-French, which means “to make a way with.” According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, this word acts as a verb with a meaning “to steal money you’ve been trusted with.”

In my view, this word refers the ones who work in finance division that steal the company’s or organizations’s fund.

There are some related words to “embezzle,” such as “misappropriate,” “misuse,” “preempt,” “peculate,” etc. Lastly, here are some examples of sentences that contains embezzle:
1. “She was arrested from emblezzing his company’s.”
2. “He’s aware that his boss embezzle the company’s money, but he pretends to not know about it.”

Compiled and written by @mettaa_ for @EnglishTips4u on Friday, July 19, 2019

English, WOTD

#WOTD: Hoodwink

April 23, 2019 EnglishTips4U 1 Comment

Hi, Fellas! How are you doing? How are your days so far? This evening we meet again in word of the day session. This time I am going to share ‘hoodwink’ as the topic. Have you ever heard about this word?

Hoodwink is the combination of ‘hood’ and ‘wink,’ which means to trick or deceiving someone. According to the meaning,it is obvious that ‘hoodwink’ acts as an verb if we use it in a sentence. There are some words that are related to ‘hoodwink,’ such as ‘delute’ ‘fake out,’ and ‘hoax.’

Lastly,here are some example of ‘hoodwink’ in a sentence
1. “Don’t be hoodwinked by some news without verification.’
2. “They hoodwinked George by telling him lies.’

Compiled and written by @mettaa_ for @EnglishTips4u on Friday, April 12, 2019