Know Your English
“Luckily, nothing serious happened. My dad managed to avoid the truck.”
“Thank goodness! So your dad was on the wheel when this thing...”
“He wasn't 'on' the wheel. He was 'at' the wheel. He was the one driving the car.”
“What about the truck? Who was at the wheel? Did you...”
“Whoever was at the wheel probably realised he'd made a mistake. So, he didn't stop.”
“That happens a lot in our country. Anyway, did you file a complaint with the police?”
“No. Everything happened so fast that we didn't get the truck's licence plate.”
“That's too bad. Don't worry about it. I just heard some news that's likely to cheer you up. Your neighbour, Mr. Janardhan, has been transferred to Vizag. He leaves next week.”
“That's great news! The man's a nuisance. Everyone in this building will be happy to see him go. Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish! Is the expression usually used when somebody you don't like leaves or departs?”
“That's right. It's normally used to show delight - that you're happy to see the back of someone you don't like. It can be used with things as well. For example, mother traded in the old TV for a new one. Good riddance to bad rubbish. It's also possible to shorten the expression to 'good riddance'.
“Our Principal is retiring next month. Many of the students are already saying 'good riddance'.”
“That's a good example. When my sister decided to donate her violin to charity, everyone at home heaved a sigh of relief and said good riddance.”
“I'll be happy to see the back of Mr. Janardhan and his son. They are...”
“His son? The poor kid is just six years old. What did he ever....”
“Whenever he sees me, he comes charging and hits me with his head. It really...”
“Hits you with his head? Oh that's right! Ever since he started watching football on TV, he's into head-butting quite a bit.”
“What's head-butting?”
“That's when you make use your head to hit someone really hard on their body or their face. In the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane was shown the red card after he had head-butted a player from Italy.”
“I remember that! It cost France the World Cup. I once got a head-butt from someone who had a black belt in karate. It took me a couple of hours to recover.”
“In many of our movies, we see the hero head-butting the villain to the ground.”
“Enough about head-butting. Tell me, what does ‘Movember’ mean?”
“It's a combination of two words - moustache and November. During this month, some men decide not to shave - instead, they choose to grow a moustache for charity. This yearly event is to make people aware of certain health issues related to men - both physical and mental. A man who takes part in this event is called ‘Mo Bro’.”
“That's pretty cool.”
***
A man without a moustache is like a cup of tea without sugar. English Proverb
Email: upendrankye@gmail.com
“Thank goodness! So your dad was on the wheel when this thing...”
“He wasn't 'on' the wheel. He was 'at' the wheel. He was the one driving the car.”
“What about the truck? Who was at the wheel? Did you...”
“Whoever was at the wheel probably realised he'd made a mistake. So, he didn't stop.”
“That happens a lot in our country. Anyway, did you file a complaint with the police?”
“No. Everything happened so fast that we didn't get the truck's licence plate.”
“That's too bad. Don't worry about it. I just heard some news that's likely to cheer you up. Your neighbour, Mr. Janardhan, has been transferred to Vizag. He leaves next week.”
“That's great news! The man's a nuisance. Everyone in this building will be happy to see him go. Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish! Is the expression usually used when somebody you don't like leaves or departs?”
“That's right. It's normally used to show delight - that you're happy to see the back of someone you don't like. It can be used with things as well. For example, mother traded in the old TV for a new one. Good riddance to bad rubbish. It's also possible to shorten the expression to 'good riddance'.
“Our Principal is retiring next month. Many of the students are already saying 'good riddance'.”
“That's a good example. When my sister decided to donate her violin to charity, everyone at home heaved a sigh of relief and said good riddance.”
“I'll be happy to see the back of Mr. Janardhan and his son. They are...”
“His son? The poor kid is just six years old. What did he ever....”
“Whenever he sees me, he comes charging and hits me with his head. It really...”
“Hits you with his head? Oh that's right! Ever since he started watching football on TV, he's into head-butting quite a bit.”
“What's head-butting?”
“That's when you make use your head to hit someone really hard on their body or their face. In the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane was shown the red card after he had head-butted a player from Italy.”
“I remember that! It cost France the World Cup. I once got a head-butt from someone who had a black belt in karate. It took me a couple of hours to recover.”
“In many of our movies, we see the hero head-butting the villain to the ground.”
“Enough about head-butting. Tell me, what does ‘Movember’ mean?”
“It's a combination of two words - moustache and November. During this month, some men decide not to shave - instead, they choose to grow a moustache for charity. This yearly event is to make people aware of certain health issues related to men - both physical and mental. A man who takes part in this event is called ‘Mo Bro’.”
“That's pretty cool.”
***
A man without a moustache is like a cup of tea without sugar. English Proverb
Email: upendrankye@gmail.com
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