SLANG WORDS AND COLLOQUIALISMS

Slang words are in common informal use, but generally considered not to form part of standard English even though they are often used deliberately for their picturesque or unconventional effect.
Colloquialisms are words or phrases often used in familiar or ordinary conversation rather than in formal writing.
Thus slang and colloquialisms are informal words meant for usage in informal conversations.
It is often difficult to distinguish between a slang and a colloquial expression. A good dictionary would help you to know whether a word is a slang or a colloquial expression. Some examples of slang words and colloquialisms are given her: their distinction is based on the Oxford English Dictionary.

Examples of Slangs:
1. Hep: A hep (well-informed) person.
A hep (stylish) stroke made by the batsman.
A hep (jazz or swing addict) crowd of university boys and girls.
2. Drop dead!: An exclamation of intense scorn.
3. Crow: She is a crow (an old and ugly woman).
4. If I look at your pan any longer, I will lose my temper. (pan means face).
5.I can bomb out his plans. (bomb out means fall).
6. He is sure to cinch the deal (cinch means tie up).
7. The young man was fried up and could not drive straight (fried up means drunk).
8. He is a son of a big gun (big gun means important person).
9. He will give you the pip if you get a bad report (pip means show you his temper).
10.You will get stuck in your work the whole day (get stuck means involved in earnestly).

Examples of Colloquialisms:
1. What a close shave! (close shave-narrow escape).
2. The terrorist put the police on the ball (on the ball-alert).
3. Not such hot news(such hot-only mediocre).
4. He is made of money (made of money-very rich).
5. The enemy positions cracked up (cracked up - collapsed under strain).
6. May i be excused? (be excused - to leave the room).
7. He got the job in one go? (one go - at first attempt).
8. He consumed a peg of whiskey on the rocks (on the rocks - with ice-cubes only, or without water or soda).
9. Let us run along (run along-depart) to our own destinations.
10.We are all set (all set- ready to start) for the summit.

JOKES AND RIDDLES

Son: What’s a weapon?
Father: It’s something you fight with.
Son: Is Mom your weapon?


Giri: Teacher, would you scold someone for something he didn’t do?
Teacher: Of course not.
Giri: Well that’s good, because I didn’t do my homework.


A scientist invented a liquid that would dissolve anything it touched. However, he couldn’t sell the invention why?
There was nothing he could put the liquid in.


Where does afternoon always come before morning?
In the dictionary.


What loses its head every morning but gets it back at night?
A pillow.


What’s never used until it’s broken?
An egg.


I am something that is full of holes and yet can hold water. What am I?
A sponge.


What can be measured but has no length, width or thickness?
The temperature.


Teacher: Harry, I can hardly read your handwriting. You must learn to write more clearly.
Harry: What’s the use? If I wrote more clearly, you’d complain about my spelling.

Scramblish, Indish, Franglais, or English

Modern English is the most popular and the most widely used language in history. In addition to the almost 400 million who speak it as their mother tongue, over a billion use it as a second language. It has become the language of the world, in this swirling, confusing Babel; it is only natural that curious things occur. Words are broken, mangled, fractured, clobbered or just scrambled with words from other languages. If this does not fulfil the need or convey the exact meaning, words from around the world just sneak into English vocabulary. And the language continues to grow…
Here are some examples of once-upon-a-time foreign words which have now become a part of this living language:
Ab initio: from the beginning (Latin)
A bon marchee: cheap, a bargain (French)
Adieu: farewell, good-bye (French)
Agenda: things to be done (Latin)
Ahimsa: doctrine of non-violence (Hindi)
Aide-de-camp: field aide (French)
A la carte: according to the menu (French)
A la mode: as per the fashion (French)
Apartheid: South African policy of racial segregation (Dutch)
Arista: the best (Greek)
Bakshish: tip, money (Persian)
Bambino:baby, child (Italian)
Bathos: false pathos; an anti-climax (Greek)
Bolsheviki: Lenin-led Communists (Russian)
Bon vivant: one who likes to live well (French)
Cheetah: spotted leopard (Hindi)
Chou mein: Chinese noodles mixed with meat or vegetables (Chinese)
Chukar: red-legged Indian partridge (Hindi)
Communiqué: official statement or dispatch (French)
Coup d’ etat: a sudden seizure of government (French)
Coup de grace: death-blow (French)
Coup de main: sudden blow (French)
Czar: Russian emperor, autocrat (Russian)
De facto: in existence (Latin)
De jure: legally (French)
Esprit de corps: spirit of loyalty to one’s group (French)
Ex officio: by virtue of his office (Latin)
Fait accompli: things already done (French)
Faux pas: false step, blunder (French)
Fiasco: failure (Italian)
Garuda: fabulous, partly human bird of Indian myth (Hindi)
Guru: teacher (Hindi)
Hara-kiri: ceremonial suicide (Japanese)
Kabab: meat cooked/baked with spices, usually on skewer (Persian)
Kama: Hindu god of love (Hindi)
Khaki: dust coloured, dull brownish-yellow fabric of cotton or wool (Hindi)
Magnum opus: masterpiece (Latin)
Maladroit: awkward, tactless (French)
Malaria: illness transmitted by mosquito bite (Italian)
Manifesto: declaration (Italian)
Marina: settled and landscape seashore (Italian)
Matador: bullfighter who kills bull with sword (Spanish)
Prima facie: at first glance (Latin)
Pro bono publico: for public good (Latin)
Pro forma: as a matter of form (Latin)
Puissance: power (French)
Puree: thick cream soup (French)
Qui vive: on the alert (French)
Rapprochement: re-establishing of friendly relations (French)
Recto: on the right hand page (Latin)
Resume: summary (French)
Robot: automaton trained to do man’s work (Czech)
Roulette: gambling wheel (French)
Safari: hunting trip in Africa (Arabic)
Salaam: salutation, form of greeting (Arabic)
Samurai: Japanese feudal nobleman (Japanese)
Sangfroid: coolness in the face of danger (French)
Sans souci: carefree, free from worry (French)
Sayonara: goodbye (Japanese)
Table d’hote: regular menu, no choice (French)
Tutti-frutti: all fruits, mixed fruits (Italian)
Uno animo: with one mind (Latin)
Yoga: Hindu system of philosophic meditation and asceticism designed to effect reunion with the universal spirit (Hindi)
Vox populi: voice of the people (Latin)
Zeitgeist: spirit of the times (German)

Me or I…?

How Good is your English? Have you ever said me and then wondered if it shouldn’t have been I – or vice versa? Do you sometimes get a little confused about lay and lie or who and whom? Perhaps you are often a little less certain about the distinction, because you do not care about grammar. But grammar is simple. It is a way of talking about the relationship of words.
Three little words you often see
Are articles – A, An, and The.
A Noun’s the name of anything.
As School, or Garden: Hoop, or Swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of Noun,
As Great, Small, Pretty, White, or Brown.
Instead of Nouns the Pronouns stand –
He came in; She raised her hand.
Verbs tell of something being done –
To Read, Count, Laugh, Sing, Jump, or Run.
How things are done the Adverbs tell,
As Slowly, Quickly, Ill, or Well.
Conjunctions join the words together,
As men and women, wind or weather.
The Prepositions stand before
A Noun, as In or Through a door.
The Interjection shows surprice,
As Oh, how pretty! Ah, How wise!
The whole are called Nine parts of Speech,
Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

1st Online bits I B Tech: English

1. Aristotle was a : Greek Philosopher.
2. The moon moves in an elliptical orbit around the earth on account of : universal gravitation.
3. The book in which Aristotle maintained that the earth is round sphere instead of a plate is : On the Heavens
4. Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish Priest, proposed a simple model of the Solar System.
5. Aristotle’s arguments were considered to be good because : they were supported by facts.
6. Newton realized that, according to the theory of gravity, the stars should attract one another. The statement implies that : The stars could not remain motionless.
7. Which human yearning is justification enough for the continued search for a complete unified theory of the universe? : Desire for knowledge.
8. Until 1929, the two basic beliefs about the universe were : the universe was static and the origin was a theological question.
9. Edwin Hubble observed that wherever one looks, the distant galaxies are found to be moving away, which suggests that : the universe is expanding.
10. According to Karl Popper a good theory : could be disproved by observation.
11. According to Stephen Hawking, the ultimate goal of science is : to provide a unified theory of the whole universe.
12. Newton’s theory of gravity, states that the stars attract one another since : they cannot remain static.
13. The Copernicus theory was supported by : Kepler and Galileo.
14. Aristotle belonged to Greece.
15. According to Ptolemy the outermost sphere of the cosmos : carried fixed stars.
16. The death-blow to the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic theory came : when Galileo invented the telescope in 1609.
17. Sir Isaac Newton observed that the planets moved in : ellipses, not circles.
18. Aristotle’s theory that everything was made out of the four elements, namely, earth, air, fire and water was nullified because : it did not make any definite predictions.
19. According to Stephen Hawking, man has discovered : a unified theory.
20. According to Stephen Hawking, a good theory must describe observations based on a model and make : definite predictions.
21. The major questions that were unanswered before Aristotle were related to : the nature of time and origin of the universe.
22. The basis on which Aristotle believed that the earth was spherical was that : the earth’s shadow on the earth was always round.
23. The model of the universe as proposed by Nicholas Copernicus was that : the sun was stationary at the centre with the earth and the other planets moving in circular orbits around the sun.
24. Aristotle observed that the eclipses of the moon were caused by : the earth coming between the sun and the moon.
25. Galileo’s observation through the telescope indicated that : the earth may not be at the centre of the universe.
26. According to Sir Isaac Newton’s law of universal gravitation : each body in the universe was attracted by every other body by a strong force.
27. The idea which Ptolemy elaborated into a complete cosmological model was that of : Aristotle
28. The major defect in the cosmological model as conceived by Ptolemy was : that the earth was static.
29. Edwin Hubble’s observation that the galaxies were fast moving away indicates that : the heavenly objects were very close to one another earlier.
30. Hubble’s Big Bang theory of time suggested that the universe was once : very small and very dense.


31. The Science of information feedback system is called : Cybernetics
32. The classic in Computer ethics written by Joseph Weizenbaum is : Computer Power and Human Reason.
33. A series of international conferences on computer ethics is known as : ETHICOMP
34. Down Parker created a code of ethics for the members of the : Association of Computer-aided government organizations.
35. Walter Maner defined computer ethics as a branch which studies ethical problems created by computer technology.
36. The Association for Computing Machinery was established in 1973, and created a code of ethics.
37. The year 1985 was a watershed year for computer ethics because : Deborah Johnson published the first major text book in the field, Computer Ethics.
38. The ‘second industrial revolution’ referred by Norbert Weiner is : the integration of computer technology into society.
39. According to Gorniak, as computers do not know boundaries, computer ethics leads to the : emergence of computer revolution.
40. The computer programme created to imitate a Rogerian psychotherapist engaged in an interview with a patient was : ELIZA
41. Norbert Wiener’s book on computer ethics entitled, The Human Use of Human Beings, was written in : 1950
42. The author who defined computer ethics as a branch that studies ethical problems created by computer technology was : Walter Maner
43. Deborah Johnson believed that : fundamental ethical theories would remain unaffected
44. Deborah Johnson believed that the computer revolution would lead to : a revolution in ethics
45. Norbert Weiner, Walter Maner and Krystyna Gorniak considered computer technology : ethically revolutionary
46. Computer ethics as a field of study was founded by Norbert Wiener while helping to develop an : anti-aircraft cannon
47. In 1940’s Norbert Wiener founded the new area of : applied ethics
48. The person who observed that computer revolution would not lead to a revolution in ethics was : Deborah Johnson
49. Some psychiatrists thought that the computer program, ELIZA created by Joseph Weizenbaum would provide : Automated psychotherapy
50. The editor of the journal, Metaphilosophy, was : Terrell Ward Bynum
51. The person who won the essay competition conducted by Terrell Ward Bynum to generate interest in computer ethics, was : James Moor
52. The title of the prize winning essay written by James Moor was : What is Computer Ethics?
53. The person who said that the computer ethic would bring in global ethic was : Krystyna Gorniak
54. The person who developed curriculum materials and a university course in computer ethics in 1979 was : Terrell Ward Bynum


55. Prof. Vikram Sarabhai is a man of : High optimism
56. Siva Temple made Rameswaram so sacred.
57. One of the significant developments that occurred during the subsequent work on RATO was : the release of a ten- year profile for space research in the country
58. Abdul Kalam was called Azad by : Ahmed Jallaluddin
59. Dr. Chitnis of the physical Research Laboratory had spotted Thumba as an equatorial Rocket Launchig Station because : it was very close to the earth’s magnetic equator
60. The collapse of Pamban Bridge was the main concern for Abdul Kalam’s father during the cyclone that struck the Rameswaram coast?
61. Abdul Kalam was sent to the Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit (A&ATU) at Kanpur to : design a model craft
62. The most cherished memory of Abdul Kalam at MIT : Prof. Sponder praising Abdul Kalam as his best student
63. The full form of NASA : National Aeronautics and Space Administration
64. Aeronautical Development Establishment is a t: Bangalore
65. The article that won the prize for Abdul Kalam in an essay writing competition : Let us make our own aircraft
66. St. Mary Magdalene Church housed the first office of the Thumba Space Centre.
67. Abdul Kalam took his first posting a t: DTD&P Air
68. ‘Bread baked without love is bitter bread that feeds out half a man’s hunger.’ Who made this statement? : Khalil Gibran
69. The incident that helped Abdul Kalam to pursue his studies at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT)? : Mortgage of gold bangles and chain by Zohra
70. What influenced Abdul Kalam to move away and study in Schwartz High School? Mahatma Gandhi’s declaration that “Indians would build their own India”.
71. The most popular newspaper in the early childhood of Abdul Kalam was : Dinamani
72. India’s first jet fog fighter, the HF 24 Marut was designed by : Dr. Kurt Tank
73. Who said the following and to whom ? “Going away is a part of growing up.” : Jainulabdeen to Abdul Kalam
74. The city of Delhi was named after a Sufisaint : Hazrat Nizamuddin
75. Abdul Kalam’s love for reading was encouraged by : STR Manickam
76. The seeds by selling which Abdul Kalam got his first earnings were : tamarind seeds
77. Abdul Kalam was born in the year :1931
78. Abdul Kalam’s father’s name was Jainulabdeen and mother’s name was Ashiamma.
79. Abdul Kalam’s sister’s name was Zohara and brother-in-law was Jallaluddin.
80. Rameswaram was a part of the state of : Madras.
81. The creativity that Abdul Kalam, displayed in his life was due to the inspiration provided by Jallaluddin and: Samsuddin
82. The man who said to Abdul Kalam, “With faith, one can change one’s destiny”. Was: Iyadurai Solomon
83. The language in which Jainulabdeen was able to express complex spiritual concepts was : Tamil
84. When World II started in 1939, Abdul Kalam’s mother and grandmother told him were from the Ramayan and : The life of Prophet muhammud
85. A sail boat was launched by Jainulabdeen to carry pilgrims from Rameswaram to Dhanuskodi
86. The Nandi project was abandoned because of the change of : the central government.
87. The real journey of the Indian space programme began with : The Rohini Sounding Rocket programme
88. The painting that aroused the curiosity of Abdul Kalam at NASA about the development of Rockets in India was : the painting of the army of Tipu Sultan fighting the British East India Company
89. The full form of GEM is : Ground Equipment Machine
90. The objective of project Nandi was to develop : a practical hovercraft for battlefield applications
91. The purpose of Abdul Kalam’s first visit to NASA was to : to attend a six-month training programme in sounding rocket launching technologies
92. The rebirth of rocketry in India was due to the technological vision of : Jawaharlal Nehru
93. The first two Indian rockets launched from Thumba were : Rohini and Menaka
94. The first Rohini-75 rocket was launched from TERLS on : 20 November 1967
95. In his approach Prof Vikram Sarabhai was rather : unorthodox
96. Prof Vikram Sarabhai was running the country’s space research establishment : understaffed and overworked
97. In Abdul Kalam’s view Prof Sarabhai was : an innovator
98. Prof Vikram Sarabhai believed in : an open and free exchange of views
99. Prof Vikram Sarabhai felt that without collective understanding of a problem : effective leadership was impossible
100. The Indian Air Force was in dire need of RATO motors for use in : S-22 and HF-24 aircraft
101. India’s first rocket launch took place on : 21 November 1963
102. India’s first sounding rocket made at NASA and launched at Thumba was Nike- Apache
103. The development of Indian rockets in the twentieth century can be seen as a revival of the eighteenth century vision of : Tipu Sultan
104. Prof. Vikram Sarabhai took a series of decisions which later became : the life-mission of many scientists in India
105. The scientist who selected Thumba in Kerala as India’s Rocket Launching Station was : Dr. Chitinis of the Physical Research Laboratory



ANTONYMS
1. Frugal : Extravagant
2. Commit : Release
3. Approach : Disappear
4. Accidental : Intentional
5. Equilibrium : Imbalance
6. Convince : Compel
7. Superior : Inferior
8. Ridiculous : Reasonable

SYNONYMS
1. Arbitrary : Independent
2. Static : Stationary
3. Reverence : Respect
4. Fascinating : Enchanting
5. Integrity : Unity
6. Intuition : foreknowledge
7. Infinitesimal : Infinitely small
8. Pitfall : Downfall
9. Revoke : cancel

Choose the word that does not belong to the group.
1. Regime, Procedure, Business, Method : Business
2. Theology, Hypothesis, Thesis, Gravity : Thesis
3. Economy, Per capita income, Wealth, University : University
4. Novel, Book, Innovative, Original : Book
5. Scientist, Astronomer, Engineer, Theology : Theology


Identify the error
1. An engineer is a professional which puts scientific knowledge to practical use. : which
2. The earliest form of artificial lightening was fire, which also provided warm and protection. : warm
3. We don’t deserve the punishment: neither my friend nor I are to blame for the incident. : are
4. Mark is one of those who has not understood the problem. : has
5. Hardly he had entered the classroom when he realized that he had forgotten to bring the duster. : he had
6. One of the several problems is to convince the Management about the need to take immediate steps. : about


ACCENT MARK

1. En’thusiasm
2. Im’provement
3. Compe’tition
4. In’digenous
5. Inte’llectual
6. Cap’ability
7. Im’provement
8. En’deavours


Spelling

1. Ultimately
2. Dilemma
3. Perspective
4. Receive
5. Convinced
6. Rudimentary
7. Integration
8. Philosopher
9. curriculum
10. convinced
11. Challenge
12. Engineer


Preposition & Article

1. My father has great hope for my future.
2. Johnson’s hypothesis, in reality, is essentially the opposite of Gorniak’s.
3. The planets were made to orbit the Sun.
4. The earth stood at the center.
5. Where did the universe come from?
6. Universe is governed by definite laws.
7. Each body in the universe is attracted towards every other body by a force.
8. Infinite number of stars were distributed over a finite region of space.


PREFIX

1. Heard : Unheard
2. Appear : Disappear
3. Adequate : Inadequate
4. Repairable : Irreparable
5. Affected : Unaffected
6. Significant : Insignificant

One Word Substitute

1. Oral examination of applicant : Interview
2. Describe or explain by experiment : Demonstration
3. About to happen : Imminent
4. Order to appear : Summon
5. ‘To have a complete commitment and dedication’ : Heart and Soul
6. Preserve in memory by celebration or ceremony : Commemorate
7. Difficult to classify : Multiplex
8. One who flies a spacecraft : Astronaut
9. Utter confusion : Chaotic

Idiom Phrase

1. ‘to raise and educate’ : bring up
2. ‘fail or collapse’ : breakdown
3. ‘persuade or convince to take part’ : to rope in
4. ‘to have a complete commitment and dedication’ : heart and soul
5. ‘major advance in knowledge’ : break through
6. ‘work continuously for a longer time’ : work around the clock









Meaning for the prefix

1. Pre : before
2. Ultra : beyond
3. Fore : before
4. Multi : many
5. Tetra : four
6. Uni : one
7. Pre : before
8. Post : after
9. Auto : self
10. Hypo : below normal
11. Proto : first
12. Amphi : both
13. Anti : against
14. Aero : air
15. Sub : under
16. Metro : chief
17. Equi : same