Do you give exams or take them?

 When was the last time you gave an exam? In university, perhaps, or to get an online certification? Almost everyone in India seems to have given exams.

I was so into like cancel boards covid is spreading and all and now I'm about to go to a center to give my entrance exam. Kinda scared 😰

— nandini rawat (@n4ndiniiiiii) April 17, 2021

#MakeTerm1Online.Today I gave my exam and believe me no covid protocols were strictly followed.The externals were not even wearing their masks properly.The other students were chatting while standing close to each other with their masks off..No social distancing was maintained

— Arya Upadhyay (@AryaUpadhyay29) November 22, 2021

I have to give my exam in an hour and got hurt on my hand rn and now it's bleeding
HOW WOULD I GIVE MY EXAM BRO??

— srishti (@naisecretgf) December 2, 2021

As for me, I have never given an exam in my entire life! That's because a candidate takes an exam, whereas a teacher is the one who gives an exam. This is a very common mistake that Indians make. 

Bonus: 10 classic indianisms. 

Alumni

Many people think that alumni is a singular noun when in fact it is a plural. The masculine singular is alumnus and the feminine is alumna. 

It’s easy to remember this when you think of other words whose -us endings turn into -i in the plural: fungus - fungi, focus - foci, radius - radii etc  

I am officially an alumni at CSULB ✨
Can’t wait to see what i do next 🥰 pic.twitter.com/pKPiGcdfr7

— Britt 🦋 (@brittanyy_ann_) May 31, 2021

i am an alumni of keystone college! #Graduation2021 #Classof2021 pic.twitter.com/bbv2Vy6F1Z

— jamie (@jamiEEEjohnson) May 25, 2021

Congratulations to Brandon Dewease for being named MCCer of the Month for September! Brandon is an alumni of MCC and now serves as the Director of Student Engagement. To read more, visit https://t.co/ZMKD9SY63m#MccEagles #MCCerOfTheMonth #StudentEngagement #FindYourWings pic.twitter.com/VbETTl2ZJN

— Meridian Community College (@MCCEagles) September 20, 2021

The following are some examples of correct usage.

 

Senator Duckworth is an alumna of The George Washington University... pic.twitter.com/J3R6dGRD1C

— YAF (@yaf) July 6, 2020

Jonathan McCardle is an alumnus of the prestigious National Criminal Defense College in Bristol, Rhode Island. #ncdc #criminaldefense #dui #duidefense #nacdl pic.twitter.com/DQnDnN5vzO

— Jonathan McCardle (@Jon_McCardle) September 20, 2021

A usage without basis

This has turned into one of my pet peeves, along with the use of post as a preposition. I am talking about the increasing trend of writing basis instead of on the basis of or based on, as has been done in the following examples:

Employees will have to evaluate which regime works for them, basis the amount of deductions / exemptions they wish to claim. (The Economic Times)

The premium rates will vary basis the sum assured option chosen by the policyholder. (maxlifeinsurance.com)

The supply chains need to have a different treatment everywhere basis the nature of work: Ms Alka Nangia Arora, JS, @minmsme at FICCI - UN Women D&I Webinar on 'Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Supply Chains'. pic.twitter.com/kChKInCQlZ

— FICCI (@ficci_india) April 27, 2020

Hi Manoj,for your query regarding incorrect deduction from your wallet for amount of Rs 125/- Please note that as defined by the FASTag regulatory body, Toll plaza may take 20 calendar days to either accept or reject the dispute basis the outcome of their internal investigation.

— Paytm Bank Care (@paytmbankcare) April 27, 2020

Dear Rahul,
Stem cells hold potential to treat COVID-19 basis the current human clinical trials around the world. However, these are still early days to conclude anything at this point of time.
You may visit our website: https://t.co/FIQJdTPkPl

— LifeCell International (@Lifecellint) April 27, 2020

Rather than calculating infection rate basis the population, why not calculate on basis the Total tests conducted.

— टरबूज मामु (@80hrCM) April 26, 2020

Should teenagers propose?

In Indian English, teenagers often talk of proposing to someone when they mean to ask someone out on a date or declare their fondness for that person.

Not so in standard English, where to propose (in the intransitive sense, i.e. when the verb doesn't have a direct object) only means 'to make an offer of marriage to someone'.

https://www.lexico.com/definition/propose

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propose

A three-way bifurcation

We have already concluded that the three-way bifurcation by the High Court was legally unsustainable, said one of the sentences in the recent Supreme Court judgement on the Ram Janmabhoomi case.

The Oxford dictionary defines bifurcation as the division of something into two branches or parts. Hence, a three-way bifurcation is self-contradictory. The word the judges needed to use was trifurcation, a division into three parts.

Have you ever run a 10 km marathon?

Running is an increasingly popular hobby in India as people get more health-conscious and realise that physical exercise is as important as a good diet. And for those who are competitive, or those who just like the thrill of running with hundreds of other people, there are many road races to choose from, at least in the big cities. You can choose from among a range of distances to run, depending on your ability, with the most common being 5 km (or 5K, as they usually say), 10 km, half marathon and marathon. 

But, what is a 10 km marathon that I sometimes read about, like in the following tweets?

Sh Sanjeeva Kumar, AS& DG #NACO with participants running for 10k marathon at Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium, for children living with #HIV. He flagged off the marathon along with MP, #RajyaSabha Sh @sachin_rt. pic.twitter.com/LUv4RTrutz

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 25, 2018

The fine and gorgeous @macynyman, actress and daughter to Andy, is running a 10k marathon for cancer research. In case you’re feeling even a bit generous: https://t.co/wMAUgigwFC

— Derren Brown (@DerrenBrown) April 16, 2018

We'd like to say a huge "Thank you!" to Danny Burkhill who ran the Sheffield 10k Marathon (in a panda head costume) and raised a fantastic £83.27 for us. We really appreciate your support Danny. <3 :D #Sheffield pic.twitter.com/f4oBSNSwjx

— RSPCA Sheffield (@RSPCASheffield) November 4, 2018

Over 1500 enthusiastic Bengalureans from all age groups participated in the 5k and 10K marathon. The run was organised to create an awareness on importance of Education and fitness.#RunBengaluru#RunToEducate pic.twitter.com/m7LidsSTbK

— NEWS9 (@NEWS9TWEETS) December 2, 2018

#XAthon, a 10K marathon where the amount raised through registrations was donated for a cause

More - https://t.co/DyRcr21L5p#Xpressions17 pic.twitter.com/J0V7fet8uZ

— XIMB (@ximbee) October 16, 2017

Vicky Vantoch is a amazing woman. She ran a 10k marathon yesterday. Shes not only incredibly smart but she is a great athlete

— ElizabethO #BeAMisha (@eorozco2720) October 8, 2017

Some people seem to think that a road race of any distance is a marathon. They are mistaken. Only a race measuring 42.195 km is called a marathon and, not surprisingly, a half marathon covers half that distance: 21.0975 km. Hence, a 10K marathon makes no sense.

How do you use your pronouns?

How do you use your pronouns?#plainlanguagehttps://t.co/0RllqcSkVU

— plainlanguage.gov (@govplainlang) April 16, 2018

Do you know the meaning of #Lenovo ? Here's a fascinating etymology coming your way!#EtymologyEducation is a fantastic way to become the best student that you can.
Click here to study etymology with Logophilia: https://t.co/vZcjHmxaTA.
2018 © Logophilia Education Pvt. Ltd. pic.twitter.com/aT9xhjNTkr

— Logo+philia (@Logophilia_Edu) April 16, 2018

You might have heard that you have to avoid them, but what actually is a dangling participle? https://t.co/CE2A26RthJ

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) April 6, 2018

Do you know the meaning of #Panasonic ? Here's a fascinating etymology coming your way!#EtymologyEducation is a fantastic way to become the best student that you can.
Click here to study etymology with Logophilia: https://t.co/vZcjHmfA22.
2018 © Logophilia Education Pvt. Ltd. pic.twitter.com/dS9B1hFBLC

— Logo+philia (@Logophilia_Edu) April 5, 2018

Unchartered waters

Before the era of aviation, explorers and traders travelled the world by sea. They were aided by charts -- in other words, maps. Hence, regions for which charts were not available were uncharted waters. Uncharted waters and uncharted territory are used metaphorically these days to refer to new, unprecedented situations.

However, many people mistakenly write unchartered instead. Unchartered means not having a charter or written constitution. Take a look at the examples below:

Colombia in Unchartered Territory With Peace Deal's Defeat https://t.co/f5ByDOxden

— Llamma Lane (@llammalane) 3 de octubre de 2016

We are living in unchartered waters in #politics, says Miliband #tfwa #TFWA2016

— DFNI Magazine (@DFNI) 3 de octubre de 2016

At the New York HIT Summit, Diving into Unchartered Cybersecurity Waters | Healthcare Informatics Magazine https://t.co/utylXgreLs

— Luis Saldana (@lsaldanamd) 28 de septiembre de 2016

Interesting tweets - 2

"Lay" or "lie"? @GrammarGirl clears up any confusion: https://t.co/tJ47CVJIDV #grammar

— AP for Students (@APforStudents) September 16, 2016

Prone:👇 (facing downward)
Supine: 👆 (facing upward)
Prostrate:😲 (lying flat; overcome)https://t.co/WijShiAghF

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 22, 2016

.@mzinshteyn Eh, that's fine. https://t.co/i8114W72Rt

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 21, 2016

Few reasonable people still object to 'since' used to mean "because." 'As' might ruffle some feathers, however. https://t.co/lp7XhqIfN0

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 20, 2016

Rest assured

According to Cambridge Dictionary, rest assured means to be certain that something will happen and gives this example: You can rest assured that you're going to get a good deal.

Quite often, however, I have seen it used with a be before it, like in the following examples:

• It may sound quite amazing and perhaps unbelievable, but you can be rest assured that what you're about to read is completely true.
• By choosing us you can be rest assured that your facility, project...
• ...you can be rest assured you have full rights to use all images...

This is not correct.

The rest in rest assured is a verb which means to relax, to not worry. You'll understand the expression better if you imagine a comma after rest. So you could paraphrase the first example as

...but you can rest, assured in the knowledge that what you're about to read is completely true. 

 Now you can easily see why be rest assured doesn't make sense. 

Send your form to the below address

The prepositions below and above are often used as adjectives, like in the following examples:

• If you would prefer to make a cash or check donation, please send your gift to the below address. 
• Please send your documents to the below address
• From the below information, calculate the final balance to be carried forward
• Please read the below details to know more. 

It is debatable whether this usage is grammatically correct or not, but it certainly sounds more natural with below placed after the noun. 

For instance, ... please send your gift to the address mentioned (or written / shown / stated / given) below. Or simply ... to the address below.

Alternatively, you can replace it with following, as in the following examples:

• Please send your documents to the following address.
• Please read the following details to know more. 

The same applies to the preposition above. And an alternative could be preceding, as in Please send your documents to the preceding address. 

Please stand clear off the doors

The Delhi Metro is a very popular means of public transport in Delhi and the coaches are often crowded. Recorded messages are frequently played on the public address system inside the trains urging passengers to maintain cleanliness and to please stand clear off the doors.

 There's a small mistake there. The correct instruction should be: please stand clear of the doors.

The fact that vs The possibility that

The fact that is a common expression that we use when we talk about, quite obviously, facts, as in Copernicus first established the fact that the earth revolves round the sun. 

However, sometimes people erroneously use it when they make non-factual statements. Consider the following examples:

Was Woodrow Wilson oblivious of the fact that German nationalism might rise and create dire consequences...

How can I come to terms with the fact that I might never be in a romantic relationship?

The fact that if the price of milk, butter or cab rides increases, people might switch to soy milk, margarine, or the bus...

Now I am 23 and it is difficult to let go of the fact that maybe I'm wasting my potential as a good athlete.  

All these statements express possibilities or probabilities, as is apparent by the use of might and maybe; a fact is something about which there is no doubt. So, in these cases it would have been more accurate to say the possibility that or the probability that instead of the fact that. 

Interesting tweets - 1

Here are some interesting tweets that I came across recently.

5 language arguments you can stop having: http://t.co/6Y0jLtasw3 pic.twitter.com/hYVA9JkWVs

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) abril 30, 2015

Should 'impact' ever be used as a verb? http://t.co/avQXKNp3aG pic.twitter.com/VjuKp9nUxQ

— BBC News Magazine (@BBCNewsMagazine) junio 22, 2015

What's the difference between 'among' and 'between'? http://t.co/WfeOMvdw9E

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 30, 2015

Do you know when to use 'disinterested' and when to use 'uninterested'? Our video explains all: https://t.co/En7BEA02kL

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 18, 2015

Where did common punctuation marks get their names? http://t.co/CsxYwyrYhK pic.twitter.com/UnxDITqiTi

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 30, 2015

The Mysterious Case of the Beaut Damsel

In May 2008, 14-year-old Arushi and her family's 45-year-old servant, Hemraj, were found murdered in mysterious circumstances. In November 2013, a court held her parents responsible for the murders and sentenced them to life in prison. 

Like many others, I closely followed news reports about the case. So, when the court passed the sentence and published the judgement (pdf) online, I thought I'd take a look at it. 

And this is what I found.

Run-on sentences

The following article was written by Martin Cutts, the research director of Plain Language Commission (http://clearest.co.uk/pages/home), and it appeared in their newsletter, Pikestaff. You can download their newsletters and free guides about plain language -- all in pdf format -- from this page: http://clearest.co.uk/pages/publications.

 
An error common in business English – but rare in professionally edited work – is the run-on sentence or comma splice, where a comma is placed between two statements that should stand alone as complete sentences. Here’s a typical example in a marketing leaflet:

School buses, watch out!

71 school buses fined for flouting SC guidelines, said the headline in the Times of India. That came as a surprise to me. So, what will happen if a bus 'refuses' to pay the fine? Will it be sent to jail?

The fact is that the schools, to which those buses belonged, were fined. Similarly, if you don't pay property tax on the house that you own, you will be fined, not your house.

200 Common Redundancies

¡Great! 200 Common Redundancies - Cut Redundant Expressions http://t.co/jLvrNTLLse #contentstyle

— Maria Benito Llaurad (@Marialacopy) December 9, 2013

I have just come across this wonderful list of 200 common redundancies (the links in the tweet above are clickable). Many of them are so common that we use them without thinking; until now, I hope. A page worth saving in your bookmarks.

Hilarious tweets

Ancient grammar police! Funny! http://t.co/cSS7dgVsxU #plainlanguage

— Cntr 4 PlainLanguage (@plain_language) October 31, 2013

The best case ever for the Oxford comma: pic.twitter.com/gDt1gUOfJk

— Aaron Zamost (@zamosta) December 10, 2013

Funny headlines http://t.co/DYUlWSjE3n #plainlanguage

— Cntr 4 PlainLanguage (@plain_language) October 24, 2013

Click on the image in the last tweet to view it in a larger size.

Fair better or fare better?

According to yesterday's Times of India, "doctors' children fair better than that of engineers" in IIT entrance exams.

Nope; they fare better.

The second mistake is the use of that, which refers to children. Since children is plural, the sentence should have read: Doctors' children fare better than those of engineers.