Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dear readers,

Before we all leave for the long festive holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends here a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! For those of you travelling, be safe on the road. Looking forward to even more exciting and amazing times in 2020!


May Naik

Homonyms - Tear (As a Verb and Noun)

1. (verb) - To pull apart.

• I tore my pants while hiking this morning.
• Be careful with the book or you just might tear its pages. 

2. (noun) - A hole in a piece of paper, cloth or                       other material.

• I noticed a small tear in one of the pages in this book. 
• Sally didn't notice the tear in her shirt till her mother mentioned it.

3. (noun) - Liquid that flows from the eye as a result of pain or unhappiness.

• Tears started flowing down Wendy's cheeks when she couldn't find her favourite doll.
• Did you notice the tears in his eyes when he talked about his mother?

Words From The Same Family - Dependent v Dependable

Dependent (adj) - to need help.

• Sam has three dependent family members - his parents and his younger sister.
• Despite being in his late 20s, Tim is still financially dependent on his parents. 

Dependable (adj) - can be relied upon.

• We are delighted to have a dependable babysitter to take care of our children.
• I need a dependable car as I travel a lot for work.

Words From the Same Family - Convenient V Conveniently V Convenience

Convenient (adj) - suitable for ones purpose/need

• Our neighbourhood mall's convenient operating hours made it extremely popular among the residents.
• It's so convenient that we live within walking distance from the office.
• What time would be convenient for me to call you tomorrow?

Conveniently (adverb) 

• I was delighted to learn that the train station was conveniently located near my hotel.

Convenience (noun) - being easy.

• We just love the convenience of living near the mall and office.
• Just for convenience, I am going to stay with my friend while I am in Singapore next month.

Homonyms - Wave (As a Verb and Noun)

1. (verb) - to move your had from side to side.

• Despite waving several times at the waiter, he didn't seem to notice us.
• I noticed Richard has the habit of waving his hands around a lot when he is talking. 

2. (noun) - water.

• Rachael loves listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
• The surfers are clearly enjoying riding the big waves at the beach.

3. (noun) - large number.

• Hong Kong has been hit by a wave of protests over the past few months. 
• A new wave of job losses is expected in certain industries next year.

Confusing and Misused Words - Past v Pass

Past (preposition, adverb) - position

• We live on Brighton Road, just past the supermarket.
• Was that James who just cycled past us in that bright orange cap? 
• Sally was so distracted on her phone that she walked right past us without noticing us.

Pass (verb) - to go past.

• I passed John in the hallway this morning.
• If you pass a supermarket today, please get some milk.
• Please step aside and let other people pass.
• Don't buy food that have passed their expiry date.

Homonyms - Pitch (As a Noun and Verb)

1. (noun) - sports field.

• The football star was immediately rushed to hospital when he suddenly collapsed on the pitch yesterday. 

2. (noun) - level or degree.

• If you attempt (= try) to teach English to children of different ages in the same class, it will be very difficult to get the pitch (= level of understanding) right.

3. (noun) - a speech used to try and persuade someone to buy or do sth.

• I wasn't aware Brazil made a pitch to host the Olympics till a friend told me about it.
• His sales pitch about the product's quality and reliability wasn't very convincing.

4. (verb) - to persuade.

• Pitching for funds can be a huge challenge during an economic slowdown.
• John pitched his idea to his boss over lunch and was delighted that his boss liked it. 

5. (verb) - to raise.

• It started raining shortly after we pitched our tent. Fortunately, we picked a sheltered spot. 

Skip the “Let’s Do Lunch” Cliche in Your Emails - “Shark Tank” Star and Investor Kevin O’Leary

I like that Kevin emphasised the importance of keeping your emails short, specific and catchy. Naturally, it's also just as important to be polite and clear when asking for advice. Remember, people want to know exactly why you are asking to meet with them. So, best to be clear about your intentions in your emails or risk having them sent to junk mail.


https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/kevin-oleary-mistakes-people-make-writing-emails-what-to-do-instead.html

Similes with As - As Innocent as a Lamb/Child

Meaning - inexperienced, gullible.

• This is her first job right out of college. She is as innocent as a lamb/child.
• She looks as innocent as a lamb/child in that outfit. It's no wonder everyone thought she was an intern!
• Tim was as innocent as a lamb/child when he was a teen. But all that changed when he went to college. 

Homonyms - Plot (As a Noun and Verb)

1. (noun) - story

• The movie has a very simple but exciting plot.
• The plots of all his books are very similar to each other.

2. (noun) - plan

• Randy's plot to run away with his girlfriend was recently discovered by his parents. 
• The police have foiled (= prevented) a plot to rob the bank.

3. (noun) - ground

• We were surprised to see so many plots of land near our neighbourhood for sale. 

4. (verb) - plan

• John is plotting a surprise party for his son's 18th birthday.
• We were shocked to hear about William plotting to steal his company's money.

Homonyms - Force (As a Noun and Verb)

1. (noun) - physical strength or power.

• The force of the wind brought down many trees in our neighbourhood.
• She slammed the door with such force that the car shook.

2. (verb) - to give no choice.

• When my brother first signed up with the gym, he had to force himself to exercise at least three times a week.
• I didn't actually want dessert, but Tara forced it on me (= made me take it).

3. (verb) - to use physical strength or power.

• Don't force yourself to eat if you are already full.
• The brave reporter forced herself through the crowd so she could be one of the first ones to speak to the President.

Homophones - Track v Trek

Track 
(noun) - path

• We plan to take the track that leads directly to the beach.
• You can cycle faster when this narrow track merges (= joins together) with a wider path.

(noun) - marks

• Police found tyre tracks in the snow.
• The burglars were careful not to leave any tracks behind at the crime scene.

Trek 
(verb) - to walk a long distance, usually over hills, mountains or forests.

• They spent most of the day trekking through the forest and over hills.

(noun) - a long walk, usually over hills, mountains or forests.

• The Smiths were exhausted after completing an 8-hour trek yesterday.

Homonyms: Parade (As a Noun and Verb)

1. (noun) - a large number of people gathering, usually as part of a celebration.                       - Tomorrow's parade will mark the country's 50th anniversary as an independent country.         - From our apartment window, we had an amazing view of the parade.

1. (verb) - to show something off in order to be admired.

• The children paraded around the house in their new clothes.
• Tim lost all his friends after he started parading his new car and new found wealth.    

May Naik's English Writing Workshop

Dear readers,

I am delighted to announce that I will be having my first English writing workshop in ages! Details are in the link below. 

For further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me at 018 3867939 or email me at maynaik23@gmail.com.


May Naik


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-naiks-english-writing-workshop-1-tickets-63339988611?fbclid=IwAR3oyhboHpzu1Jig_vyEy_QiPam0xic_O_vdQgwGSUTj001IfyuWJv5eFxE

Homophones - Peak v Peek

Peak (noun) - the highest point.

• At the peak of his career, he was worth millions.
• The morning rush hour is at its peak between 7 and 8am.
• Accommodation is extremely hard to find at the peak of the travel season.

Peek (verb) - to look quickly or while trying to avoid being seen.

• Close your eyes. Don't peek or you'd ruin the surprise.
• When Johnny heard the doorbell, he peeked out the window to see who was there.

Verbal Idioms - Bore (Someone) to Tears

Meaning - to bore someone intensely with one's talk.

• I never do well in literature as it bores me to tears.
• The children were bored to tears after watching the same cartoon for three consecutive days. So, they requested to go to the park this morning.  

Similes - As Tough as Nails

Meaning - strong and determined.

• Maria may be soft-spoken, but she is as tough as nails at work.

• Being a single parent can be tough. It's just as well Tara is as tough as nails or she probably wouldn't be able to cope with the pressure of raising her son all by herself.

Homophones: Tale v Tail

Tale (noun) - a story, usually made up or difficult to believe.

• I think Larry told his teacher a tale about falling sick yesterday to explain his absence.
• The children enjoyed listening to Sam's tales about his life as a sailor. 

Tail (noun) - a part of an animal's body.

• The dog's tail was peeping out from under the table.
• As Tim reached for the dog food, Fluffy started wagging his tail excitedly.

Don't Make These 11 Annoying Email Mistakes That Can Drive Your Co-workers (and Bosses) Crazy

I believe Shelby Skrhak highlighted most of the annoying mistakes to avoid if your intention is to write a clear, effective email. I personally resonate with tips  number 4, 6 and 8.

Many tend to underestimate the importance of having good or great subject lines. I, for one, aim to make the nature of my emails as clear as possible in the subject title. For example, I was recently looking for a particular Seiko watch model and wanted to know if it was available in Melbourne. So, when I wrote to Seiko Australia, my subject title read like this - 'Is model XYZ available in Melbourne?' I was delighted (though not surprised) when I got a reply in less than 10 minutes.

Tip number 6 touched on introduction. I cannot stress how important this is. Taking the time to establish how you met the other party or how you got their contact details almost always guarantees a prompt and friendly greeting. I know this because I make it a point to do this every time I am writing someone I've just met or someone I was referred to by a friend.

As for starting your emails with the most information, I would highly recommend it given how short our attention spans are. It definitely doesn't help that we are constantly bombarded by information on a daily basis too. 

Anyway, I hope you find the article (in link below) helpful!


May



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/26/11-annoying-email-mistakes-that-can-drive-your-co-workers-and-bosses-crazy.html

Homonyms - Objective (As a Noun and Adjective)

1. (noun) - sth you plan to do or achieve.

• My main objective is to relax and enjoy my holiday.
• The sales team is working round the clock (= all day and night) to achieve its financial objective.

2. (adj) - based on facts, real.

• It's very hard for me to be objective when I am judging my niece's work. 
• Sometimes, it's best to speak to acquaintances and strangers if we want an objective opinion.

Homonyms - Figure (As a Noun)

1. (noun) - number.

• Does this figure look like an eight or three?
• Despite earning a six-figure salary every year, he is still unhappy with his job.

2. (noun) - the shape of a person/individual or human body.

• Sarah immediately called the police after seeing two tall figures in her garden.
• When the children saw a figure appear from behind the bushes, they screamed and ran.

3. (noun) - a woman's body shape.

• Pam was delighted when she finally got her figure back after months of dieting and exercise.
• Kelly can wear almost anything as she has a beautiful figure.

Homonyms - Batch (As a Noun and Verb)

1. (noun) - a group of people or items dealt with at the same time or considered similar in kind.
   - We were lucky to have walked into the bakery when the fresh batch of egg tarts were brought out from the kitchen.                                            - All the drinks sold at that convenience store were packaged and sold in batches of 6.                                                                                        - Batch orders are usually more cost effective than purchasing in small quantities.                                                                                              - The latest batch of reports suggests the global economy is slowing down.                                             

     2. (verb) - to make a group out of a number of things so they can be             dealt with at the same time.

     - It's common practice for orders to be batched together in warehouses.           

Verbal Idioms - Break The News

Meaning - to be the first to inform someone about a piece of bad news.

• His family was understandably upset when  Sam broke the news about the accident.

• Daniel was confused and upset when his parents didn't say anything when he broke the news about his job promotion.