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The word “only” is an adverb which we often use to denote “limited” or “not more”. The word has other meanings as well but let’s focus on its most common usage.

Observe these examples. Do these sentences have the same meaning?

1. Only I eat durians.
2. I eat only durians.
3. I eat durians only.
4. I only eat durians.

Indeed. the word “only” is most commonly used but it is also the most incorrectly used in a sentence. Its position in a sentence determines the meaning of the sentence. Let me explain each of the four sentences.

Sentence #1: Only I eat durians

• It means no one else eats durians except me.

Sentence #2 and #3: I eat only durians / I eat durians only

• It means the durian is my favourite fruit. I don’t eat other fruit at all.

Sentence #4: I only eat durians

• It shows you eat the fruit but you don’t take it if it’s in liquid form.

Now, you try and see what the following sentences mean. Which do you think is more romantic?

1. Only I love you.
2. I only love you.
3. I love you only.

Listen to this story carefully and then answer the questions that follow. If you need the answers, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail

Here are the questions:

1. Compare the first young man with the second one in terms of their attitudes towards the old man.
2. How did the man’s mother react when she saw him on television?
3. In your opinion, why did the TV station record the incident?
4. Why did the young man hesitate to answer the telephone when it rang?

What do these phrases mean?

1. in the gutter (1:22)
2. sympathetic gaze (1:39)
3. some loose change (1:45)

It is common for certain non-native speakers of English to use the word “lend” and “borrow” interchangeably. Though the meaning is the same, their usage in a sentence is actually different.

“Lend” is used with the preposition “to”

“Borrow” is used with the preposition “from”

Examples:

1. I’m lending this book to you for a week. (√)
2. I borrowed some money from my father. (√)
3. Please lend (to) me a few dollars. (√)
4. You may borrow a few dollars from me. (√)
5. Please borrow me a few dollars. (X)

In Sentence #3, the preposition “to” is omitted when there is a pronoun immediately after the word “lend“.

Sentence #5 is commonly uttered by some students, but is wrong because it doesn’t make sense. Firstly, the preposition “from“  is missing. Secondly, you cannot borrow a human. You can only borrow something from someone.

Here’s a simple formula to help you remember the difference:

• lend = giving out , lend TO
  
• borrow = taking in , borrow FROM

The Malaysian education curriculum has changed over the years. When I was a kid, I remember having weekly spelling tests. For each mistake made, we had to correct it five times. This was always followed by Dictation, where we had to listen, and as we did that, we had to rewrite a paragraph that we had read as per our teacher’s instructions. These skills disappeared a while as teachers were overwhelmed with more duties, and as new education ministers took over.

The good old days of giving spelling  tests were rejuvenated when our local newspaper, The New Straits Times, mooted the idea of having a spelling challenge called “Spell It Right” (SIR) in 2008. Here’s an excerpt from a video taken during one of the competitions. The footage is rather shaky:

As I watched this clip, I wondered if verbally spelling a word out would enrich a person’s vocabulary and make them better English users.  Could the SIR motivate students to be good learners of English and correctly use the words that they’ve spelt? Do they know how the word “privilege” is used without being told? How effective is SIR in assessing students’ level of language proficiency, or is the SIR just “having fun with language” to fulfill the national agenda without any follow up to gauge its effectiveness in language learning?  I honestly don’t know.

Now, let’s look at how others run their spelling challenges which are also held annually. I shall not over-compare the SIR with the Spelling Bee as the competitors in the clips are all native speakers, but look at how the competitions are conducted, and how interactive and entertaining the events are. Enjoy both video clips.

What’s your comment on this issue?