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You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Familiar? Yup, this is an extract from the song, “You Raise Me Up“, sung by Josh Groban. This post does not teach you to sing or interpret the song.

In English, the word “raise” should not be used with the preposition “up” because “raise” means increase or “up“. So there’s no need to add the preposition.

Examples:

• He was raised by a wealthy family. (√)
  He was raised up by a wealthy family. (X)
• Members raised a crucial point at the meeting. (√)
  Members raised up a crucial point at the meeting. (X)
• The rental was raised by 10% effective this month. (√)
  The rental was raised up by 10% effective this month. (X)

Take note that in songs and literary works (e.g.   poetry), composers and poets have the license to break all grammar rules.  Lucky people.

“Open” and “close” are used very often, but have you been using them correctly? I’m sure at one point or another, we have heard someone say the following:

• Open your shoes.
• Close the tap.

In the sentences above, both words are incorrectly used although the meaning is understood – well, at least WE understand them. Here’s how you should use the generic “open” and “close” for various items.

1. Open & close*: the door, windows, mouth
2. Turn on & off: the lights, television, tap/faucet
3. Switch on & off: the lights, television
4. Put on & take off: your shirt, shoes

*NOTE: You could also substitute “close” with “shut“.

So, if anyone tells you: “Open the TV, please“, get a screwdriver and open the back cover.

There’s a big sale today, and you excitedly tell your mom that you can’t wait to go shopping to buy your favourite soft toy – Garfield – and you’re 25 years old. Your mom instantly says:

• You’re so childish. You’re a grown woman, but you still want to play with soft toys.

Notice the word in red? The correct word is “childlike”

• You’re so childlike. You’re a grown woman, but you still want to play with soft toys.

What’s the difference?

• childish (adj.) - behaving badly like a child would
• childlike (adj.) - having good qualities of a child (e.g.: innocence, easily excited, trusts easily etc.)

Examples:

1. His childish behaviour has caused him to lose his job when he shouted at his boss for not being treated fairly.
2. She’s so childlike; she believes anything you say without question.

Do you plant fruit trees at home? Well, not that it matters in this post. When the fruits are about to ripen, Malaysians would almost always say: “We’re able to pluck the mangoes in a few days.” That’s incorrect.

That’s right. The word that we have been using so often have been wrongly used. It should be: “We’re able to pick the mangoes in a few days.”

What’s the difference then? Both mean “to remove”; however, they’re used in different contexts. There are other meanings as well, but we’ll focus on only one in this post:

• pluck (v.)* – to pull something with a sudden movement in order to remove it
• pick (v.) – to remove or separate something small with your fingers

Here are some other examples:

1. We’re going to the orchard to pick apples.
2. Don’t pick your nose; it’s impolite.
3. You cannot use tweezers to pluck feathers.
4. Thomas plucks his eyebrows to make him look better.

*NOTE:
For teeth, the correct word to use is “extract (pull)”. So, please don’t tell your dentist not to pluck your teeth.

We sometimes need to get a ride from a friend to get to work or to do some shopping. A very common way of saying it is: “I’ll follow you to the mall.” – though many of us understand this statement perfectly, it is incorrect.

• follow me – you’re behind me; I’m in front
• come with me – you and I go (somewhere) together

In terms of distance, “follow me” is much further. You could be miles apart, yet you’re still following. Do you remember DIGI’s advertisement jingle? It says “I will follow you” – this is correct. It will “cling” to you no matter how far apart you are.

When you use “come with me”, the distance between you and your friend is just a few inches or feet (but not miles). Therefore, if you want to hop into your friend’s car, you say “I’ll come with you.”

See the difference here:

• You’ll come with you in my car.
• You’ll follow me in your car.

So when you say “I’ll follow you“, it merely means you’re driving your own car and you’ll be trailing your friend.

“I’ll follow you since you’ll be driving alone.” – means that there are two cars, and you’ll be driving behind the first car. It doesn’t mean you’re the passenger.