1/25/2015

KnowyourEnglishHowisthewordciceronepronounced?TheHindu

BooksKnowYourEnglish
Published:January19,201522:30IST|Updated:January20,201509:42IST

KnowyourEnglishHowisthewordciceronepronounced?
S.UPENDRAN

Whatisthemeaningandoriginofdeadinthewater?
(JMallikarjun,Bangalore)
TheexpressionisfrequentlyusedinAmericanEnglishininformalcontexts.Whenyoutellsomeonethataprojectis
deadinthewater,whatyouaresuggestingisthatitisafailure.Nomatterwhatyoudo,thingswillnotturnaround.
*Theeconomyofthecountryhasbeendeadinthewaterforsomeyears.
Accordingtosomescholars,thedeadobjectinthewaterreferstoaship.Inthepast,ashipthatremainedstationary
orimmobilebecauseofinsufficientwindwassaidtobedead.Likeanydeadindividual,theshipshowednosignsof
lifenomovement.Othersbelievethatthedeadobjectinthewaterisafish.
Howisthewordciceronepronounced?
(RahulRaj,Ranchi)
Mostpeoplepronouncethecinthefirstandsecondsyllableslikethechinchips,chatandcheese.Thevowelin
thefirstsyllablesoundsliketheiinbit,kitandhit,andthefollowingeisliketheainchina.Thefinalrone
rhymeswiththewordspony,tonyandbony.ThisItalianwordispronouncedchicheRONywiththestressonthe
thirdsyllable.Itisusedtorefertoaguideatourguide,tobepreciseapersonwhogivesinterestingbitsof
informationaboutaplace.Thisratheroldfashionedwordcanalsobeusedtomeanmentor.
*WehavehiredtheservicesofYadiah,awellknowncicerone.
ManyofthecommonwordsthatweuseinEnglishcomefromthenamesofpeopleboycott,sandwich,sideburns,etc.
Ciceroneisanothersuchexample.MarcusTulliusCicerowasawellknownoratorduringRomantimes.Sincetour
guidesareexpectedtobeeloquentandknowledgeable,Italiansbegantorefertothemascicerones.
WhatisthedifferencebetweenWho/Whoevertoldyouthat?
(KAarthi,Chennai)
Whotoldyouthat?isaquestionitsnormallywhatyouasksomeonewhenyouwantinformation.Thewordeveris
frequentlyincludedinquestionstoindicatesurprise,anger,confusion,admiration,etc.Accordingtobooksonusage,it
isusedtomakeaquestionmoreemphatic.Inthiscase,ithasmoreorlessthesamemeaningastheinformal
expressionwhoonearth?Theevercanbeusedwithotherquestionwordsaswellwhereever,whatever,however,
etc.Thereisatendencynowadaystowritewhoeverasonewordwhoever.
*Whatever/Whatmadeyoudosomethingsosilly?
Whichiscorrect:Isthebankopen/opened?
(RShravanthi,Hyderabad)
Thewordopencanbeusedasaverbandanadjectiveopenedisthepasttenseformofopen.Inthesentencethat
youhavegiven,thewordisfunctioningasanadjectivethereforeitshouldbeopen.
*Isthebankopen?Thebankopenednearlyanhourago.
*Ourstudiowillremainopenduringtheholidays.
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Ifyoulooklikeyourpassportphoto,youaretooilltotravel.WillKommen
upendrankye@gmail.com
Keywords:KnowyourEnglish,Englishlanguage,englishliterature
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