Chronicle Editor
It is that time again when students in general are looking forward to the end of year holidays. So be it after a long year of toiling trying to achieve the best grades at school. Well done to all students who passed their end of year tests. This goes further to those who have passed their public examinations as these mark the passage to another level of education. Passing examinations opens new chapters.
The doors are wide open to those who have done well. Those who have passed have been pushed to success probably by those who did not make it in the examinations. The like might not have passed by they also worked hard. There is still time for them to correct themselves and put more effort in the areas they have missed out. Failure is not the end of the road but could be a false step taken. Many have come back stronger after missing it the first time.
Take courage where you have misfired and work extra hard. Avoid these social ills which have consumed many individuals. Do not pursue unprofitable ways which will destroy your live quickly. The O-level and A-level students their time is almost over at school now. One hopes they have acquitted themselves well and very soon they will be in the corridors of institutions of higher learning.
Comparison (1) – cheaper, more expensive: Let’s go by bus. It’s cheaper. Do not go by train. It’s more expensive.
Cheaper and more expensive are comparative forms. After comparatives we use than: – It’s cheaper to go by car than to go by train. We use –er for the comparatives of short adjectives and adverbs.
Cheap/cheaper; hard/harder/; large/larger /thin/thinner. This shirt is too small I need a larger size. – Lerato works harder than most of her friends.
We prefer –er with some two-syllable adjectives, especially adjectives ending in –y. For example: lucky/luckier; funny/funnier, easy/easier, pretty/prettier and also: quiet/quieter, clever/cleverer, narrow/narrower, simple/simpler. The test was easier than the pupils expected. It’s too noisy here. Can you go somewhere quieter.
We use more . . . (not ‘er’) for other two-syllable adjectives and longer adjectives: more modern, more serious, more expensive, and more comfortable.
More expensive hotels are usually more was more serious than comfortable than cheaper ones. Her illness was more serious than she first thought.
Be careful when you use such words: flammable and inflammable. Flammable and inflammable both mean “easily set alight”. The opposite of these two words is non-flammable. Formally, formerly – These
two words are sometimes confused because of some similarity in pronunciation. Formally means “in an acceptable manner.” Formerly means “previously”. Gaol, Jail. Gaol and jail meaning “prison” are the accepted spellings that are pronounced ine same way. Jail is the more commonly used form.
Gerunds. What is a gerund? A gerund is a verbal noun. A gerund takes the form of a verb participle with the –ing ending. Gerunds cab serve all the functions of a noun. Subject – Running is the young men’s hobby. Object: He could not miss his running schedule.
Good, Well. Good is an adjective or a noun, but never an adverb. Well is an adjective or an adverb. In informal English good is often used instead of well when health is concerned. The use of good in place of well when ability is concerned is nonstandard.
Look at these examples. Informal: She said she was not feeling good. Formal: She said he was not feeling well. It is wrong to say: She played good and won the match. It is correct to say she played well and won the match.
Gracefully) Graciously) Graceful is used to describe bodily movement. Gracious is used to describe the polite attitude of an important person towards someone of less importance. The girls danced gracefully across the stage. The queen graciously greeted the wounded soldier.
Custom, Habit – A custom is a practice that has been followed by a large group of people for a very long period of time. A habit is a common practice of a person or some people. Example. It became his habit to visit his sister every Saturday. Device, Devise. Device is a noun meaning “invention, tool or plan. Devise is a verb meaning “invent, plan or work out.
Disinterested, Uninterested – A disinterested person is one who cannot benefit from any outcome of a matter. Such a person will be unbiased, be fair judge.
An uninterested person is one who has no interest in something. As he was disinterred he was asked to judge the contest. He was uninterested in farming and let the field lie fallow. Dive, dove.
Dived and dove are both acceptable forms of the past tense of “to dive”. Dived is the more usual in formal British English.
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