Refined English

I've lost count of the numerous times students, job interviewees and many others I've met, have introduced themselves by saying, 'myself (name),' or 'myself, I am (name).'  Myself, which is from the family of  Reflexive pronouns  is used in place of personal pronouns reflecting  the subject in the sentence. Which is why you will generally find 'myself' in a sentence where 'I' has already been used and you want to refer to yourself, making you both the subject and the object. So, the correct way of introducing yourself? My name is (name)  or I am (name) Reflexive Pronouns Me - Myself You - Yourself He/She - Himself/Herself They/It - Themselves/Itself One - Oneself Our - Ourselves However, when reflexive pronouns are used for emphasis, they are called 'intensive' pronouns . You know, like adding more drama... Eg: I was very surprised by his reaction. - I myself was very surprised by his reaction. 'Myself' is always used as the objec...

Say and tell are both used to denote what was communicated by someone. SAY When you say something, you don't necessarily need a listener. It is used to quote the speaker and focuses on the words that were used by the speaker. You say something to someone. Say+what was said Examples: She said that she will not be travelling for a month. She said, 'I will not be travelling for a month.' His father said me there is a lake in the village. ❌ They said that it is very far. He never says me the truth. ❌ TELL When you tell something, you need someone to listen to it. Used to report, instruct or inform what was said by the speaker. Focuses on the message intended to be sent by the speaker. Tell+noun/pronoun (direct object) Examples: She told us she will not be travelling for a month. She told,   'I will not be travelling for a month.' ❌ His father told me there is a lake in the village. They told that it is very far.❌ He never tells me the truth. Exception:   You tell ...

Both 'speak' and 'talk' are verbs that express the action of communication. While we use them both interchangeably, there are a few differences which when understood can help you use these words more appropriately. You speak when you have to say something, you talk when you have to tell someone something. SPEAK Speaking focuses on the speaker. 'Speak,' an irregular verb, is used only as a verb. It is generally used for providing information in a one-way communication like a speech. It is used in more formal situations, denotes more politeness and adds a sense of importance. You speak a language. Eg: The principal would like to speak with the parents about the precautions taken by the school. The manager spoke to him about the dip in his performance. TALK Talk involves one or more listeners and therefore, is more personal. 'Talk,' a regular verb is used as a verb or a noun. Talking is a two-way process and refers to conversations. It is used in more infor...

There are three ways in which words ending in -age are pronounced in English. And often times mispronounced with the pronunciations interchanged.   Sound 1: /eɪdʒ/: Here, the syllable '-age' is stressed and rhymes with the word 'age'  Eg: page, stage, engage, cage, rage, wage, sage Sound 2: /ɑːʒ/: The French pronunciation takes over when a word may have a French origin. The /j/ sound is produced by raising the center of you tongue against the center of your palate but not really touching it causing an  '-aa-j' effect.     Eg: garage, vintage, sabotage, mirage, collage, camouflage, massage  Sound 3: /ɪdʒ/: The syllable '-age' is not stressed in these words, rather, the stress is on the syllables before it. The sound is a simple '-ij' where the middle and front of your tongue touches the roof of your palate. Eg: language, usage, vintage, manage, village, luggage, advantage, courage, average, message, garbage, marriage

Is there a difference in meaning when you say, 'he reached in time,' and 'he reached on time'? Both these phrases are almost similar but have slightly different meanings.  Let's imagine a baby crawling toward a staircase going down. When someone picks the baby right before the baby reaches the edge, which could have been dangerous, we would say that the baby was picked just in time, referring to the fact that this was not a planned activity, yet whatever happened required that action be taken 'in time.'  However, 'in time' can also be used for planned activities where action was taken or happened right 'in time,' not sooner, nor later. People who always reach just 'in time,' or submit their assignments 'in time' may be considered tardy. 'On time' is generally used for planned activities with deadlines such as appointments, schedules, etc. People who always keep time and are 'on time' are considered punctual and...

Basic prepositions of time are used to discuss time which could be general or specific. Most words used for prepositions of time are the same as the ones as prepositions of place but are used differently. The simple distinguishing factor is the purpose the preposition is used for. IN This preposition is used to speak about periods of time. It covers the categories such as eras, centuries, decades, years, months, weeks, seasons and parts of the day. ON The preposition 'on' is used with days of the week, specific special days, dates, holidays, weekends and holidays using the word 'day.' AT At is used with clock times, festivals, exact time of the day or night and holidays that don't include 'day.' We do not use prepositions when referring to yesterday, today, tomorrow. 

So, as promised about sharing interesting learnings related to my Spoken English Classes, here's something that is so commonly heard that many people believe there's nothing wrong with it. Salesperson , after explaining all the benefits of a new organic product line they were promoting: Ma'am, we value your feedback, please let me know if there's anything you think that will help us get better. Neighbor: Yes, I have some feedback for you. Whenever you visit someone and there is a senior citizen, you ALWAYS say, 'what's your GOOD NAME' which is very respectful. Salesperson: Sure ma'am. Thanks for your feedback. #LearnwithNeomi   People who have a good name, I'm very curious about their 'other' names ;) Of course, there are those who also have nick names, pen names, pet names, aliases, etc., which in general, aren't bad either. Most Indians use 'good name' in place of 'Shubh Naam' which is why it is considered an #indiani...