The English Language.

I always found English quotes about the English language highly intriguing, its like getting the husband to comment on his wife's 'properties'. Stated below are the few quotes, I found on the net while searching for Japanese anime. Now that is an irony. A search for a totally different language content leads me to the treasure trove of English quotes about the English language. I do not know what the connection is. Maybe English was derived from Japanese or vice-versa. I mean Sony, Samsung and Best Denki have become a crucial part of the English vernacular. So if you do want to find nice English quotes, type out anime and google it. It might just lead you to the English quotes haven. The key word is might. Anyway, back to the quotes. Here they are...

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug" - Mark Twain

"For most of us, punctuation is not an aesthetic challenge but a practical housekeeping problem: We engage it only long enough to keep things straight." -Joseph M. William

"Sentences beginning with 'and', 'but' or 'or' are acceptable provided the practice is not overdone. Indeed, nothing that is overdone is ever acceptable, be it language or lamb chops." -Theodore M. Bernstein

"It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period. You get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come; read on; it will get clearer." - George F.Will


I never expected great thinkers to come up with quotable quotes on semi colons and conjunctions. There are many more pertinent issues in the world to have an opinion on. But then again, that is precisely why these quotes are interesting, they are unconventional statements about unpopular subjects. Quotes about life, happiness and dreams are so overrated that I have decided to strip them off their quotes title and confine them into the parameters of a new, lower ranked title: Cliches. If you pay close attention, these cliches can carry very similar meanings, be it the outright contextual meaning or the underlying message induced meaning. Some quotes are phrased so similarly, I wish I could submit them in 'Turn-it-in", to confirm my suspicions of plagiarism. There is more to this vast world of English than these cliches on subjects that are cliched. Hence, I have resolved to discover quotes about the unusual. I am sure there are plenty out there. For now, I am simply going to start on the following two topics, "Development of Music in Singapore: Is there really such a thing happening?" and "Spongebob Square Pants carries only entertainment value. There is nothing much to learn in such cartoons." Please wish me success in discovering brilliant quotes on these highly coveted topics. Its the least I could do for the English language.

Hermoine, Oh Hermoine.

Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. The British name, other than Tony Blair, currently, on almost everyone's lips. Let me jump into the "Let us talk about Harry Potter" bandwagon too. Firstly, no I am not having dreams about the ending of the final book and secondly, No I am not fantasizing about living in the magical world of Hogwarts. My Harry Potter frenetic interest is for a different reason altogether. See I am overwhelmed by the growth(physical growth) of the cast, Emma Watson aka Hermoine Granger in particular.

From this:

And this

She went to this:

AND THIS!!!

From the small girl with unruly tangled hair she has metamorphosized into a pretty hot chick. It just pains your heart when they grow up so fast. She was a real sweet, adorable kid in the first instalment of the Harry Potter movies(I thought so at least). And just look at her now, 16 and having that inherent British liking for booze. Our dear Emma Watson recently completed her Bristish version of the 'O' levels and scored 10 As. I don't even recall taking 10 subjects for my O levels or getting 10As in one exam sitting. Maybe over the span of 5 excruciating academic years of my life, I MIGHT have collectively gotten 10 As. Oh well the point is, Emma Watson is smart in real life thus adding credence to her portrayal of Hermoine whom we all know is a smarty pants in reel life. When Emma was questioned about her excellent academic results and commended for her feat of achieving great results amidst a busy filming schedule, she casually said it was no feat at all. It was all about prioritising and time management. At this stage of her life education is her utmost concern as it lays the foundation for a bright future. She said that she would never compromise her studies for acting. At 16 when most girls are running around hormones pumped up, indulging in their newly acquired fame, obsessing over makeup and drooling over boybands, you certainly have one or two Emma Watsons who have matured beyond their age. They have handled life experiences well. Hence, clearly knowing what needs to be done at every stage of their life. So Emma honey keep it up. You will be sorely missed after the final book becomes a screen adaptation. But please continue acting and yes please prove my post about you right. Don't mix with Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan. Harry, Ron and even Voldermort seem like a better influence. Stick with them.

The Name and Word Invention

I came across some really interesting names while surfing the net.

1. Crystal Claire Waters (Crystal Clear Waters)

2. Dr Looney (who is actually a psychatrist by profession)

3. Estelle Hertz (It still hurts)

4. Bud Wieser (Is the name of a real college math teacher)

5. Constance Noring (Constant snoring)

Some really interesting words I came across while reading a book.

1. Sysygy ( Probably BCG's good friend)

2. Dastardly (Sounds like a bad word's relative)

3. Nubian (Newbie + Amphibian ???)

4. Scrotum (next to the rectum?)

And so I venture into the world of print to enhance my vocab to only realise that all I have improved on, is in my skill for searching weird words in the English dictionary. Parents please have a premonition of the future when you name your kids. And authors please have a certain understanding of the pitiful readers when you invent your own words. Some words even the very reliable Oxford dictionary does not have. The only author with the prerogative to invent her own words is J. K Rowling. With great bereavement I leave this post wondering about the poor souls with bizzare names and the confused readers caught in the world of invented jargon.

Plain Jane?!

After a brief hiatus I return to the blog with the same lack of enthusiasm and zeal. Maintaining a blog is more bothersome than growing a pinky finger nail. Today I shall pretend to be inspired. My chosen topic of discussion is "Classic novel writer Jane Austen, is more than a Plain Jane." This is the lady who brought us Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. Jane is a realist and that is clearly evident in the characterization of her protagonists and the thematical flow of her story. Her women don't swoon at the sight of a cute guy and fall helplessly in love with him. Neither do they irrationally elope with a capricious lover. However, the true essence of Jane Austen's novels lies in her deft use of character delineation. The characters are not the conventional prototypes. Both her female and male protagonists are equally flawed. They have a fair share of likeable and detestable attributes. But the balance these faulted characters strike with one another offers the necessary romance, excitement and flavour for the story to keep its objective depth. Austen does not indulge in passionate emotions. Hence making the readers easily relate to her very real characters. As an unknown source mentioned Jane Austen can in fact get "more drama out of morality than most other writers can get from shipwreck, battle, murder, or mayhem."

This is a short excerpt from Persuasion: "They were gradually acquainted and when acquainted rapidly and deeply in love. It would have been difficult to say which had seen highest perfection in the other, or which had been the happiest: she in receiving his declarations and proposals, or he in having them accepted." A love explained simply, precisely, beautifully, without exaggerations or heightened emotions and if you permit me to invent a word then Un-cheesily. I was acutally surprised to find out that Jane had her share of famous detractors. Charlotte Bronte and Mark Twain are the two names my memory recalls for now. I am a Mark Twain fan so I am turning a blind eye to his criticisms about Austen's novels. But seriously Charlotte Bronte has no right to severely criticise Austen's novels. At least Austen is not boring. I am sure most of us fell asleep while reading Bronte's Jane Eyre. Its just that no one admits it. In fact, whenever I cannot sleep I read Jane Eyre. Its definitely better than counting sheep. Its the immediate and effective panacea for the insomniacs. Your eyes grow heavy when you are merely flipping through the pages to see where you had stopped previously. Maybe if Charlotte Bore-nte didn't waste precious time criticising fellow 19th century authors, her works would have been successful movie adaptations. And those movies could have actually starred Hollywood's big names like Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Its a shame they had to settle for Timothy Dalton, the James Bond flop, for the Jane Eyre movie adaptation.

Classic novels are not appreciated by many. Mainly because the language is a conundrum to the layman. But the more you read them, the more you get attuned to the English used. Penguin popular classics is doing many a favour by selling novels at a cheap price. With more reading exposure one will learn to appreciate the beauty of the English language and the creative writing flair of the old novelists. Many feelings and situations can be expressed perfectly and graciously with an active imagination, the right selection of words and the proper use of syntax. Be it the steadiness of an opinion or the tenderness of a moment, no genre of books captures it as accurately as the classic novels. Classic novelists to name a few like Jane Austen, D.H Lawrence, Oscar Wilde, Leo Tolstoy, Voltaire, Emily Bronte, Victor Hugo and Virgina Wolf all have something special to offer. A prosaic offering that can only be preciously gained from their literary era. One should not lose out on it. On a side note, those who are not interested in classic novels but are fascinated by modern novels, should read a Chitra Banerjee book. She is so brilliantly literary that she can make any kind of sexual act sound so profoundly pure. Her stories mainly revolve around the Indian diaspora: the women and the men who have migrated from South Asia to Europe or America and the trials and tribulations they face there. Concept wise she is not that adventurous but language wise, she is the "Mistress of Expressions" (exaggeration intended).

"Where so many hours have been spent in convincing myself that I am right, is there not some reason to fear I may be wrong?"- Jane Austen

So if you had spent many hours convincing yourself that novels are boring than you are either wrong or you might just be reading works of Charlotte Bronte. There are many great novelists out there simply waiting to rejuvenate your reading experience. Give it a try.

P. S: I have done my bid for Penguin popular classics. I hope they somehow stumble across my sincere post and reward me substantially for doing free publicity.