Singularity & Plurality of English Nouns

Have you ever wondered why scissors always ends with an 's'? My teacher used to tell me everything that has a pair in it is always plural. For instance, glasses, jeans, pants, etc. However, that is not always the case. I made some reading and found a clear understanding of the singularity and plurality of some nouns. 

1. Cutting/Clipping Utensils

First, take a look at these items:

Scissors

Pliers

 Forceps 

Tongs 

Tweezers

As you can see, all of these items have double sides thus we classify them as being always plural. Therefore, we cannot say 'a scissor' or 'there is a scissor'; it is always 'a pair of scissors' or 'there are scissors'. So if you wish to say more than one scissors, you still say 'there are many scissors'. 

However, there are also tools that have two joined parts yet they are not always plural. 

Bear Trap

Flat Iron

2. Eyewear

We do not say I'm wearing a glass but we say we wear glasses. Eyewears such as glasses, contact lenses, sunglasses, shades, goggles or even binoculars are ALL plural. 

Rationally, we can relate this to the fact that these eyewears are made of two connected parts, resulting in the plurality. 

3. Clothes

My curiosity of why we never use 'clothe' has always been unanswered. But I know clothes may refer to shirts, pants, jackets etc. so it should always be plural. However, certain types of clothings are strictly plural, even though it refers to a single unit. For instance:

 Pants

 Shorts 

 Jeans

Bell Bottoms

So all these clothings we wear with separate enclosures for our legs come in plural form. Other examples include leggings, tights, trousers, and skinnies. Even pyjamas (or pajamas in US English) is plural because it's a combination of a top and bottom.  

4. Underwear

*sorry, no photos for this :P

As I've mentioned, clothes refer to a wide range of clothings. Underwear however, is singular. Yet, distinctively, those that come under underwear are mostly plural. For example, panties, boxers, drawers and briefs. Same concept here - the separate enclosures for our legs. 

BUT why are thong/t-back singular? So is the bra (which has strong resemblance to goggles or glasses, no?)!

So yeah, English, as I've said, is funny and weird sometimes. But it's fun! Happy learning :)

Disclaimer: I do not label myself as an English expert but sharing also means learning. Nobody has perfect English but I believe learning knows no boundary. Feel free to correct me by commenting on my blog or Facebook posts/profile. I also welcome suggestions, ideas and any English-related info. 

15 Commonly Misspelled Words among Malaysian Students

One of the major issues that Malaysian students find it difficult to master is spelling. I have to confess I had a hard time remembering spellings of English words as some are so complex and confusing but it all boils down to hard work in remembering them. 

Here's a list of 15 common misspellings done by most of my students. 

1. Definitely 

NOT definately

I wonder why so many people, even those with good English could spell 'definitely' as 'definately'. There is no A in 'definitely'. 

2. Accidentally

NOT accidently

This word is commonly misspelled as 'accidently' but accident is one of the few words which cannot be merged directly with -ly. 

Similar:
Incidentally NOT incidently

3. Judgement

NOT judgment

Some people get very confused whether there is an 'e' in judgement or not. To make things clear, we get back to the basics that Malaysia abides with UK English hence judgement instead of the US's judgment. Students in Malaysia will NOT be penalized for using both judgement and judgment but isn't it better to spell correctly?

Similar: 
Argument NOT arguement, 
Instalment NOT installment (American) 

4. A lot

NOT alot

I've seen many using the term 'alot' as if it's a single word but there is no 'alot' in English. There should be a space in between them. 

5. Maintenance

NOT maintainance

The word 'maintenance' originates from 'maintain' which carries the meaning to sustain something. However, you don't just add 'ance' to the word; you change it to 'maintenance'. 

6. Surprise

NOT suprise

I often encounter students eating away the letter 'r' to make a 'su-prise'. 

7. Pronunciation

NOT pronounciation

You pronounce a word using its pronunciation but not 'pronounciation'. 

8. Explanation

NOT explaination

When you wish to use the noun form of the verb 'explain', remove the 'i' and add 'ation' at the end. 

9. Occasion

NOT occassion or ocassion

Only one 's' is needed for occasion. 

10. Accommodation 

NOT acomodation, accomodation, or acommodation

Always remember that accommodation has two doubles, the 'c' and 'm'. 

11. Until 

NOT untill

'Till' has two 'l's but until has a single 'l'. 

12. Receive

NOT recieve

Many of my students tend to switch the place of 'i' and 'e'. 

Similar: 
Deceive NOT decieve
Perceive NOT percieve

However, achieve is different. 

13. Knowledge

NOT knowlege

Do not forget the letter 'd'. However, privilege has no 'd'. English is weird, I know. 

14. Forty

NOT fourty

4 = four
14 = fourteen
14th = fourteenth 
40 = forty
40th = fortieth
40s = forties 

15. Curiosity

NOT curiousity

You're curious but when you say curiosity, remove the letter 'u'. 

So there you go. Spelling English words the right and proper way. Good luck! 


Disclaimer: I do not label myself as an English expert but sharing also means learning. Nobody has perfect English but I believe learning knows no boundary. Feel free to correct me by commenting on my blog or Facebook posts/profile. I also welcome suggestions, ideas and any English-related info. 

13 Grammar Mistakes Malaysians Should NOT Make

Like many other languages in the world, Grammar constitutes a large part of English and if you fail Grammar, you fail English. Nevertheless, Grammar is a very complex and convoluted section that many have problems coping with. 

Grammar is taught directly to students in very distinctive parts. For example, tenses, pronouns, verbs, adjectives etc. Some students are able to connect the topics and create an English network in their brain thus they are capable of using them the right way. But those who cannot see the link between these separate aspects may fail to master English. These are the basic common errors that my students and people around me often make. 

1. THEN / THAN

Then is used to say 'after that', meaning a subsequent action taken after a first is done. For example:

I am going to eat now. Then I will take a shower. 

Than is used for comparisons. It is used after a comparative adjective. For example:

Marie is taller than her sister. 

2. MANY / MUCH

Many is used for countable nouns whereas much refers to uncountable nouns. For example:

I have many friends. (because we can count our friends)

I love my mother very much. (because we cannot count love)

3. THOUGHT / TAUGHT

Thought is something you have in mind while taught is the past tense for teach. Examples:

I thought you weren't coming. 

Mrs. Tan taught me Grammar in school today. 

4. LOSE / LOOSE

Lose is the opposite (antonym) of win. You'd say 'I am not going to lose'. However, loose implies the opposite of tight. For example, 'The pants is too loose for me'. 

5. AFFECT / EFFECT

Affect is a verb while effect is a noun. You use affect when somebody or something influences another. For example:

The weather affects my mood today. 

Effect, on the other hand, is the consequences of somebody's action or an occurrence. Using the above example:

The effect of a bad weather is a bad mood. 

6. PRACTISE / PRACTICE & ADVISE / ADVICE

When do you use 'S' or 'C'?

NOUN: practice, advice

VERB: practise, advise

Examples:

I am going to practise my piano later. 

I have piano practice later.

My sister advises me not to skip class. 

My sister gave me a good advice. 

7. TO / WILL / SHALL / SHOULD / WOULD / CAN / COULD / MAY / MIGHT

Always use the ORIGINAL form of word after the above words. You can't say 'I am going to ate my lunch' or 'I should bought the computer'. 

Example of original form of a word: BREAK and NOT breaks, breaking or broke

8. I / ME

'I' should be used as the subject of a sentence while 'me' is an object in a sentence. Usually, the subject is used in front of a sentence or phrase (the person performing the action) while object is used at the back of a sentence or phrase (an action is done towards the person). For example,

I am going to work. (The person I is doing the action of going to work)

My boss will bring me for lunch today. (Bring is the action done towards me)

9. YOUR / YOU'RE

I was wondering if I should highlight this but this seems to be a pretty serious mistake done by most people, especially those who love using short forms on the internet or via text messages. 

As obvious as it is, 'your' is a pronoun that carries a meaning of possession while 'you're' is the short for 'you are'. 

10. THEY'RE / THEIR / THERE

This is very severe mistake done by my students who are still unable to differentiate the three even after years of learning English. 

They're  refers to "They are" which could be followed by a verb, noun or adjective. For example:

VERB: They're eating. 

NOUN: They're students. 

ADJECTIVE: They're tall. 

Their is a pronoun used to refer possession to a group of people. For example: 

The girls love their mothers. 'Their' here refers to the girls. 

There is an adverb to point to a specific place or to generalize something within a bounded area. For example:

There is a kitten in the box. A specific place - box

There are many place in the supermarket. A bounded area - supermarket

11. ITS / IT'S

The usage of its and it's tells me how vast the difference an apostrophe makes. 

Its is a pronoun used to refer possession to an animal, baby of unknown gender or a non-living thing. For example, 

The cat is licking its tail. 'Its' here refers to the cat.

It's simply means it is. 

12. ONE OF THE 

When you intend to say "one of the", the noun that follows must be plural. For example:

One of the boys in my class, One of the children here, etc. 

13. PROBABLY / PROPERLY

I've seen people using probably as properly and vice versa. 

Probably = maybe, perhaps
Properly = doing it the right or correct way

There are many more but these are the very basic ones. 

Thank you for reading! 

SPM

Exactly eight years ago, I was as nervous, anxious and worried as the SPM candidates of 2013 who will be collecting their SPM results tomorrow. Back then, I was profoundly influenced by my peers and teachers that SPM is almost the biggest deal on earth - I couldn't afford to fail it. In fact, getting a C for me would cause me an almost-dying effect. Yes, I was that "kiasu" (scared to lose) in academics. 

I still remember prior to that "date", I had dreams about getting my results. I can recall that there were two dreams; in one of it, I was showing my very perfect (10As) results to my belated grandmother who passed away a year plus before I sat for my SPM and she was extremely happy. Another dream happened that my SPM results were only mediocre (5As I guess). 

I didn't dare to aim high as I was a very timid girl and I feared disappointment very much so I'd rather aim for something lower and feel happier for it. I told my friends who were eager to obtain straight A1s that it would never be my goal to have straight As, let alone straight A1s (now A+). My confidence in several subjects (History, especially!) was so low I was afraid they might turn out to be a disappointing C. 

When the judgement day finally arrived, I let go all of my emotions and went to the teacher with an open heart. I told myself that I have decided to accept whatever the results might be and I was ultimately prepared to fail my History because I only answered less than half of the subjective questions. 

I got straight As. Yes, all As - 7A1s and 3A2s (History, Biology and EST).

Wow, I was extremely dumbfounded but joyful at the same time - it was like a miracle falling from the sky. It was way beyond my expectations and I felt like I am one of the smartest in the world (hyperbole, haha!). 

But the exuberance didn't last any more than a mere several days. Yes, my family was proud of me and everyone who knew about it congratulated me. Yet nothing beyond that. 

With such results, I couldn't even nail a scholarship to study anything prestigious. My aim was to take up a pharmacy course but even people with straight A1s couldn't get a scholarship, let alone my results. I wasn't really disappointed but I envied my friend who was of a difference race with slightly lower results yet she received offers that I would never get. I couldn't even enter Matriculation! Yeah, people rumoured that matriculation is only meant for Bumiputras or non-Bumis who are living in outskirts. WTF

And so I went to Form 6 (STPM) like some of my friends and SPM results didn't matter anymore. Nobody asked what my results were and nobody gave a damn. 

Even until today, having people questioning me about my SPM results is a very rare occurrence. 10As on the SPM certificate is just as plain as a piece of paper. In fact, a blood donation certification seems more valuable than that. Like most people agree, SPM standards are so low anyone could get an A. 

Some people say SPM is a transition period - the results are vital for scholarships and tertiary education opportunities. Yes, they are but only if your results are damn good. Perfect A+s I mean. Or to students whose results do not revolve around As but the number of passes then yeah, you need a minimum number of passes to qualify an enrollment in a college. And of course, only a pass in BM (and now History as well) will enable you to obtain your SPM certificate, which in time, you would either hide it somewhere unknown or lose it. 

What I'm trying to convey here is, academic results are simply nothing. It doesn't reflect who you are and it doesn't determine who or what you will become. Good results might bring you some privilege educational opportunities others may never qualify but at the end of the day, your results won't deliver success to you because you decide on your life, actions, efforts and paths. 

Still, all the best SPM 2013 candidates! 

Some of whom are my ex-students. Be happy or sad ... just for a while. 

World Vision Child Sponsorship

Disclaimer: This is NOT an ad. 

I am writing about this because I personally feel it's my utmost right to spread goodness and act of kindness to every soul I know. World Vision is a charitable and humanitarian organization working to help and improve the lives of children, families and communities by tackling their poverty and injustice. Yes, it is a Christian organization but trust me, charity knows no race and World Vision provides aid to various places mostly in underdeveloped countries. 

What I feel best about World Vision is its Child Sponsorship program. It is very very meaningful - you pay RM65 a month to sponsor a child from a country you select and you can even interact with them via mail. You can send them gifts and share stories with them. You can also visit any places where World Vision is aiding, probably taking the opportunity to visit your sponsor child. 

My sponsor child is Le Thi Hoa from Vietnam. She is now 14 years old. It has been almost 6 years (2008-2014) since I became her sponsor. 

World Vision is the best alternative channel for you to do some good deeds if you do not know how. It only takes you RM65 a month (save a little on your booze, shopping, or unnecessary splurging, maybe?) and you would make a huge load of difference in a child's life. Visit here for more information on how to sponsor a child!

My View of Valentine's Day

Time passes so quickly that without realizing, Valentine's is just the day after today. Well, I stumbled upon Janechuck's blog post about celebrating Valentine's Day and for the first time, I agree with her. haha! Yeah, I am not really fond of her but after reading this post, I might (MIGHT) change my perspective towards her. 

Speaking of Valentine's Day, as niche as it may sound, I truly believe that everyday is a Valentine's Day if a couple is happy enough being together. Of course, why would a couple only be good and sweet and romantic to each other on a very particular day in a year when they could do so the entire 365 days? 

I think the best and sweetest Valentine's celebration is a simple dinner (better if self-cooked, otherwise a normal restaurant is more than enough), followed by the couple cuddling to watch a romantic or their favourite movie together. There is definitely no need to spend on posh meals (candlelight dinner?), overrated and overpriced flowers (that would eventually die), and other lovey dovey gifts. BUT if your gift is a handmade card, then it's perfectly awesome. I always look up more upon sincerity than monetary. 

You might think that I am too self-conscious about money but I confess that I really am. What I feel is, if a couple were serious about being together in a long-lasting relationship, they should be money conscious, considering the inflation that is occurring right now. I prefer to save for a better and more realistic future. 

Some people might say, Valentine's is a good excuse for boyfriends/husbands to pamper their spouses but you don't really need an occasion to pamper your girlfriends/wives, do you? 

And Jane is right, some people misuse Valentine's celebration as a show-off tool to compete with their girlfriends. Let me tell you, true love is never comparable, it is not measurable through materials - it is the heart that counts. It is the longevity and strength of your love that matters at the end of the day. 

Therefore, I say my man is a lucky man because I do not demand for luxurious gifts or fine dinings for the day's celebration. I even told him on the first day when we got together, "Do not waste money by buying me flowers, just bring me for a simple dinner on Valentine's Day". 

Happy Valentine's Day dear 

Thank you for being my Valentine! <3

Adults are ALWAYS RIGHT

I seem to discover and discuss so much about parenting nowadays - my student and a book about parenting. Very likely it's due to the age growth and I may become a parent some time in the near future (near future implies years for me, haha). 

Out a of a random thought, I came to ponder about the saying "adults are always right". It may be true to a certain extent but despite most parents being aware that this saying could be wrong, they insist to enforce their authority on children because they are the parents. They are the financial, shelter and protection provider. 

When I was young, each time I felt my parent(s) was wrong, I couldn't muster the guts to rebel. I felt so powerless and the only thing I could do was comply and obey. But now when I'm already an adult (i know i'm always a baby in their eyes), my parents are the same - they still impose their authority unto me by thinking they are always right. 

The other day when I was speaking in the phone, my dad was telling me things when he clearly knew I was talking with the other party over the phone. I got annoyed and said, "Can't you see I am talking in the phone and why are you still telling me things? I can't even hear anything!". Instead of stopping, he snapped me back, "Do important things first, your talking in the phone isn't important at all!". BUT the issue here isn't about the importance of the call, it was about the fundamental respect that he should have for me. IF he were the one in the phone and I mumble next to him, I can never imagine how angry he could have got. YET I can never have my temper burst out to him because he's my dad and he deserves all my respect? 

Well, I ain't whining about my dad but this is the closest example that I can think of right now. Is it a right thing to do for parents to use or sometimes misuse their parental authority on children? In fact, some parents (including mine) are so ego they wouldn't ever apologize if they have done anything wrong. I am thinking it could be the culture problem where parents were raised in such a way thus they are subconsciously imposing the same method on their children. 

But I think such an act would bring about negative impact on children. In school, the elderly people that kids encounter are teachers and with what they practise at home, they might also think teachers are always right (which is certainly not) and fear to rebel or stand up for themselves. What if a male teacher sexually harrasses a female student and because she thinks teachers are always right, she silences herself?

Children should be raised and taught to have their own mindset, to learn and distinguish right from wrong by themselves. They will NOT understand if something is good or bad just by listening to what their parents say. So instead of being harsh and asking children to just "listen and obey", parents should "tell and explain why". If you cannot figure out an explanation, look for an answer (not any crappy ones but logical, sensible reasons) to convince your kids!