B.A. English - Page 5

Farrukh Aziz · #41 Friday, February 08, 2013

1. To go to rack and ruin (to be utterly destroyed)
The Crops went to rack and ruin for want of rain.
2. To get into a mess (to drift into difficulties)
He got into a mess because of his carelessness.

3. Get rid of (dispose of something not desired or needed)
We are going to get rid of our old car.
4. Gift of the gab (the ability to speak fluently and convincingly)
There is no doubt that our principal has the gift of the gab.
5. Get off scott-free (to go unpunished)
The thief got off scott-free.
6. To hang in the balance (to be doubtful; in an uncertain condition)
The question of his marriage stills hangs in the balance.
7. Hit below the belt (to take an unfair advantage)
A fair person never likes to hit below the belt.
8. Hold one’s card close to the chest (to be secretive)
He always holds his cards close to the chest; I know nothing about his plans.
9. To have cold feet (to feel frightened)
When he saw the snake, he had cold feet.
10. A house of cards (something which is not durable; temporary)
Life if nothing but a house of cards.
11. Hand in glove (intimately connected)
Now-a-days, they are hand in glove with one another.
12. Hard and fast (definite; clear)
There are hard and fast rules for every game.
13. Head over ears (deeply immersed or involved)
He is head over ears in debt.
14. High time (proper time)
It is high time to weed out corruption.
15. Hole and corner (secret; underhand)
I do not like his hole and corner policy.
16. To have a narrow escape (a hair-breadth escape)
He was lucky enough to have a narrow escape in the accident.
17. To have an axe to grind (to serve one’s own personal interests)
Hamid has advised me not to apply for his post. I suspect he has his own axe to grind.
18. To hold water (to be valid and convincing)
This argument does not hold water.
19. To hire and fire (to employ and to dismiss)
He is all in all this office; he can hire and fire any body.
20. To get into hot water (to get into troubled)
Be careful, otherwise you will get into hot water.

Farrukh Aziz · #42 Friday, February 08, 2013

1. Over head and ears (wholly; desperately)
He is over head and ears in debt.
2. Take exception to (to object; to feel offended)
I take exception to your statement that I am bad tempered.
3. Few and far between (rare)
His visits are few and far between.

4. Fair and square (upright; honest)
In our dealings with others, we should be fair and square.
5. Far and wide (everywhere)
His fame spread far and wide.
6. To feather one’s own nest (to enrich oneself, honestly of otherwise)
Some officers feather their nests well while they have an opportunity.
7. First and foremost (supreme)
It is our first and foremost duty to serve the nation.
8. For good (for ever)
He took leave of me for good.
9. Feel in one’s bones (feel certain)
I felt in my bones that she would not betray me.
10. To fish in troubled waters (try to win advantages for oneself from a disturbed state of affairs.)
A selfish person is always out to fish in troubled waters.
11. To fall flat (fail to produce any effect)
His speech fell flat on the audience.
12. From time to time (occasionally)
My friend comes here from time to time.
13. From hand to mouth (in a state of poverty)
He is living from hand to mouth; his income is low.
14. To fall foul of (to quarrel with)
He always falls foul of his step-brother.
15. To face music (to face adverse criticism).
He is a man of short temper and cannot face the music.
16. To find fault with (to censure; to blame)
Don’t find fault with your friends.
17. A fast man (an extravagant man)
A fast man sometimes find himself in financial straits.
18. French leave (absence from duty without permission)
French leave can mar the career of an employee.
19. To feel run down (to feel exhausted)
She felt run down after cooking.
20. To feel equal to (to be capable of)
I don’t feel equal to this task.

Farrukh Aziz · #43 Friday, February 08, 2013

1. Come of age (to attain maturity; to become major)
She will come of age next year.
2. Crow over (to rejoice at one’s failure)
He crowed over his unsuccessful rival.
3. Cut a sorry figure (to give a poor impression)
He cut a sorry figure in the debate.

4. To come to grief (to fail; meet misfortune)
If you do not act upon my advice, you will soon come to grief.
5. Come to light (be out)
This state secret will never come to light.
6. To be caught red-handed (to be nabbed)
The murderer was caught red-handed by the people.
7. To carry one’s point (win approval for one’s point)
Gifted with eloquence as he was, he often carried his point.
8. Casting vote (decisive vote)
When votes of the two parties are even, the casting vote is with the Chairman.
9. Cock of the walk (chief person; one without a rival)
He is cock of the walk in this circle.
10. Make capital out of (to get an advantage from; to use for one’s own gain)
A selfish man always tries to make capital out of the misfortunes of others.
11. A house of cards (an unsubstantial, insecure scheme)
This scheme of yours will collapse like a house of cards.
12. To cut to the quick (to injure one’s sensibilities deeply)
His sarcastic remark cut me to quick.
13. Crocodile tears (false tears of sorrow)
The step-mother shed crocodile tears at the death of the child.
14. The carrot and the stick (hope of reward and threat of punishment)
He benefits from the carrot-and-stick approach.
15. As the crow flies (in a direct ine)
We went to the lake, straight as the crow flies, through the fields.
16. Under a cloud (out of favour; with a slur on one’s character)
He is under a cloud at present.
17. In cold blood (deliberately; with premeditation)
He was murdered in cold blood.
18. Drive into a corner (force someone into a position from which escape will be difficult)
During the discussion, I drove him into a corner.
19. Do away with (to abolish)
We must do away with worn-out, useless customs.
20. Die in the last ditch (to fight to the last)
They were determined to die in the last ditch.

Farrukh Aziz · #44 Friday, February 08, 2013

DIALOGUE WRITING SAMPLES

Customer: How are you?
Tailor: I am fine and you?
Customer: Fine as well. How are things going?
Tailor: Well. But there is much pressure of work these days because of Eid.
Customer: What about my dress? You promised it to me for today.
Tailor: Yes, but it isn’t ready today. You can get it tomorrow if you don’t min
Customer: Ok, I’ll come tomorrow. Bye!
Tailor: Bye!
Six exchanges: Between two students on hobbies/ free time

Situation: (two students talking about their hobbies in the canteen)
Student 1: What do you do in your free time?
Student 2: I read books. It is my hobby. What is yours?
Student 1: My hobby is watching TV.
Student 2: Why do you watch TV?
Student 1: I watch TV because it gives me both entertainment and information.
Why did you take books as your hobby?
Student 2: I love books for the similar reasons. Books are good companions.
Student 1: What kind of books do you like to read?
Student 2: All kinds; but my favourites are suspense and history books. What kind of TV programs do you like?
Student 1: My favourite TV programs include comedy, social and quiz programs. Why don’t you too start watching TV?
Student 2: Actually, TV programs are usually monotonous. But reading books is a good hobby. You can select books of your choice and enjoy them.
Student 1: I think you are right. We should help promote book reading culture.
Student 2: Book reading is a very good habit.

Eight exchanges between husband and wife on price-hike/quarrel

Situation: (the husband prepares to go to the work and his wife stops him)
Wife: Do you hear?
Husband: Yes, what is the matter? You always stop me when I prepare to go out.
Wife: Just give me five hundred rupees as I have run short of money.
Husband: Where is the two thousand rupees I gave you on the 1st of May?
Wife: I spent all. You see, how dearness has increased!
Husband: Why don’t you spend wisely? Every month, I have to give you extra-money.
Wife: I am not at fault. Prices of even minor commodities are touching the sky. I have cut down on necessities; still it is difficult to manage.
Husband: What do I do? Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Wife: You must understand, dear. We have two children. They go to school.
Husband: Don’t you see how I work hard? I have two part time jobs.
Wife: You won’t believe but rice, sugar and oil have doubled the price for the last two
months.
Husband: Ok. I’ll cease fire. I have two hundreds only. You can have them.
Wife: I understand how it feels but one can’t help in dearness.
Husband: This will change. The boss has decided to give me a raise.
Wife: That’d be great! How about starting my tuitions at home?
Husband: This will be splendid! Thus, we can easily manage the house.

Farrukh Aziz · #45 Friday, February 08, 2013

PRECIS WRITING

Precis Writing :

A précis is a summary. Précis writing is a very useful exercise. Most of us read carelessly. Précis-writing gives training in careful reading. Précis–writing is regarded as a very important kind of composition because it develops one’s capacity to discriminate between the essential and the inessential.

Write a précis of the following passage.

To have a second language at your disposal, even if you only know it enough to read it with pleasure, is a sensible advantage. Our educationists are too often anxious to teach children so many different languages that they never get far enough in any one to drive any use or enjoyment from their study. The boy learns enough Latin to detest it, enough Greek to pass an examination, enough French to get from Calasis to Paris, enough German to exhibit a diploma, enough Spanish or Italian to tell which is which, but not enough of any to secure the enormous boon of access to a second literature.

Choose well, choose wisely and choose one, concentrate upon that one. Do not be content until you find yourself reading in it with real enjoyment. The process of reading for pleasure in another language rests the mental muscles; it enlivens the mind by a different sequence and emphasis of ideas. The mere form of speech excites the activity of separate brain cells, relieving in the most effective manner the fatigue of those in hackneyed use. One may imagine that a man who blew the trumpet for his living would be glad to play the violin for his amusement. So it is with reading in another language than your own.

Answer :

Rough Draft FOR Precis Writing:

It is a sensible advance to have a second language enough to read it with pleasure. But our educationists are anxious to teach children. So many languages. The boy can learn any as second language. It is not good to press the enormous boon of access to the second language. The boy can choose well, wisely and concentrate upon that one. The process of reading should be made pleasure from that language. One may imagine that a man who blew the trumpet would be glad to play the violin for his amusement. So it may be his own choice to choose the second language for reading.

Choosing Second Language

Fair Draft :

It is enough to choose the second language any one. But the educationalists choose many languages to the children. So it is very difficult for children to learn more. The boy can choose well wisely and concentrate upon that one. The process of reading should be made pleasure from that language choosing the second language may be the own choice of the student.

sapphireg · #46 Monday, March 11, 2013

Hey farrukh what do you think it is critical summary i mean i gather from it that its just short summary of poem. In critical summary you have to write about many other things like basic theme of the poem, what type of poem is, how many stanzas are there, lines in each stanza, iambic, foot, syllables, meter of the poem, rhyme,rhythm schme and about all such things, don't u think so?

Farrukh Aziz · #47 Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Dear yeah you are right! It is merely summary, but by accident i have written "Critical"..

shahid345 · #48 Thursday, October 17, 2013

Hello Dear Farrukh,
The notes you have posted here are complete notes ??
And after preparing these notes, there will be no need of books ?
And can you give a little guide that how to prepare them ?
Waiting for your reply.

Farrukh Aziz · #49 Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Dear, No they are not complete... I have given just important questions with the examination point of view... I will suggest to u to study the text books first. Purchase a guide book, esp. " Promise guide to B.A English" and B.A English by Dogar publishers..
1. Read the text book thoroughly for instance the first story " The Killers" that you have in paper A
2. close the book and try to write on your own whatever you have read in the story.. Reproduce it in your own words
3. Practise writing, because paper a is all about your written expression
4. Note the themes of all the poems, stories, essays, etc
5. As far as B paper is concerned, memorize minimum 2 to 3 hundred important idioms esp those coming time and again in exam.
6. Study the rules for the sentence correction.
7. Pay special attention to the letter/application writing, where to use punctuation like comma, full stop, etc and where not..

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shahid345 (Tuesday, November 05, 2013)