Unlocking global communication, academic excellence, and professional growth through mastery of English

English is widely spoken across the world, serving as a common link between people from diverse cultures and professions. With over 2 billion speakers, it plays a vital role in areas such as science, law, medicine, and navigation. Learning English not only enhances communication but also helps in building confidence, refining personality, and improving performance in competitive exams. Understanding vocabulary, idioms, and grammar equips learners with practical tools to express themselves effectively. By embracing English, individuals gain access to global opportunities, expand their intellectual horizons, and develop the skills needed to succeed in both academic and professional settings

English is spoken as lingua franca among the people of many countries across the world. It has proved its credential as the premier language of a host of professional domains i.e. science, navigation, medical and law. With over 2 billion speakers of English, its knowledge refines the personality and reassures success in various competitive examinations.

Choose the closest meaning of the words given in the capital letters -

1. POLEMIC

(A) argument (B) diligence (C) reality

2. POLYANDRY

(A) distribution (B) ceremony (C) polygamy

3. PONTIFF

(A) the pope (B) great (C) angry

4. PORCINE

(A) looking like a pig (B) of large size (C) ambitious

5. PORTLY

(A) weak (B) stout (C) intelligent

6. IMPUGN

(A) to consider (B) to contradict (C)to argue

7. INCISE

(A) to arrive (B) to engrave (C) to enable

8. INCOGNITO

(A) pseudonym (B) supreme (C) custodian

9. EMBODY

(A) to eliminate (B) to incorporate (C)to disagree

10. INDICT

(A) to incriminate (B) to abandon (C) to polarize

Answers:1.A 2.C 3.A 4.A 5.B 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.B 10.A

Let us brush up on these idioms

A sacred cow –a belief, opinion or custom which the people do not criticize or question or do anything to reform it, anything which is immune from the criticism or opposition (The caste-based reservation policy has turned out to be a sacred cow of the Indian polity. This poverty elimination programme has become a sacred cow.)

Cradle snatching / robbing the cradle –it is used to denote the situation in which someone has a sexual relationship with a person who is much younger than them. (The lady professor got involved in the affairs with her most intelligent student which was obviously the case of cradle snatching. The actress was notorious for the cradle snatching in the film industry.)

A blind alley –a mistaken course or direction which leads to nowhere. (The profession of teaching, a reputedly prestigious career choice around two to three decades ago, has now become a blind alley.)

To upset the applecart –to do something which brings destruction or causes trouble. (The opposition parties have upset the applecart by the nationwide protests against the government’s corrupt practices.)

Let us know the use of the prepositions

To abide by –to obey or accept a rule or agreement (The citizens must abide by the constitution of the country. You must abideby the judge’s decisions.The players must abide by the referee’s decisions.)

To accede to a request –to agree to a request or demand, to give consent to a request, to start a new job (The central government finally acceded to the demands of the agitating farmers.She acceded to the throne and brought about a lot of reforms for the welfare of the people.)

To come by –to acquire something (Good marks in the UPSC examination is very difficult to come by.)

To convict a person of a crime –to decide in a law court that someone is guilty of a crime (The jury convicted them of the fraud and robbery. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? She was convicted of murder in the Supreme Court.)

To dissent from an opinion –to differ in opinion (A few of judges dissented from the majority opinion. The opposition party dissented from the government’s proposal to impose additional tax burden on the salaried class.)

To exonerate a person from blame –to state that someone is not guilty of a crime or something (The court exonerated the police officer from the murder charges.)

Word of the week

Estrange –verb, to arouse enmity or indifference, to cause someone to be no longer on friendly terms, to alienate (She became estranged from her husband soon after her marriage. A misunderstanding estranged the two old friends of the childhood.)

(The author is Principal, PM Shri School Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Garhbanaili, Bihar)