Know your English

WHAT IS the difference between ``maintenance charges'' and ``maintainance charges''?

(B. Sundari, Chennai)

The word ``maintainance'' does not exist. What you pay to the Society for the upkeep of your building or apartment, are ``maintenance charges''. The stress is on the first syllable ``main''. The ``e'' in the second syllable and the ``a'' in the third are pronounced like the ``a'' in ``china'', ``about'', and ``amount''.

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ``to wear one's heart on one's sleeve''?

(P. V. Satish, Chennai)

The heart, as everyone knows, is the seat of one's emotions. So, if you were to remove your heart and pin it on your sleeve, what would happen? People would be able to see for themselves what your feelings are. You would not be able to hide them. And that's what the expression ``to wear one's heart on one's sleeve'' means - to display your feelings for someone or something openly, rather than keeping them private. Here are a few examples.

* It's easy to hurt Neeraja's feelings because she wears her heart on her sleeve.

* We didn't have to ask Rahul who he had a crush on. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

* It's difficult to read Pramod's mind. Unlike his brother, he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve.

This expression has been part of the English language for several hundred years. In the old days, when knights went to war or fought each other, they invariably pinned some item belonging to their beloved on their sleeve - usually a handkerchief or a scarf. This made it clear to everyone where the knight's affections lay.

What is ``schizophrenia'' and how is the word pronounced?

(S. Mahesh, Chennai)

Let's deal with the pronunciation first. The first two syllables are pronounced like the words ``skit'' and ``so''. The third syllable sounds like ``free'', while the final ``ia'' is like the ``ea'' in words like ``dear'', ``fear'', and ``hear''. The main stress is on the third syllable ``phre''. Some people pronounce the ``o'' in the second syllable like the ``a'' in ``china''.

Schizophrenia is a kind of mental illness; one in which a person has all kinds of delusions as a result of which he/she behaves strangely.

* Several people in Rahul's family have schizophrenia.

* There is a chapter in this book on schizophrenia.

The way some of our politicians behave, one wonders if they have schizophrenia.

What is the past tense of ``strive''?

(K. Rangaswami, Bangalore)

Most English dictionaries list the past tense as ``strove''. The ``o'' sounds like the ``o'' in ``cold'', ``gold'', and ``sold''. When you strive to do something, you put in a lot of effort to do it.

* Bala strove hard to complete his Ph.D. by June.

* After the debacle, the leader strove hard to improve the party's image.

American dictionaries, on the other hand, list ``strove'' and ``strived'' as the past tense form. Many people contend that ``strived'' is not a part of standard English.

How do you reciprocate to ``Glad to meet you''?

(K. Benarjee, Pattancharu, Andhra Pradesh)

The standard response to this greeting is ``Glad to meet you'' and ``Pleasure to meet you'', with some people putting the stress on ``you''. Other possible responses are ``Likewise'', ``Nice to meet you'', ``Happy to meet you'' or ``My pleasure''.

What is the meaning of buying something ``over the counter''?

(C. Kanthappan, Tiruneveli)

Medicines which can be bought ``over the counter'' are those which can be bought without a doctor's prescription. For example, aspirin and cough syrups are items, which can be bought over the counter. If you want to buy sleeping pills, some shops insist that you have a prescription; this item will not be sold to you over the counter. There are people however who are willing to sell you anything; even dangerous drugs without the proper prescription. This illegal selling of drugs without a proper prescription is called selling ``under the counter''.

* The doctor told her that all the tablets that he had prescribed could be bought over the counter.

* We bought several bottles of rum under the counter.

* * *

``If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.'' - Anon

S. UPENDRAN

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