Pravilna upotreba reči i izraza u engleskom jeziku, XV deo

Danas donosimo još 10 interesantnih i korisnih razrešenja nedoumica u korišćenju engleskog jezika; pojedini primeri iz ove grupe sigurno će dobro doći i onima koji odlično govore engleski

141. “Assume or know”?
Assume means to take as granted although it is not approved; know means to have understanding or to be aware of the truth. Assumptions are not always true, but knowledge is the truth. If you assume you will get a good grade in that language class, then it means you think or believe you will get the A; however, you are not certain. If you know that you are going to get an A, then you have knowledge in some way that you are going to get that grade. Maybe you have a list of your graded assignments that average to an A or maybe the professor talked to you about your grade, or maybe you saw his/her grade book.

142. “Astrology/astronomy”?
Many people are unsure of what these words mean and they often get them mixed up. Astrology interprets the influence that the Sun and Moon have while they are in a specialized zodiacal sign. Astrology is based on the concept of the 12 signs of the zodiac, measuring 30 degrees each along the astrological circle. Astronomy is the scientific interpretation of matter in space. The daily horoscope is written by someone who understands astrology while a scientist who discovers a new moon or planet may be an astronomer.

143. “Bored or boring”?
You need to be careful with this one. If you say that you are bored with something like a lecture or book, or that you are just bored because you have nothing to do, then that means you are tired or uninterested. But if you say you are boring, that means you are dull. If someone asks you, how you are? And you can’t be positive about it, don’t say you are boring. You are bored.

144. What is the difference between “come over/overcome”?
The verbal phrase come over can mean to move from one place to another as in “come over here”. It can also mean to seem to be a particular type of person as in “movie actors and actresses come over as being dramatic”. Overcome means something different. It can mean to conquer as “he overcame the obstacle and reached success in his business” or it can mean to reach a stage that engulfs you like “overcome with sadness”, “overcome with disbelief”, “overcome with gratitude”, etc.

145. What is the correct word: “bachelor’s degree, bachelors degree, or bachelor degree”?
When a degree from a university or college is awarded to someone at the undergraduate level, this is called a bachelor’s degree. The same is true for an advanced degree. You would say “a master’s degree.” To help you remember the correct way to write this, think of the degree belonging to the person who is either a bachelor or a master.

146. Do these words mean the same thing: “curious and interesting”?
If someone is curious, it means they are interested in learning about what is around them. For example, “The student was curious to find out how many people used his brother’s website.” If something is curious, it means it is unusual, odd or strange. So it might be curious that the 85-year-old lady still can walk on the balance beam and complete a gymnastics routine. If someone or something is interesting, it means that it gets your attention because it is unusual or strange, exciting, etc. You could find a book, trip, person, etc. interesting. Interesting does not always mean curious. However, usually something curious is interesting.

147. “Defrost or melt”?
Defrost is a verb that means to cause to become free or to cause to become no longer frozen. For example, “You defrost the freezer when you unplug the refrigerator and clean it.” Melt is a verb to means to turn something that is in a solid form into something soft or a liquid. For example, “The snowman melted in the 40 degree temperatures.” Notice, that you don’t melt the freezer when you unplug the refrigerator and a snowman does not defrost.

148. “Could care less or couldn’t care less”?
To say you could care less means that you have a little bit of caring left which is probably not what the person intended to mean. It is best to use the phrase “couldn’t care less” as in “The mailman couldn’t care less if his shift was shortened on Saturdays as he wanted to have more free time.”

149. The use of the word “none” as singular and plural: A mass noun uses the word “none” and it is followed by a singular verb as in, “None of the water was safe to drink”. Sometimes the word none has a sense of plurality and therefore it takes a plural verb as in, “The teacher talked to the students, and none of them were able to help out at the fundraiser.”

150. “Dress up/dressed”?
You dress up for a party, an interview or something special. When you get dressed, this expression means you put on any type of clothing. So if you are dressed up, it means you are wearing fancy clothing and if you are dressed, it means you are ready for the day and you are not in your pajamas or bathrobe.

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