English Bloopers: Part 10

Contributed by: Ahmed Imam

 

Wrong: I had left the bag here only but I can't find it now.
Correct: I had left the bag here, but I can't find it now.

Wrong: The time is three pm only. Tea won't be served now only!
Correct: This time is just three pm. Tea won't be served now.

Wrong: That film star's age is twenty only.
Correct: That film star's age is just twenty.

Wrong: I only caught the thief when he tried to escape.
Correct: It was I who caught the thief when he tried to escape.

Wrong: The movie was nice only.
Wrong: The movie was ok only.

Correct: The movie was very nice.
Correct: The movie was fairly nice.

Wrong: I took three seconds only to answer that question.
Correct: I took only three seconds to answer that question.

Don't despair! With practice, we can learn the proper usage of 'only'.

Wrong: He is calling to you

The 'to' is not needed in this statment. You could either remove the 'to' or replace it with 'for'.

Correct: He is calling you.

Wrong: Say me the truth!

This is especially prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. It should be 'tell'.

Correct: Tell me the truth

Wrong: The real fact is that you are not married.

This is redundant, because a fact is true or provable. Therefore, all facts are real.

Correct: The fact is that you are not married.

 

What is the Difference Between Weather and Climate?

Contributed by: Ahmed Imam

 

The difference between weather and climate is easy! Everyday when you climb out of bed, regardless of any morning routines you may have, you must plan your day around the weather. Rain or snow, hot or cold, humid or dry, your daily events will likely is affected by the current weather conditions. In fact, even with a five day forecast, you are likely to still look out the window to see what the weather is doing.

 

Therefore, Weather changes on a daily basis.

In general, if you live in Northern Canada , you're wardrobe is likely not going to be full of beach attire for those warm spring days. Similarly, it is doubtful a store selling wool mittens and triple layer winter coats will make big business. Therefore, Climate is the trends in weather patterns over an extended period of time.

Not days, or weeks, or months…but years.

 

Climate Data Comes From Weather Data
Scientists keep day-to-day weather statistics for 30 years in order to draw conclusions about local and regional climates. It is only when a location has 30 years of weather statistics that meteorologists can generalize and comment on the climate of a particular area. Overall then, the difference between weather and climate is time. Weather happens daily and climate happens over longer periods.