ENGLISH FOR TEST PREP and more...

The Word of the Year,  justice , was newsworthy in several contexts. The primary sense is that of administration or maintenance of fairness and lawfulness, and increasing concern about social justice has brought the concept, and the term that represents it, to the forefront in our society. But  justice  is a job title as well as a concept, referring to a judge on a national or state supreme court or similar body, and the controversy over confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court also led people to check the definition. (The senior member of a supreme court is often titled “chief justice,” while the others are designated “associate justices.”) Finally, on a more trivial note, the Justice League is a team of superheroes created for DC Comics and appearing in various media, including a film released late last year. The runners-up include  nationalism , which has figured prominently in the media as the concept gains traction thro...

I sn't it exciting to score a 100% in CAT? It just takes two things dedication and perseverance.  Dedication  means "committing yourself to something," like your  dedication  to CAT training that had you studying for every single day for four - six months. Perseverance  originally comes from the Latin  perseverantia  and means to abide by something strictly. This makes sense, because if you're doing something in spite of all the difficulty, you're being strict on yourself. Sailing around the world and climbing Mt. Everest are acts requiring perseverance. Even things like learning a new language require perseverance and daily practice. So, the magic formula to success is  dedication  +  perseverance.

Fishy Expressions The English language abounds in expressions related to fish and fishing. Here are just a few: 1.  to drink like a fish : to drink to excess. 2.  to feed the fishes : to die by drowning. 3.  to feel like a fish out of water : to feel out of one’s comfort zone. 4.  to fish for compliments : do or say things to elicit praise from others. 5.  to sound fishy : to seem dubious or suspicious. 6.  All is fish that comes to his net : He makes use of everything that comes his way. 7.  Fish or cut bait! : Make a decision one way or another. 8.  Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime : a proverb meaning that it’s more useful to a person to teach him how to do something for himself than to give him a hand-out. 9.  There are plenty of other fish in the sea : a comforting remark made to someone who has broken up with a sweetheart. 10.  a pretty kettle of fish...

To be a square peg in a round hole and more... (30 Idioms About Common Shapes) Figurative references to circles, squares, and triangles turn up in a variety of familiar expressions. Here’s a list of many of those idioms and their meanings. 1. To be a square peg in a round hole is to be someone who doesn’t fit in a particular environment, or in certain circumstances. 2. To go back to square one is to start over again because of a setback or an impasse. 3. The expression “Be there, or be square” alludes to often-lighthearted pressure to attend an event or suffer the consequences of being considered conventional and uninteresting. 4–6. To call something square , square something with someone, or square accounts is to agree with another party that neither party owes anything to the other one. 7. To circle around is to move in a circular motion to engage in reconnaissance or to figuratively evaluate a situation. 8. A circular argument is one in which the proposition is ...

COMMON GREEK ROOT WORDS USED IN ENGLISH TODAY Here are common Greek root words (and their definitions) we use in English: Arch – chief Auto –  referring to the self Biblio – anything pertaining to a book Bios – life or living things in general Cosmos – order or world Cracy –  any type of government entity Demos -  pertaining people Derma -  referring to the skin Ethnos – race or nation Gastro – pertaining to the stomach Geo – pertaining to the earth Hydro – pertaining to water Hypno – pertaining to sleep Isos – equal, alike or identical Kilo - thousand Lithos – referring to stone Logos – word or study Mania – pertaining to madness Mega – large or powerful Monos – pertaining to one Neuron – pertaining to the nerve Nomos – law or science Octo - eight Pan – pertaining to all or every Phobia – fear or dread of something Phone – referring to sound or speaking Psycho – pertaining to the soul or the mind Scopos – to spy, watch or see Sta...

10 Pairs of Words and Their Useful Distinctions Take care when determining which word among two or more synonyms or near synonyms to employ, because the sense of a word can be subtly or significantly different from that of a similar term: 1. Childish/Childlike Childish  refers to immature behavior characteristic of a child, while  childlike  pertains to more positive qualities such as innocence and curiosity. 2. Illegible/Unreadable Something that is difficult to read because the text has been damaged or obscured is illegible or unreadable, but the latter term may alternatively refer to the poor quality of the content. 3. Incomparable/ Uncomparable Incomparable  is used as an intensifier to mean that the person, place, or thing so described is so excellent that no other person, place, or thing can compare;  uncomparable , meanwhile, means that something about the person, place, or thing prevents it from being compared to someone, someplace, or somethi...

Agee, James A Death in the Family Story of loss and heartbreak felt when a young father dies.   Anderson, Sherwood Winesburg, Ohio A collection of short stories lays bare the life of a small town in the Midwest.   Baldwin, James Go Tell It On the Mountain Semi-autobiographical novel about a 14-year-old black youth's religious conversion.   Bellamy, Edward Looking Backward: 2000-1887 Written in 1887 about a young man who travels in time to a utopian year 2000, where economic security and a healthy moral environment have reduced crime.   Bellow, Saul Seize the Day A son grapples with his love and hate for an unworthy father.   Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 Reading is a crime and firemen burn books in this futuristic society.   Cather, Willa My Antonia Immigrant pioneers strive to adapt to the Nebraska prairies.   Chopin, Kate The Awakening The story of a New Orleans woman who abandons her husband and children to search for love and self-understanding. ...