Co-ordinated by SIMRIT KAUR
Let's face it. Our English could do with a leg up. Especially in this fast-paced world of the Internet, when access to knowledge requires proficiency in the language. That is why The Star has, since April 2001, embarked on a campaign to promote the correct use of English. As we are inviting every Malaysian to come in with us on this, we're calling our campaign Mind Our English. The campaign is being promoted in our print version but you can also check us out on this site where we will include useful links and also multi-media clips when appropriate. To get in touch with the campaign people, email english@thestar.com.my

Jul 3: A fine balance

Either ... or, neither ... nor – learn how form balanced constructions.

Jul 2: Expressing certainty

WHAT is the difference between the following two sentences:-

Jul 1: Call of nature

BODILY functions are a rich source of English slang, so naturally, we have a lot of ways of saying “urinate,” “defecate” and “go somewhere to urinate and/or defecate.” Here’s a quick rundown of appropriate usage.

Jun 26: The Laksa Asam woman

WHEN I was in my late teens, a middle-aged Chinese woman frequented our neighbourhood to sell laksa asam, relying on word of mouth for custom.

Jun 26: Worrying words

EH Poh Nim and Jane were lounging at the reception area.

Jun 25: Rise to the occasion

WHEN the teacher enters the classroom, is it correct for the monitor to say “rise up class, good morning Miss Wong”?

Jun 25: Wordwise

Words like chair, table and bench can take on a new meaning when they are used in a different context. Some of the following expressions inject colour into the English language. Complete the sentences with the right answer.

Jun 24: How the hot dog got its name

Sausages, served hot or cold, boiled or fried, on a bun, have existed for centuries, but the term “hot dog” is clouded in folk etymologies.

Jun 24: Personal preference

Nasir of Putrajaya writes in.

Jun 18: British or American?

Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN

Jun 12: Neologisms and the like

I WAS at a loss to think of a title for this article, to encompass invented words, old words with modified meanings, words with added meanings, words with added grammatical functions, words usurped by new meanings, and so on — but perhaps not words from slang, street language, or the language underground.

Jun 11: Malaysian first, or last?

Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN.

Jun 10: Pronunciation matters

Pronunciation is an important part of language! People need to understand what you are saying.

Jun 10: A few good men

Here are some words to describe people of distinction.

Jun 5: Twist a word

By S.H. LOKE.

Jun 4: Emergency leave

Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN

Jun 4: The Fox and the Sick Lion

By OH TEIK THEAM

Jun 3: Fake sympathy

There are a wide variety of terms used to treat sympathy, or lack of it.

Jun 3: Spellbound by spelling

Schoolchildren across the United States vie for the title of the US’ best speller.

May 29: A farewell ode

Readers pay tribute to former editor of the column, Kee Thuan Chye.

May 29: Fun with synonyms

By OH TEIK THEAM

May 29: Didn't or don't

Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN

May 28: Apostrophe with ‘s’

Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN

May 27: American English at work

GROWING up on a rich diet of British English through Enid Blyton, The Sullivans and Mind Your Language, my exposure to American English was limited to TV shows like The Cosby Show, Three’s Company or Eight Is Enough. As enjoyable as these shows were, they rarely included conversations about work.

May 27: Not quite the same

Wordwise by S.H. LOKE

May 22: Fun with phrasal verbs

By OH TEIK THEAM

May 22: ‘Made of’ and ‘made out of

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILLAH AMIN.

May 22: Verbs gone astray in newspapers

The seemingly indifferent(?) standard of editing in our dailies may frustrate the aim of improving a pupil’s English.

May 22: From chewing the fat to talking turkey

Fascinating conversation by LYDIA TEH.

May 22: Goodbye and thank you

KEE THUAN CHYE's last issue in Mind Our English.

May 21: None was or were?

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILLAH AMIN

May 20: Jitterbug thug and dance

WHEN a circuit judge in Florida was reported to have told a man who took up the habit of crack cocaine at age 47 that he would be joining the “jitterbugs”, she didn’t mean he’d be on the dance floor swinging and jerking to the sounds of Tommy Dorsey. She meant he would be joining the juvenile delinquents and the thugs on the street.

May 20: MOE contest results

THESE are the 8 winners of the contest held in conjunction with MOE’s 8th anniversary (in alphabetical order):

May 20: Wordwise

TAKE heart, there are still honourable people around. Their moral integrity and uprightness stem from their upbringing and education.

May 15: Line up the little words

Here is an exercise that requires you only to put in place those little words that help to keep each sentence in line with its intended meaning.

May 14: ‘Economy rice’ is the phrase

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN

May 13: How to kick-start your writing

THE American National Commission on Writing surveyed 120 major American corporations affiliated with Business Roundtable (an association of CEOs leading US corporations in manufacturing, finance, services and high technology) and discovered that writing is a “threshold skill” for the hiring and promotion of professional employees in today’s workplace.

May 13: The wonders of WWW

From Amry Mohd Jamil.

May 8: Word-building

By Dr LIM CHIN LAM.

May 8: ‘Cukai tanah’ is not quit rent?

Readers highlight instances of poor English usage.

May 7: I stand corrected

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN

May 7: Forming a word train

FILL in the spaces with letters to form the 18 words as defined by the clues provided.

May 6: The Fantods and the Cold Robbies

GRANT BARRETT elaborates the meaning of Cold robbies and fantods.

May 1:All roads lead to Roman proverbs

Great cities of the world have been celebrated not only in essays and full-length books, but also in nursery rhymes, songs and poems.

May 1:Fun With Word Search

Let us have some fun with a word search exercise.

Apr 30: Open Mondays to Fridays?

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILLAH AMIN

Apr 30: Killer chalk?

From Bev of Petaling Jaya.

Apr 29:Somewhere along the line

AFTER a late dinner, Eh Poh Nim and Gene Rick strolled along the sidewalk of busy Bangsar, hands linked tightly in each other’s. The night throbbed with excitement as people flocked to the pubs and eateries. Suddenly, a woman pushed past them.

Apr 29:Painful effect on the ears

IT seems that many people around me, including some television and radio VJs, some TV actors and some in Internet forums, do not know the correct meanings of the words “effect” and “affect” and how these two words are used.

Apr 29:So much for hearty English food!

I GUESS no one could be faulted for reading that as meaning Western food is wimpy!

Apr 24: O for the open sound!

A-RAMBLING through words in the English language, I chanced upon one notable feature. Of all the speech sounds, the open sound – a terminal syllable with a vowel-sound not closed by a consonant-sound – is a pleasingly fluid one, in prose, verse, and song.

Apr 24: Slight improvement needed

Look and learn.

Apr 23: MOE is eight today

For today, let’s all celebrate this eighth anniversary and look forward to many more years of minding our English, writes KEE THUAN CHYE.

Apr 23: The MOE word challenge

By OH TEIK THEAM

Apr 23: When do we use or not use ‘the’?

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILLAH AMIN

Apr 23: Readers' contributions

Apr 22: This is one funny word!

Notes from the language underground by GRANT BARRETT.

Apr 22: Isn’t it confusing?

Look and Learn from Melvin C. Bashner, El Paso, Texas, USA.

Apr 22: Just for fun

Many of the sentences below make clever use of puns and other devices to communicate more than one meaning. If you paid attention in English classes, you would most likely enjoy them.

Apr 17: Shall we have a conference call?

WITH the increasing use of free Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technologies on programmes like Skype, MSN and Yahoo, today’s office worker cannot escape the conference call.

Apr 17: Wordwise

IT is not surprising that expressions related to clothes and dressing cover every facet of life. They can be used to describe events, people and jobs. You can use some of these well-worn expressions to add a splash of colour to your language.

Apr 16: Do we ‘pump petrol’?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Apr 15: Words have consequences

Politics would be more honest without the clever use and blatant abuse of words. But it would also be a lot duller.

Apr 15: Saying it indirectly

There are less offensive ways of referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Apr 10: The colours of English

Ramblings by Dr LIM CHIN LAM

Apr 10: Fun with synonyms

Each sentence below contains a synonym of the italicised word(s), spelt out in consecutive letters. Can you spot it?

Apr 9: When there’s no ‘a’ or ‘the’

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Apr 9: Wordwise

Apr 8: From LOL to lulz to lolxxx

Language change on the Internet is a beautiful thing.

Apr 8: Quotation challenge

Enjoy the following quotations.

Apr 3: Wordwise

Stick around for some of the “stick” expressions which will save you from sticky moments in your conversations.

Apr 3: From Kalashnikov to nunchaku

Many English speakers use loanwords every day without realising that their vocabulary has been greatly influenced by other languages and other countries.

Apr 2: Does ‘misfortunate’ exist?

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILLAH AMIN

Apr 1: They came from elsewhere

ENGLISH speakers are offered a cornucopia of words to choose from when constructing a sentence or uttering a statement. But just how many of these words originated in England?

Apr 1: Fun with synonyms

FOR each set of three words below, find a rhyme for the second and third words so that you get three words (including the italicised word, which rhymes with the first word) that are synonyms of each other.

Mar 27: Let’s have a funnel

Ramblings by DR LIM CHIN LAM

Mar 27: ‘One too many’

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN

Mar 26: Addressing married women

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN

Mar 25: ‘Eeny, meany, miney, moe’ and more

On words in the mysterious language of childhood.

Mar 25: Wordwise

By S.H. LOKE

Mar 20: Exotic stuff

I CAME across this at a stall in a well-patronised cafe in Subang Jaya. Prick snails? I imagine they can’t be very nice!

Mar 19: Borh-doe, shab-li and more

BELOW is a list of French terms related to wine that I would like to learn to pronounce. It was taken from an article by Ed Soon in the The Star dated Feb 8 called ‘Tale of a defiant grape’.

Mar 18: Nothing but the truth

WORD’S UP, EH POH NIM by LYDIA TEH.

Mar 18: Fun with synonyms

EACH sentence below contains a synonym of the italicised word(s), spelt out in consecutive letters. Can you spot it?

Mar 13: ‘You does’? How can? Cannot!

Ramblings by Dr LIM CHIN LAM

Mar 13: Think of those reading this

LOOK and LEARN: From Li Lian

Mar 13: Typo error

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN.

Mar 12: With or without ‘-ing’?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Mar 11: A sense of snow

A glossary of some of the more interesting snow language would not go amiss, writes GRANT BARRETT.

Mar 11: Wordwise

Learn to use the right ‘pocket’ expressions.

Mar 6: Mind our hyphens and dashes

ARE you a stickler for correct punctuation? Do you niggle and nag people about punctuation? Well, if you do, this one’s for you and me as we wade through the never-ending learning process of life.

Mar 6: Fun with Synonyms

FOR each set of three words here, find a rhyme for the second and third words so that you get three words (including the italicised word, which rhymes with the first word) that are synonyms of each other.

Mar 6: Loll around, you slugabed!

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Mar 5: How do I get rid of my accent?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Mar 5: Note the difference

Mar 4: Subject and verb agreement

OH TEIK THEAM

Mar 4: Help for tuition centre

Feb 27: How it became -ice or -ise

Dr LIM CHIN LAM

Feb 27: More on tag questions

OPEN CHANNEL

Feb 27: One cigarette is not enough!

Feb 26: Why not ‘elegant tall lady’?

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN.

Feb 26: Please help these students

LOOK and LEARN: From Gerald, Petaling Jaya

Feb 25: Getting into phrasal verbs

Fun with grammar by OH TEIK THEAM

Feb 25: When you mind who’s saying it

By GRANT BARRETT

Feb 20: Sentence, phrase, clause

FUN WITH GRAMMAR - By OH TEIK THEAM

Feb 19: What comes closest to ‘dimadukan’?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN

Feb 18: Speed is the essence

By LYDIA TEH: She is the author of the upcoming Do You Wear Suspenders? – The Wordy Tales of Eh Poh Nim, which will be in major bookstores soon.

Feb 18: Matters of the heart

Valentine’s Day was last week, but it’s still the season to address the subject of hearts.

Feb 13: What’s the question again?

Ramblings by Dr LIM CHIN LAM

Feb 12: The teacher is wrong

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Feb 12: Plural ‘policemen’

From N.K. Khoo, Kuala Lumpur

Feb 11: Back from the dead

Notes from the language underground by GRANT BARRETT.

Feb 11: Our unique fusion language

When we travel, we meet various kinds of people of different cultures. But we can often recognise a Malaysian quite easily by their Manglish!

Feb 5: Right words to say at exam

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN

Feb 4: Cunning couples

You can easily acquire an American, Australian, British or Canadian accent with speech training or from living several years abroad and come across as someone fluent in English. But you give yourself away if you use words wrongly, especially in e-mails, faxes and reports.

Jan 30: When we do the odious thing

Ramlings: By Dr LIM CHIN LAM

Jan 29: How to write time properly

Your questions answered By FADZILAH AMIN

Jan 28: Drinking your words

Notes from the language underground.

Jan 28: The Fox and the Stork

Adapted from a fable by Aesop.

Jan 23: Heteronymous Aesop

By OH TEIK THEAM

Jan 22: The teacher got it wrong

Your Questions Anwered by FADZILAH AMIN

Jan 21: Cut out the old habit!

LYNNE McGREADY shares a few more examples of the importance of using modern terminology.

Jan 21: Spot the synonym

Can you spot it?

Jan 16: Do we agonise or agonize?

WHY do we agonise/agonize over the word-endings –ise and –ize?

Jan 16: Present tense required

Sent in by David, Petaling Jaya.

Jan 16: Top 10 irritants

RESEARCHERS at Oxford University recently compiled a list of the top 10 irritating expressions.

Jan 15: Buckle up in the back

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED By FADZILAH AMIN

Jan 15: Penang doesn’t need this

THIS is a signboard Penang can do without unless the grammar on it is corrected.

Jan 14: The Word of 2008

This year, the American Dialect Society selected “bailout” as its word of 2008. That means it was the one which the society’s members felt was the most relevant to the events of the year.

Jan 14: WordWise

Some of the ‘blood’ expressions can help you to describe your moods, emotions, temperaments and even ancestry in a more creative way.

Jan 9: Do they need commas?

By OH TEIK THEAM.

Jan 9: The difference a hyphen makes

LOOK and LEARN: From David of Petaling Jaya.

Jan 9: Play to the gallery

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILAH AMIN.

Jan 8:‘Audience’ vs ‘spectators’

Your Questions Answered: By FADZILAH AMIN

Jan 8: Who is assisting whom?

LOOK and LEARN: From Eric

Jan 7: Look and learn

Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 7: Hollywood slang

GORILLA is Hollywood slang for a hugely successful film.

Jan 2: Fun with –er

Dr LIM CHIN LAM shares some observations of suffixes, those little word-endings that yield derivatives when added to existing words – specifically the ubiquitous –er, perhaps the most common of them all in the English language.