CAN or MAY? Which is correct?

There are a number of simple but confusing aspects of grammar that many speakers of English are worried about. Unprofessional advice from teachers and peers with little or outdated knowledge in English further worsens the situation.


Let's take an example of such two controversial grammatical terms: CAN and MAY. Most of the speakers of English are, of course, familiar with the meanings and basic usage of these two words.


But the confusing question is, are CAN and MAY interchangeable when it comes to asking or granting permission?


The answer is 'YES'!
Many people think that CAN is used only to show 'ability/capability', and they argue that it is wrong to replace MAY with CAN in a request like,
'May I ask you a few personal questions?'.


In fact the majority of modern grammarians and successful writers are nowadays use both CAN and MAY to ask or grant permission though a damned few still oppose it! So, you may use either "May I ask you a few personal questions?" or "Can I ask you a few personal questions?" as both have exactly the same meaning and are acceptable in modern English.


The only difference between them in this context (permission/request) is that MAY is a little more polite than CAN. Therefore, try to use CAN in informal situations (at home, with friends etc.) and MAY in formal ones (in an interview, an official discussion etc.)

Difference between UNINTERESTED & DISINTERESTED!

English is undoubtedly the craziest language in the world! Perhaps most of you know that DISAPPEAR is the opposite of APPEAR, DISAGREE is the opposite of AGREE, DISHONEST is the opposite of HONEST and DISADVANTAGE is the opposite of ADVANTAGE.

Such words prove that the prefix 'DIS' is used to form the antonym (opposite word) of many words. Now the question is: what is the opposite of INTERESTED? Is it DISINTERESTED or UNINTERESTED?

'DISINTERESTED' and 'UNINTERESTED' are two words which have given rise to a lot of heated arguments among grammarians and common users of English around the world. Even the native users of English -knowingly or unknowingly- misuse these words.

According to strict and refined grammar, DISINTERESTED should not be used to mean 'not interested'. The reason is DISINTERESTED is a totally different word, meaning 'IMPARTIAL', 'OBJECTIVE' or 'UNBIASED'
Examples:
(1)"Only Mrs Alice can give you some DISINTERESTED advice on this matter". (meaning 'impartial')
(2)"Ask him for a DISINTERESTED account of the incident" (meaning 'impartial')
(3)"It is better to be DISINTERESTED when it comes to political views" etc. (meaning 'impartial')

On the other hand, 'UNINTERESTED' stands for 'NOT INTERESTED' (i.e. the accurate opposite of INTERESTED).
Examples:
(1) "Jane is totally UNINTERESTED in sports and games".
(2) "She seemed cold and UNINTERESTED in our offer".

Like wise,
"The food was dull and UNINTERESTING". (opposite: INTERESTING)
"The number of UNINTERESTING bollywood movies is increasing" etc. However, UNINTERESTING is not a very common usage. Instead 'BORING' or 'Dull' is widely preferred.

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NB Though UNINTERESTED is the exact opposite of INTERESTED, the other one DISINTERESTED is widely used by the speakers. Even the Oxford Dictionary says that DISINTERESTED can be used as the opposite of INTERESTED, but only in informal English (i.e. ordinary conversations). However, it is advisable to avoid using it to mean NOT INTERESTED in standard written English.

Good Night
Jack (Nova English Campus)

EVERYDAY Vs EVERY DAY

Hi friends!

Although I try my best to post something on my blog every day, I fail to do so every now and then, caught up in some everyday busy activities. But I am very thankful to my blog visitors to bear with me, keep supporting me and encourage me to move on.

By the way, there is a twist in the tale. What I mean to say, if you are a careful reader who can feel the pulse of each nuance of standard written English, you might have noticed two 'everydays' in the previous introductory paragraph; one without space (everyday) and the other with a space(every day).

'EVERYDAY' is an adjective which means 'used, done or happening each passing day'.
e.g.
Everyday activities.
A small dictionary for everyday use.
The Internet has become part of everyday life.

In the examples given above, the word 'everyday' has been used as an adjective to modify such objects as 'activities', 'use' and 'life'. Also remember in this kind of use,  'everyday' is used usually before a noun (read the previous examples).

'EVERY DAY', on the other hand, is an adverb, meaning 'each day'.
e.g.
She goes to church every day.
It rains here almost every day.
He makes one or another mistake every day.

In these examples,'every day' is used as an adverb of time which modifies the verbs 'go', 'rain' and 'make'.

I think I made the concept as clear as possible. If you feel a bit confused, please read the explanation till you get the rules etched in your brain.

Thanks for your kind visit
&
Good night from Jack
(Nova English Campus)

Flammable vs Inflammable

Hi Guys!

This morning, one of my close friends asked me the meaning of 'flammable'. I said 'easy to catch fire'. The answer slipped out coolly from my mouth. Pat came the next doubt of the buddy: 'what does 'inflammable' mean?' 'Man, these two words mean exactly the same', said I in a Mr know-all tone.

But the next question really was an ordeal for me, 'Why does 'inflammable' has a prefix 'in' while its twin brother 'flammable' doesn't have?'

My friend's doubt, however, caught me thinking, and I spent the next few hours thumbing through my collection of dictionaries and authoritative reference books, besides scrolling through various sites on my computer monitor. At last, I my effort bore fruit. And I would like to share the reason of this spelling disparity between 'flammable' and 'inflammable' with you guys:

'In-' normaly shows negative sense, as in indirect, inactive and insufficient. In fact, inflammable is formed using a different Latin prefix 'in-' which has the meaning 'into'. The aim of this addition is said to intensify the meaning! (crazy English, crazier English people!!)

However, to avoid confusion, today, most of the countries prefer to use 'flammable' in the sense of 'easy to catch fire' because many a times people (especially the uneducated working class) misunderstand 'inflammable' as 'fire-proof'!

Now the real dout is, why in India do we mostly see only the board 'inflammable' on fuel tankers, buildings and so on? Answer is simple: in our country (India) the more complex and lengthy the use of English is, the more impression one can generate. Who cares the disasterous consequences??

Good Night from Jack!
(Nova English Campus)

KIND OF Vs KINDS OF

Hi Good Evening!

Many a times, my students have asked me when, where and how to use 'KIND' in the sense of 'type'. Most of them are often confused about whether to use 'this kind of questions...' , 'these kind of questions...' or 'these kinds of questions...'

Speaking of one kind, with 'this' or 'that', use a singular construction: 'this kind of mistake is not very serious'; 'That kind of dress doesn't suit you'.
On the other hand, while speaking of more than one kind, use a plural construction: 'these kinds of mistakes are not very serious'; 'those kinds of dresses don't suit you'.

More examples:
I love this kind of film.
I love these kinds of films.

Don't buy this kind of book.
Don't buy these kinds of books.

Although the 'ungrammatical these kind' has been used by many writers for many centuries, modern writers and grammarians prefer to avoid this usage.

NB Remember the same rule applies to 'SORT' too.

                                                                                                                           
Jacob (Nova English Campus)

CANNOT or CAN NOT? Which is correct?

CANNOT or CAN NOT?

Although both these words are correct and used all over the world, CANNOT is more widely used in standard (formal) written English, and, no doubt, the majority of the renowned writers prefer to use it.
The form CAN NOT is, however, widely used in informal written English.

But there are certain situations in which CAN NOT must be preferred. For example:

"Jane CAN NOT only sing, but also dance".

In this sentence, using CANNOT may cause a little confusion.
Likewise, if you want to say/write something emphatically, use CAN NOT even in formal context as in:

"You CAN NOT enter the class tomorrow without your notebook".

A final word: if you are so confused about using the right form of the word, then use "CAN'T". No doubt the orthodox purists of the language may frown upon it, arguing that it is the colloquial contraction. But, definitely though slowly, CAN'T is getting popularity in the world of both formal as well as written English.

Please leave your valuable cemments & give feed back if you think my blog is of a little help to you....

Good Night
Binu Jacob (Nova English Campus, Amritsar)