Podcasts

  • Implicit or Explicit

    Is it easier to understand something that is implicit or explicit?
    The answer is “explicit” as it means clearly expressed or readily observable. For example, “She gave him explicit instructions to only tap on the door twice.”
    If we wanted to be less direct and provide hints of our intended meaning instead, then we would be implicit. For example, “After listening to the lyrics several times, he finally figured out the implicit messages intended by the recording artiste.”

  • Extra or Surplus

    “We’re lucky to be able to return the extra stock.”
    Have you ever overheard this being said when you’re out shopping?
    In order to be grammatically correct, the salesperson should have said “We were lucky to be able to return the surplus stock.” This is because a surplus refers to an amount that is leftover when the required amount has been met, usually an excess of production or oversupply.
    If we used the word “extra”, we would be describing something being added to an existing or usual amount. For example, the salesperson could have said “I passed him an extra shirt to try on, in case the ones he took couldn’t fit.”

  • Fewer or Less

    In the supermarket, you often see the express lane with a sign that says "five items or less".
    This is wrong. If you can count the items, you should use "fewer".
    It should be "five items or fewer".
    "Less" is used when referring to things that cannot be counted. So do ask for "less salt" and "less sugar".
    And here’s another tip, the weapon, sword is pronounced as sord, with a silent w. Not sword. Just sord.

  • Fill In or Fill Up

    Someone approaches you at the MRT station and asks if you could help him to “fill up” a quick survey form.
    Well, the better way to say it would be to “fill in”, “fill out” or “complete” the form. This is because we usually use the phrase “fill up” when we’re referring to filling an empty container with liquid. For example, you would fill up your car’s empty gas tank with petrol or fill up your glass with milk.

  • Flammable or Inflammable

    You walk past a barrel of fluid which has a sign saying "Danger! Highly Inflammable."
    Should it be "inflammable" or "flammable"?
    Well, both words actually mean the same thing, which is something that catches fire easily.
    To avoid confusion, maybe we should all stick to using "flammable".
    And here’s another tip, when you’re not feeling well, you take med-sen, not meh-dee-sen. Just med-sen. 

  • Flaunt or Flout

    Do we say the rich man was always flaunting or flouting his wealth?
    Although these two words sound very similar, they don’t have the same meaning.
    When you, or the rich man, flaunt, it means that you are showing off something, be it your wealth or accomplishments. It usually also implies that you’re doing it to evoke a reaction from your intended audience.
    When you flout, it means that you are openly disobeying, going against, scorning or rebelling against something, usually rules, codes or laws. For example, “The rich man flouted the traffic rules when he drove his expensive car on the wrong side of the road.”

  • One-for-one

    "Let’s have the steak today. They’re having a one-for-one special."
    The correct way to say it should be "two for the price of one" or "buy one, get one free".
    Think about it, when you say one-for-one, it isn’t very clear that you get another item when you buy one.
    And here’s another tip, even a four letter word like a-w-r-y, can be tricky.
    It’s pronounced as a-rai, not aw-ry. Don’t let your pronunciation go a-rai. 

  • For Sale or On Sale

    “Sale” is a word that excites many Singaporeans, but do you know when to use the phrase “for sale” or “on sale”?
    The phrase we should we looking out for is “on sale” because this means that an item is being sold at a reduced price. For example, “I am waiting for that pretty blouse to go on sale.”
    If we’re looking to buy a house or a car, regardless of a discount, we would look out for the phrase “for sale” because this means that the item is now available for purchase. For example, “That new condominium next to the MRT station is now open for sale.”
    We hope you score some good deals during the Great Singapore Sale!

  • In Front

    If you are walking to your car with an English speaker, and say “My car is in front”, he/she will probably be confused and ask, “in front of what?”
    The phrase "in front" does not mean a short distance away. It means next to the forward part of something, someplace or someone.
    Hence you should say "My car is just ahead”, or in reference to something, “My car is in front of the purple pillar”.
    "In front" is also spelled separately

  • Gone or Went

    Although both words indicate movement, “gone” and “went” have their own grammatical usage.
    “Went” is the past tense of the verb “going”. Use this when the action has already taken place. For example, “I went to New Zealand for a holiday last year.”
    On the other hand, “gone” is the past participle of going. For example, “I should have gone to New York instead.”
    Here’s an extra tip on using the word “gone”: It must always be preceded by an auxiliary verb such as has, have, had, is, am, are, was, were and be.
    That’s a long list of verbs to remember but you’ll be a whiz if you keep practising!

  • Good or Well

    It’s all well and good. Or is it?
    "Well" and "good" have similar meanings, but are they interchangeable?
    The answer is no, because while both have similar meanings, the role of each word is different.
    "Good" is an adjective that modifies nouns. An example would be, "His ideas are good" while "well" is an adverb that modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. An example would be, "It was a well-defined idea". 

  • Hanged

    This is a common complaint heard in the office. “My computer hanged!” or “My computer always hangs!”
    Actually, the word ‘hanged’ refers exclusively to execution on a gallows. All other meanings of the word hang use ‘hung’ as their past tense form.
    The next time your computer is not responding, you should say “My computer froze” or “My computer crashed” or simply, “My computer is not responding”.

  • High or Tall

    Overheard on the MRT, “BMT is tougher than I thought. The wall was too tall for me to get over!”
    We often use the words “tall” and “high” interchangeably, but there are subtle differences in their meanings.
    In the case of the NS man’s comment, it would be more appropriate to say the wall was too high because the word “high” expresses elevation and is used to describe objects or living things that have a fixed reference point, and raised up from that point. In this case, the wall is fixed to the ground.
    On the other hand, the word “tall” expresses height and is used to compare the height of a living or non-living thing with the height of other things. For example, the NS man could say “My commander is so tall, he towers over everyone in the platoon.”

  • On or In Hindsight

    The phrase "on hindsight" and "in hindsight" are both used in our daily conversations and writing. So, which is the correct one?
    The correct phrase is "in hindsight". As a guideline, when expressing a view, a thought or opinion about something, the preposition "in" is often used.
    Examples of this would be, "in plain view", "in my opinion", "in retrospect", "in this matter", "keep it in mind", and of course, "in hindsight". 

  • Hope or Wish

    Some dictionaries may have the same meaning for both of these words but there are some subtle differences and connotations between these two words.
    Use “hope” when you believe there is some likelihood that something will happen. For example, “I hope the rain will stop soon.”
    Conversely, use “wish” when you think there’s little chance that it will happen. For example, “I wish our players were good enough to win the world cup.”

  • I want some more

    “You want some more rice?”
    “Yar, I want some more because I very hungry.”
    As Singaporeans, we love to eat and this is a conversation we often hear. However, this conversation is not in Standard English.
    Here’s how the conversation would sound when spoken in grammatically correct English:
    “Would you like more rice?”
    “Yes please, I would like more because I am very hungry.”
    Try saying it the right way the next time you’re in a similar situation. The more you consciously make the effort to say it right, the more fluent you will be in future conversations.

  • I or Me

    Is it "Sally and me" or "Sally and I" are watching a play?
    An easy way to choose between "I" or "me" is to see if the sentence is grammatically correct without the other noun.
    Try it. Take away "Sally" and say "Me is watching a play." Then say "I am watching a play." "I" is right, it is "Sally and I are watching a play."

  • Whether or If

    Most of us assume that "whether" is synonymous with "if". It isn’t.
    "Whether" is used to refer to a condition where there are two or more alternatives. For example, "I don’t know whether I’ll be watching the movie tonight".
    "If" on the other hand, is used to refer to a condition where there are no alternatives. For example, "I will watch the movie tonight if he can get tickets." 

  • Upgrade or Improve

    There’s no doubt that our Little Red Dot is constantly upgrading.
    However, when referring to its people, the correct word to use is “improving”.
    “Improving” means to increase in capability and mental capacity by education or experience.
    On the other hand, “upgrade” is usually used when we talk about equipment, machinery or a standard. For example, we would say we upgraded a computer, upgraded a mobile phone or upgraded from an economy class seat to a business class seat.
    So the next time someone asks why you are going for a course, tell them that you’re doing so to “improve” your skills.

  • In or On

    Is it "I stepped on a puddle" or "I stepped in a puddle"?
    An easy way to choose between "on" and "in" is to remember that "in" is used when your foot goes into things. "On" is used when your foot rests upon things you step.
    So in this case it should be, "I stepped in a puddle".
    An example for "on" would be, "I stepped on a nail".

  • Into

    The preposition "into" is usually missing from our use of English.
    For instance, "he knocked my bike" and "he knocked into my bike" have different meanings. The first statement could mean he knocked my bike with his hands, while the second statement refers to another vehicle knocking into the bike.
    Another example: "someone crashed his car" and "someone crashed into his car". The first statement would mean someone else driving it crashed his car, while the second statement refers to another vehicle crashing into the car.

  • Valuable or Invaluable

    These two words are used interchangeably but there are some subtle differences in their meanings.
    When something is valuable, it means that it has considerable value, usually measured in monetary terms. So, we would say that the crown jewels are so valuable that even the richest person on earth could not afford to buy them.
    If something is very important to us and cannot be considered in monetary value, then we would describe it as being invaluable. We could say that experience, friendship, contribution and insights are all things which can be considered as invaluable.

  • Irregardless

    Tammy told me she will still go to the concert, irregardless of whether her friend is going.
    The word "irregardless" doesn’t exist! Use regardless instead.
    And here’s another tip, the correct way to pronounce "familiar" is fer-mee-lier.
    Don’t say fare-mee-lier, say fer-mee-lier. 

  • Last Time

    You might have heard your grandparents describing their childhood and saying that they lived in a kampong house “last time”. 
    The correct way to describe their younger days would be to say that they used to live in a kampong house as the phrase “last time” refers to the final occurrence of a situation. 
    For example, “The last time my grandparents lived in a kampong house was during their childhood days.”

  • Live or Stay

    “Where do you stay?” That’s a common conversation opener.
    If you’re asking about someone’s long-term residence, it should be ‘Where do you live?’
    ‘Stay’ usually connotes something temporary, while ‘live’ connotes something more permanent.
    So it’s ‘I stayed in the Grand Hotel when I was on holiday.’ and ‘I’ve lived in Bishan for ten years’.

  • Look Over or Overlook

    As a student, I once heard my teacher telling me that he would “overlook” my assignment.
    What he probably meant to say was that he would “look over” my essay.
    “Look over” is a phrasal verb that means to examine something or someone quickly.
    The verb “overlook” means to fail to notice or consider someone or something. For example, “He overlooked the mistakes in the accountant’s report.”
    I would have been really upset if the teacher really did overlook my homework!

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