You most likely know how to say these sounds: ‘m’ ‘p’, ‘s’ and ‘d’. However do you know how to say them when they are together? For example have you ever had to say a word like ‘glimpsed’

There are FOUR consonants in a row at the end of this word, ‘ mpsd ‘. The ‘e’ is not a vowel. Even though ‘glimpsed’ has seven sounds in it, it is only ONE syllable!

Here are some common consonant clusters and examples:

Research has proved that the average speaker of a language knows between 45,000 and 60,000 words. Where do these words come from? Is it really possible to store all these words, as well as all the grammatical rules and so much more information (that is not necessarily related to the English language) in our brains? These and a number of other similar questions have resulted in a very interesting aspect of the English language, namely the science of Morphology.

Morphology is the study of the formation of words, which are sometimes also referred to as morphemes. In truth, a morpheme…

Earlier computer keyboards were based either on teletype machines or keypunches. By the late ’70s and early ’80s, all computers used electronic keyboards. The layout of the computer keyboard still owes its origin to the inventor of the first typewriter, Christopher Latham Sholes. He also invented the QWERTY layout, and laid out the keys in such a way that common two-letter combinations were placed on opposite sides of the keyboard so that his mechanical keyboard would not jam.

A tongue twister is a phrase, sentence, or rhyme that presents difficulties when spoken as it contains similar sounds- Whistle for the thistle sifter, for example. To get the full effect of a tongue twister, you should try to repeat it several times as quickly as possible without stumbling or mispronouncing.

Tongue twisters have long been a popular form of wordplay, particularly for schoolchildren, but they also have a more serious side-they are used in elocution teaching and in the treatment of some speech defects. …

This has the following uses: 1. To separate items in a list: We need carrots, broccoli, oranges(,) and tomatoes for this dish. 2. To place a section of a sentence or noun phrase in parentheses: Garfield, the international cartoon character, is my favourite cat on TV. Pete, now sleeping on the sofa, cleaned the drawing room last night. 3. To mark divisions between clauses in a compound or complex sentence: These pesticides, if used on new lawns, may damage new grass. I went to the doctor’s today, and he told me I had ptomaine poisoning. 4. To introduce or end…

Tense refers to a verb form which tells the time of a state or action in a sentence.

Some Useful Tips on Direct and Indirect (or Reported) Speech
(submitted by V. Suresh )

Man is a social animal, a gregarious being, and he is always eager to share what he has heard. When he repeats to a companion what he has heard another person say, he may use the actual words of that speaker. For example, Murugan’s teacher has made a remark, and Murugan wants to repeat that information to Anil, his friend: My teacher said, “I want to help you succeed, for your father is such a nice person.” This is called direct speech. However, Murugan could…

(submitted by V. Suresh )

There are two things involved in the action of a transitive verb: the actor (or agent) and the thing affected by his act. Since voice pertains to action, only transitive verbs (having a ‘doer’ and a ‘done-to’) can be cast into passive voice.

Suresh constructed a strong house. This active sentence contains a transitive verb ( constructed), an agent ( Suresh) and a verb object ( house); hence we can consider casting it into passive voice. …