One more vocab test

   I've been reading the EFL.ru feed for quite a number of years now.  There a lot of Russian guys there, who, instead of actually speaking the language or requesting second opinion or something post links like this . And guys like me actually follow these links and test themselves.
    What is interesting is the criteria for the results are based on something that reeks of digested high-caloried food. How would you then account for the fact that a week ago, around 9:00 p.m. my vocabulary was slightly over 17000 (according to this super site http://testyourvocab.com/ )
 

Your estimated vocabulary size: 7000

You've answered 50 of 50 questions.

Words to be used this week

To memorise these vocabulary items I will use them at least 3 times this week when speaking to my foreign friends:

1. To swamp
2. to flesh out
3. rain check
4. goose egg
5. meat-and-potatoes issues
6. Right on the money!       
    Right on cue
7. can't hold a candle to smb/sth
8. sell sb (oneself) short
9. to be quite in line with smth
10. bleeding edge technology
11. plain-spoken
12. cheap shot (verbal)
13. crotchety
14. ankle-biter (AuE)
15. fly off the handle
16. duck soup
17. do sth until you're blue in the face
18. be up to scratch
19. bounce off
20. send someone to coventry
21. a large coterie of friends and family
22. three sheets to the wind
23. outsource

Word Play

Word Play: "
1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tyred.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
4. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
5. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
6. A calendar's days are numbered.
7. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
8. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
9. When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
10. When she saw her first strands of grey hair, she thought she'd dye.
11. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
12. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
13. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
14. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
15. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
16. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall.. The police are looking into it.
17. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
18. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
19. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

The Verb: to bear

 Just before clicking this link, be sure you know what these expressions mean:

to bear up - to behave in a brave way in a very sad or difficult situation
to bear down on somebody - to move quickly towards someone in a determined and threatening way e.g. a storm bearing down on the island
to bear fruit - to have a successful result
to bear out - to show that something is true or that someone is telling the truth
e.g. Evidence bears out the idea that students learn best in small groups.
to have no bearing on - to be relevant/not relevant to something, or to have an influence/no influence on it
to bear comparison - to be suitable or good enough to be examined, compared, repeated etc without failing or being wrong:

The production figures did not bear scrutiny.

We believe our pupils' results will bear comparison with any in Scotland.

The story is well known, but it certainly bears repeating.

Меня ломает, что-то делать

One of the possible translations of the phrase 'Меня ломает, что-то делать' is 'I'm layabout to do smth'. Though according to MacMillan (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus/british/layabout/layabout_4/People-who-are-lazy-or-slow-to-act) this phrase is rather old-fashioned.
 Point 2. The dictionaries I looked this word up in didn't list this word as an adjective (COUNT Noun only).   But current usage goes a bit further than that.

Is “proven” innocent or guilty?

Is “proven” innocent or guilty?: "
Q: What do you think about “proven” as a past participle? A lot of people insist that it’s an adjective and “proved” is the participle. However, the participial use of “proven” was certainly accepted in the past (“innocent until proven guilty”).
A: Both “proved” and “proven” are standard English, whether as an adjective or as the past participle of “prove.” The choice is a matter of preference rather than right or wrong.
In American English, “proven” is clearly more common as the adjective before a noun: “This is a proven remedy” … “She’s considered a proven talent.”
As for the past participle, until relatively recently “proved” was more common: “It has been proved” … “She had proved unworthy” … “I have proved that my theory works.”
But “proven” has made rapid gains as a past participle and is now about even with “proved” as the American preference.
As you point out, “proven” has a long history as a past participle in certain legal language: “A person is innocent until proven guilty” … “The verdict was not proven.”
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage says “proven” began life as the past participle of preven, the usual Middle English spelling of the word we now spell as “prove.”
“Proven survived in and descends to us from Scottish English,” the usage guide adds. “It apparently first established itself in legal use and has been slowly working its way into literary and general use.”
As for the choice between “proved” or “proven,” Merriam-Webster’s says: “Both forms are standard now.”
The Oxford English Dictionary also notes that the use of “proven” as both a participle and as an adjective originated in Scottish English.
And in Scottish law, the OED says, “the verdict ‘Not proven’ is admitted, besides ‘Guilty’ and ‘Not guilty,’ in criminal trials.”
A usage note in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) says: “Surveys made some 50 or 60 years ago indicated that proved was about four times as frequent as proven. But our evidence from the last 30 or 35 years shows this no longer to be the case.”
“As a past participle proven is now about as frequent as proved in all contexts,” the usage note adds. “As an attributive adjective (‘proved or proven gas reserves’) proven is much more common than proved.”
Case closed!

Persuasive/argumentative essay - Plan

Image via Wikipedia

There are 5 common essay types in English.
 In this post I'd like to dwell on the persuasive/argumentative essay which I find most interesting of all, because this type challenges the person's capacity to reason ... in other words, to convey their ideas in quite a sensible, sound and logical way.
The typical plan of such an essay includes the following stages:
1. Introduction (state the problem)
In the first paragraph we introduce the topic. In articles and compositions, we may use any of the following techniques to make the beginning more interesting to the reader:
- a reference to an imaginary scene or situation
- addressing the reader directly
- a rhetorical question
- a quotation

2. Arguments “for”
3. Arguments “against”
The main body usually consists of two paragraphs. One presents the points for the issue, along with our justifications or examples. The other presents the points against the issue with supporting sentences. (When we write about the pros and cons of an issue, we consider a topic from opposing points of view, outlining the advantages and disadvantages.)

4. Conclusion
In the final paragraph we give our opinion and/or a balanced summary of the topic. To make the ending of the composition more effective, we can use one of the following techniques:
- state a personal opinion
- give the reader something to consider
- use a quotation or rhetorical question

NB!!! 1) Do not include opinion words (I believe, I think, etc) in the introduction or the main body of compositions, reports and articles.
        2)Pros and cons can be found in articles, compositions, reports or letters. The style of writing is usually semi-formal or formal.

Take - Collocations

Definition Cards (take):

it takes - Paraphrase the sentence: She knows everything to succeed in this business. (She's got what it takes.)

it took us - We spent 3 long ours sitting in the bus before we reached our destination. (It took us 3 hours to reach our destination by bus)

take notes - Shall I write anything down? (Shall I take notes? Do I need to take notes?)

take a photo of - When was the last time you used your camera? (When did you last take photos?)

take it seriously - There's no reason to think it's very important. (There's no reason to take it seriously.)

take after - She's the spitting image of her father. (She takes after her father ... in looks)

take off - I've never flown a plane before. Some people say it's scary when it starts to go up. (Some people say it's scary when it's taking off.)

take off - It's so hot in here. I think I don't need my jacket any more. (I think I'd better take it off.)

take place - When did it happen? (When did it take place?)

take your time - Why are you always in a hurry, man? (Take your time, man.)

take care of - Can you deal with that customer over there? He seems interested in buying that Ferrarri.(Can you take care of that customer over there?)

take part - The teacher made it clear that everyone should speak during the discussion. (The teacher explained that everyone should take part in the discussion.)

take a seat - In Russia we say "there's no truth in the feet, so you'd better sit down." (so you'd better take a seat)

take up - I started smoking when I was at school. (I took up smoking when I was at school.)

The Nine -Guessing the Meaning by Context + Present Perfect Simple vs. Present Perfect Continuous

This activity was inspired by a brilliant Brazillian educator Claudio Azevedo. His movie segments have come in very handy in my grammar classes, on Mondays in particular. ;) I thanked Claudio in a comment and told him how much I appreciated his work and the idea behind using the segments in class, and he commented back by saying he'd be insterested in seeing the segment I designed while under the impression of his motivating and extremely effective activities. A promise is a promise. And here's what I got. (I've used the segment with my  New English File intermediate students only once)

      Level: Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate

      Age: High Teens, Adults

      Grammar Objective: Compare the use of the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous.

      Vocabulary Objective (primary): 1. Exercise the student's ability to guess the meaning of the unknown words by context. 2.Make (even force) students use the words:to call in on, to catch up, to propose, an attack,  to be ambivalent about, shrink

Before watching the segment, 

1. Ask the students if they've ever been to see a psychologist or have they ever participated in group therapy?

2. Ask the students if they know why people usually go to see a pschycologist

3. Hand out the cards with the following sentences written on them:

Why don’t you call in on Matt on your way back from work and see how he is?

Come over tomorrow and we can catch up.

He proposed to her in August.

She had a panic attack.

She seems to feel ambivalent about her new job.

What do the words in bold mean? Give SS 3 minutes to come up with their suggestions. This might be done in pairs or small groups.

   Let the SS give very simple definitions for the words. If they can't explain it, then distribute the card with the definitions on them: (these should be cut into strips) . The student reads the definition on his card and the others should guess the word or the sentence. If they fail, the card-holder says the word. Students then re-phrase the sentence using the definition of the word.

to call in on – (phrasal) to visit.

 to catch up -  (phrasal) If you catch up on friends who you have not seen for some time or on their lives, you talk to them and find out what has happened in their lives since you last talked together.

 to propose  (a proposal) - to ask someone to get married to you.

 an attack - a sudden short period of suffering from an illness, especially an illness that you have often e.g. an attack of asthma

 to be ambivalent about - feeling two different things about someone or something at the same time, for example that you like them and dislike them

4.  Show the students this trailer. Tell them it's the 4th show of The Nine TV Series. Ask them to say what it is about after watching this background segment.

 

 

5. Tell SS that they should tell what the woman has been talking about in the segment in general.

6. Watch the video again and try to retell the woman's story using the tenses in question. (see Objective 1). The students should give as many details as possible. For every grammatically correct answer the students get a point.
 
7. Dwell on what happened when Ed proposed to her.

8. Tell the students they're gonna see the proposal segment. Did they get it right?

Discussion:
1. Have you ever had a panic attack? When was it? How did you get over it?
2. Have you ever been held hostage? Do you know anyone who has?
3. Do you have a girl(boy)friend? How long have you been dating?
    Alternatively: How long have you been married? How long have you been living together?

    P.S. I'd be delighted to hear any kind of constructive criticism as far as this activity is concerned. I'm looking forward to what Claudio has to say about it. That would be a very good idea to supplement this activity with his creative grammar input. (I've already coined a term for it - Collaborative Segmentation? LOL.)

Child Supervision

Child Supervision: "
When an older person, especially a parent, needs a tech-savvy kid to help him/her with computers or other electronic devices.

"Jimmy, could you send your kid over to help me with my facebook? Im afraid I might get a virus without some child supervision."

"Dad, if you dont know how many o's are in Google, why dont you just ask for some child supervision?

Offer vs. Suggest

These verbs often present difficulties for Russian learners of English. I must confess that I myself confused them back then in the early stages of learning the language. Without further ado, let me dwell upon several specific meanings to tell one from the other. Mind I’m not going into great detail here (you can look up all the patterns in meaning of both the words in any good bilingual dictionary). My focus here is show some patterns of correct usage and find the right equivalent for: Что вы можете предложить (предложите)?


1 When you offer something to someone, this something is something CONCRETE. It may be a job offer, work, a seat, an apple, Common Patterns are: To offer smth To offer smb smth e.g He had offered cocaine to an undercover police officer. What can you offer? (something concrete like a job) Can I offer you a drink? If you offer to do something, you say that you are willing to do it. Peter offered to teach them water-skiing.

2 If you suggest something, this something is a PLAN or IDEA for someone to think about. Common Patterns are: To suggest (to smb that) smb do smth I suggest you ask him some specific questions about his past... I suggested to Mike that we go out for a meal with his colleagues...  To suggest smb should do smth What do you suggest we should do? Where do you suggest we should go?   To suggest doing smth I suggest going out after dinner.I suggest going out after dinner.

Now the questions:

What can you offer? – Что вы можете предложить? (such questions are usually asked at a job interview. In any case, it’s something REAL, CONCRETE) 

What can you suggest? – Что вы можете предложить (в смысле порекомендовать)

Can you suggest a restaurant to us?

What do you suggest we should do?

Where do you suggest we should go?

Сan you suggest where I can park my car? - не посоветуете ли /не подскажете ли/, где я могу поставить машину?

You can find the Russian explanation here.

The Chaos Rhyme

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation -- think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough–
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give it up!!!

—Gerald Nolst Trenite (1870-1946)

What’s the Difference Between “Too” and “Also”?

Gaby Beitler writes:

I am confused when to use the word too and when to use also. For example, “he likes ice cream too” and “he also likes ice cream” mean the same thing.

In conversation both words, too and also, are used interchangeably with the sense of “in addition”:
Our friends went too.
Our friends went also.
In such a sentence the too at the end is felt to be more natural than the also. The word also is more likely to go before the verb:
Our friends also went.
The use of too in the sense of “in addition” is not confined to the end of a sentence:
I, too, believe that children are more intelligent than they are given credit for.
They, too, wanted to see the movie.

The word too can be used to modify adjectives:
This coffee is too hot to drink. Here the sense of too is “to a higher degree than is desirable.”
The word also can have the meaning “in the same manner as something else.”
Few young people read Scott anymore. George Eliot is also neglected in today’s school curriculum.

In conversation it doesn’t matter whether you use too or also, or where either falls in the sentence.
In writing it’s a good idea to give some thought to how the words are being used, and to how often you use them.
Here, from my trusty Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, are some alternatives for too and also used with the meaning “in addition”:

How to Describe Gibberish

How to Describe Gibberish: "
The recent post on greeking prompted a reader to remark
And, of course, there’s Double Dutch. Where did that come from?
Double Dutch is another expression meaning “incomprehensible speech.” The “Dutch” refers to the idea that a foreign language is incomprehensible to one who hasn’t learned it. The “double” is an intensifier. “Double Dutch” is a language twice as difficult to understand as “plain ‘Dutch’”.
Here are some more nouns to express the idea of unintelligible vocalization that is either entirely unintelligible, or which may be understandable on some level, but makes no sense, or is inconsequential.

English

Image by law_keven via Flickr
English: "WHO SAID ENGLISH WAS EASY?
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!
Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England .
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and
Get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a Recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.
And in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?"

Drunk Vocabulary

Here are a few of the terms, categorized according to degrees of drunkenness. Some are more literary than others.

mildly drunk
tipsy
silly
tight
woozy

drunk
inebriated
intoxicated
tanked
juiced
likkered up

very drunk
smashed
hammered
plastered
shitfaced
soused
sloshed
wasted
zonked
loaded
stinko

idioms
drunk as a lord
in his cups
feeling no pain
drunk as a skunk
three sheets to the wind

Real Estate Vocabulary

Прочитайте предложения 1-8. Что означают выделенные словосочетания?

1. We hired a reputable home inspection company to check on the house. They found some major problems such as a leaking roof and old electrical wiring.
2. The listing price of the house was $370 000. But because many families liked the house, they offered to pay over the asking price. Because of the bidding wars we weren’t able to buy this house.
3. We knew that with renovated bathroom and kitchen the sale value of the house will go up.
4. Andrew is our second real estate agent, The first one was too pushy.
5. The commercial properties owners pay a lot more in taxes than their residential properties counterparts.
6. The open house on our street attracted many people and there was no where to park a car at that time.
7. When Tim and Elen downsized, they gave away all the furniture that wouldn’t fit into their new apartment.
8. They upgraded to a 4 bedroom bungalow last month. The house seemed a castle after their old 2 bedroom townhouse.
Новые словосочетания:
1. home inspection - инспекция дома (проверка систем отопления, канализации; крыши и т.д. перед покупкой недвижимости)
2. listing price - цена недвижимости согласно списку, распечатке, объявлению
3. bidding wars - ставки/многочисленные предложения от покупателей на недвижимость
4. upgrade the house - поменять меньшую площадь дома на большую
5. downsize - поменять большую площадь дома на меньшую
6. sale value - стоимость продажи
7. open house - дом, квартира и т.д. на продажу предоставленный/открытый для посещений/осмотра
8. real estate agent - агент по продаже/покупке недвижимости
9. commercial properties - коммерческая недвижимость
10. residential properties - жилая недвижимость

What is it? Give just one word.

The area to the rear of the human body (sometimes referred to as the gluteus maximus) which lies between 2 imaginary lines running parallel to the ground when a person is standing, the first or top of such line being one-half inch below the top of the vertical cleavage of the nates (i.e., the prominence formed by the muscles running from the back of the hip to the back of the leg) and the second or bottom line being one - half inch above the lowest point of the curvature of the fleshy protuberance ( sometimes referred to as the gluteal fold), and between two imaginary lines, one on each side of the body (the "outside" lines), which outside lines are perpendicular to the ground and to the horizontal lines described above and which perpendicular outside lines pass through the outermost point(s) at which each nate meets the outer side of the leg.

Tough English Vocabulary

I absolutely love this rhyme

It's easy: should and would and could
all rhyme with stood and wood and good,
But then we find another —
mould which rhymes instead with bold and gold.

Thought, bought, and fought all rhyme with sort,
but so do caught and taught (and taut).
Light, might, night, sight, tight', height,
but wait for neigh and sleigh and eight and weight.
Though, bough and cough are not enough,
there's also dough and rough and tough.
I haven't even mentioned 'through',or 'ought* and 'brought'
because I threw my pencil at the teacher's head and with a naughty laugh I fled!

Expressing Oneself

Read this man's speech. See how soon you can tell what he is talking about. In it he includes over fifty variations on the words say and speak. See how many of them you can incorporate into your own use of English.

'Ladies and Gentlemen!
I hope you will excuse me for butting into your conversations in this way. I know nobody likes being interrupted at such a time, but I have been asked to say a few words, make a speech if you like, on this extra-special occasion. And may I say first what a pleasure and honour it is to have the opportunity to address you like this, this afternoon.
You know, ever since you first hinted to me that something of this sort might be on the cards, I have been debating with myself constantly as to how I could best express the sentiments I want to convey to you, here, this afternoon. And then when you actually broke the news and announced a date, I began to consult friends and acquaintances who have been in this position, discussing the subject with them at length and in detail.
I can reveal today, however, that the problems of phrasing my message have not been solved. I suppose if I were an actor, I could recite a relevant speech of Shakespeare's. Were I a priest, I might preach to you, but I fear it would be a poor sermon. As a politician, I could read out a prepared statement and then go on repeating 'No comment'. If you were a class of students, I might give you a lecture. Were you secretaries, I could dictate what I have to say. If we had more time, we could chatter and gossip together for hours. But you and I are none of these things, so I shall have to put my message across in more ordinary terms. I suppose I could simply declare that this is one of the happiest days of my life and claim that I never thought I could be as happy as I am today. Or I could just state a few useless facts and figures and leave it at that. I could, on the other hand, refer to what great men — and women — have said or written on this theme, and just quote a few famous lines. I might also mention my own experience, reminisce a little, recount a few anecdotes, tell a few stories and make some significant comment on young people today.
Standing here, I can assure you, my main fear is not that I shall 'dry up' -1 have already uttered too many words on this theme to be at a loss for words now — but that I shall, in a rash moment, blurt out what I have to say, gabble away for a few seconds and leave too much unsaid, unspoken. Then again, while I stand here thinking aloud, arguing with myself, contradicting myself perhaps, you will no doubt be thinking, 'Why's the old man rambling on like this without getting to the point?' *Why doesn't he just come out with it?' you'll be saying. 'Spit it out!' I hear you cry.
Well, time marches on, and I can see that you have no need of explanations or illustrations from me; no account of my own life is required, no descriptions or recommendations. I shall not bother to sum up what I have said so far. All I should like to add on this — how shall I put it? - extra-special occasion is: I hope you'll both be very happy.'