Monday, July 18, 2005

ToBE #4 : Double Trouble

Our double troubles:
Quite often, we say (and hear) two words in succession that mean the same or sometimes have no meaning together. These two words could be from different languages or from the same language, in our case, English.

1. can able - Eg.: I can able to do it.
'can' indicates ability to do something. So, "I can do it" or "I will be able to do it" would be sufficient.

2. last and final - The most heard words in an airport would be "This is the last and final call for flight...". 'Final' means 'Last'. Why repeat it?

3. suppose if - Eg. : "Suppose if you have a cat in your house."
'If' and 'suppose' do not mean the same, however, they can be used interchangeably at times.
To 'suppose' is to make an assumption or ask someone to make an assumption.
I suppose you come by train.
Suppose you win a lottery. (Assume you win a lottery). Will you give up your job?
'If' does not go with 'suppose'. You can ask, "If you win a lottery, will you give up your job?"

4. Why because - Eg. : "I travel by train. Why because I want to avoid pollution."
Sorry, the words don't go together. 'Why' makes up a question and usually, 'because' is part of the answer to that question.
Q : Why do you travel by train?
A : I travel by train because I want to avoid pollution.

5. Unless otherwise - Simply drop the 'otherwise' and the sentence might make sense.

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