Ramanisblog

Tag: English language

  • Break The Backbone Sanskrit Indian Culture ,Indians Support this?

    That Lord Macaulay introduced English to India is known to every one.

    It is also , not so well-known that he introduced it, because,

     

    ““I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”

    -Lord Macaulay’s speech in the British Parliament on 2nd February 1835.

    Macaulay on India.png
    Thomas Babington Macaulay On Hinduism,speech on introduction of English in India.

    Now a concerted attempt is on to justify(?) Macaulay by stating that ,

    “Are we to keep the people of India ignorant in order that we may keep them submissive? Or do we think that we can give them knowledge without awakening ambition? Or do we mean to awaken ambition and to provide it with no legitimate vent? Who will answer any of these questions in the affirmative? Yet one of them must be answered in the affirmative, by every person who maintains that we ought permanently to exclude the natives from high office. I have no fears. The path of duty is plain before us: and it is also the path of wisdom, of national prosperity, of national honor.[See the full text here]”

    What is the position?

    Voltaire French Philospher on Hinduism.jpg
    Voltaire on Hinduism

    Macaulay’s speech excerpts and Minutes.

     

    Education and the English Empire in India

    I feel that, for the good of India itself, the admission of natives to high office must be effected by slow degrees. But that, when the fulness of time is come, when the interest of India requires the change, we ought to refuse to make that change lest we should endanger our own power, this is a doctrine of which I cannot think without indignation. Governments, like men, may buy existence too dear. “Propter vitam vivendi perdere causas,” [“To lose the reason for living, for the sake of staying alive”] is a despicable policy both in individuals and in states. In the present case, such a policy would be not only despicable, but absurd. The mere extent of empire is not necessarily an advantage. To many governments it has been cumbersome; to some it has been fatal. It will be allowed by every statesman of our time that the prosperity of a community is made up of the prosperity of those who compose the community, and that it is the most childish ambition to covet dominion which adds to no man’s comfort or security. To the great trading nation, to the great manufacturing nation, no progress which any portion of the human race can make in knowledge, in taste for the conveniences of life, or in the wealth by which those conveniences are produced, can be matter of indifference. It is scarcely possible to calculate the benefits which we might derive from the diffusion of European civilisation among the vast population of the East. It would be, on the most selfish view of the case, far better for us that the people of India were well governed and independent of us, than ill governed and subject to us; that they were ruled by their own kings, but wearing our broadcloth, and working with our cutlery, than that they were performing their salams to English collectors and English magistrates, but were too ignorant to value, or too poor to buy, English manufactures. To trade with civilised men is infinitely more profitable than to govern savages. That would, indeed, be a doting wisdom, which, in order that India might remain a dependency, would make it an useless and costly dependency, which would keep a hundred millions of men from being our customers in order that they might continue to be our slaves.

    Are we to keep the people of India ignorant in order that we may keep them submissive? Or do we think that we can give them knowledge without awakening ambition? Or do we mean to awaken ambition and to provide it with no legitimate vent? Who will answer any of these questions in the affirmative? Yet one of them must be answered in the affirmative, by every person who maintains that we ought permanently to exclude the natives from high office. 1 have no fears. The path of duty is plain before us: and it is also the path of wisdom, of national prosperity, of national honor.

    Source

    From Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Speech in Parliament on the Government of India Bill, 10 July 1833,” Macaulay, Prose and Poetry, selected by G.M. Young (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1957), pp. 716-18

    “

    I have no knowledge of either Sanscrit or Arabic.-But I have done what I could to form a correct estimate of their value. I have read translations of the most celebrated Arabic and Sanscrit works. I have conversed both here and at home with men distinguished by their proficiency in the Eastern tongues. I am quite ready to take the Oriental learning at the valuation of the Orientalists themselves. I have never found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia. The intrinsic superiority of the Western literature is, indeed, fully admitted by those members of the Committee who support the Oriental plan of education.

    It will hardly be disputed, I suppose, that the department of literature in which the Eastern writers stand highest is poetry. And I certainly never met with any Orientalist who ventured to maintain that the Arabic and Sanscrit poetry could be compared to that of the great European nations. But when we pass from works of imagination to works in which facts are recorded, and general principles investigated, the superiority of the Europeans becomes absolutely immeasurable. It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say, that all the historical information which has been collected from all the books written in the Sanscrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the most paltry abridgements used at preparatory schools in England. In every branch of physical or moral philosophy, the relative position of the two nations is nearly the same.”

     

    The apologists Macaulay claim that,

     

     “

    Clearly, Macaulay was saying something directly opposite to what has been quoted as his!
    There is indeed a clear reason why this distorted quote was invented. This is indeed RSS and its followers, who put words on Macaulay. I now know RSS even referred to English speaking Indians as ‘Children of Macaulay’! The quote above, passed on by my trusting friend, is a spoof, RSS trying to interpret what Macaulay might have meant. [I am sure those who did it knew that Macaulay also put Arabic on the same boat as Sanksrit]”
    Macaulay on Indian Culture.

    ““I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”

    Now one can judge as to what are the intentions of Macaulay.

    Citations.

    http://books.google.co.in/books?id=0kSMosMLUMwC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=lord+macaulay+2nd+february+1835+india&source=web&ots=wmjOO95mYR&sig=Q6U0FlzLCJH3Tl21qCOIqva-oy8&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=lord%20macaulay%202nd%20february%201835%20india&f=false

    http://sundayposts.blogspot.in/2008/01/lord-macaulays-quote-on-india.html#.VKyg3cn4C4o

    http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1833macaulay-india.asp

    http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/articles/hinduism/macaulay.html

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  • Sanskrit is Not From Prakrit

    Prakrutham
    Prakrit, the Language of Man.

    The Argument that Sanskrit is not the first Language and definitely not the first Indian one is based on ‘Prakrit’

    Prakrit, it is argued, is the basis on which Sanskrit was built.

    Prakrit is defined as “original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual”, or “vernacular“.

    It is not an independent Language as Sanskrit.

    Prakrit Grammar.

    Based On Valmiki Sutras

    ”

    The Prdhritarupdvatara, i.e. ' the descent of Prakrit forms ', 
may be called a counterpart of the Laghukaumudi of Varadaraja. 
The latter contains the more important of Panini's aphorisms, 
arranged in a systematic manner so as to illustrate the 
different chapters of Sanskrit grammar. Siriiharaja undertook 
a similar arrangement of the rules of Prakrit grammar. 
Like Varadaraja, he did not compose the rules themselves, 
but drew on the same collection of Sutras which, in their 
original sequence, are known to have been commented on by 
Trivikrama, just as Piinini's aphorisms by the authors of the 
Kdsihd commentary.

.
T, a very clear and careful Nagarl MS. of 92 pages, 
written in 1904 by Pandit V. Srinivasa Sastri of Namakal, 
who remarks on it as follows : — " The original is in the 
possession of one Ayyasvami Sastriar, a pensioned Tahsildar 
of Kumbakonam. I was allowed to take a copy of it in his 
house through the influence of Diwan Bahadur R.. Raghunatha 
Rao. During my last vacation I went to Tiruvasalore, my 
native place, which is at a distance of 4 miles from 
Kumbakonam. I used to go daily to Ayyasvami Sastriar's 
house at Kumbakonam from my native place and take the 
copy of Simharaja. Within thirty days a rough copy in 
Grantha characters was taken, which looks very ugly; for 
the copy was made in a hurry. After the reopening of my 
school I came to Namakal, where I finished a good fresh 
copy in Nagarl characters, which is sent to your address. 
The original is written in Grantha letters 200 years ago." Curiously enough, it can be definitely proved that the 
Grantha original of the Nagarl MS. T must either be a copy, 
or go back to a copy, of the Malayalam MS. R. For the 
portion of the Prakrit arupdvatdra which occupied the missing 
leaves of R (73-5) is missing in T as well, and the colophon 
of T contains a peculiar mistake which is due to a correction 
made by the writer of R.- In spite of this fact, some of the 
readings of the MS. T are decidedly preferable to the 
corresponding ones of R, and it must be supposed that the 
text of the Grantha original of T was corrected by an 
intelligent Pandit either conjecturally or with the help of 
other MSS. Though my text is chiefly based on R, I was 
sometimes forced to adopt the readings of T, owing to their 
greater clearness and correctness(ref: https://ia700202.us.archive.org/23/items/prakritarupavata00simhuoft/prakritarupavata00simhuoft_djvu.txt
.
Valmiki , who composed The Ramayana, wrote it in Sanskrit.

For an Epic with the beauty of Ramayana must have had Grammar.
A Language takes years to form and Grammar takes still more time.
Using that in an Epic, it should have taken hundreds of Years.
Hence Sanskrit precedes Prakrit.
Sanskrit mentions that Sanskrit is Deva Basha, the Language of Gods, while Prakrit was calls the Language of Man, Manusha Basha.
The inference is that while Sanskrit was used for Literary works, Prakrit was in daily usage .Panini's Grammar precedes Prakrit Grammar
Calling Sanskrit as having been derived from Prakrit is akin to declaring cockney as the Mother of English Language.
There is aview that most of the Jain Literature was written in Prakrit ans hence Sansrit is preceded by Prakrit.
What people forget is jainism is of later origin when compared to Hinduism.
Another ancient language tamil mentions Sanskrit and Prakrit and declares Sanskrit as the language of Indian Philosophy.
The argument that Sanskrit was not the original Language  is pure idiotic wishful thinking.
Lets us see now why the argument Sanskrit is not from India is erroneous.

    http://ramanisblog.in/2013/11/20/sanskrit-not-hindu-language-nor-rig-veda/

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  • Facebook ‘Likes’ US Spends $ 6,30,000

    I often wonder and aghast at the stupidity of the US Institutions, CIA,NSA.

    Facebook Likes By US State Department.
    Facebook Likes By US State Department.

    Last year, I corrected a stupid mistake of CIA on India-this information is known to any one with common intelligence, even a foreigner)

    With NSA they eavesdrop assiduously but miss the terrorists and other criminals.

    Now you find some jokers in the State Department had spent % 6,30,000 for getting ‘Likes’ in Facebook!

    As I had written earlier, Facebook likes are frivolous, and are marked in fun, with no seriousness, there are exceptions.

    But to the State department this does not matter.

    Story:

    State Department officials spent $630,000 to get more Facebook “likes,” prompting employees to complain to a government watchdog that the bureau was “buying fans” in social media, the agency’s inspector general says.

    The department’s Bureau of International Information Programs spent the money to increase its “likes” count between 2011 and March 2013.

    “Many in the bureau criticize the advertising campaigns as ‘buying fans’ who may have once clicked on an ad or ‘liked’ a photo but have no real interest in the topic and have never engaged further,” the inspector general reported.

    The spending increased the bureau’s English-language Facebook page likes from 100,000 to more than 2 million and to 450,000 on Facebook’s foreign-language pages.

    Despite the surge in likes, the IG said the effort failed to reach the bureau’s target audience, which is largely older and more influential than the people liking its pages. Only about 2 percent of fans actually engage with the pages by liking, sharing or commenting.

    In September 2012 Facebook also changed its approach to users’ news feeds, and the expensive “fan” campaigns became much less valuable. The bureau now must constantly pay for sponsored ads to keep its content visible even to people who have already liked its pages.

    Another problem with the bureau’s social media outreach is a lack of strategy for reaching the right audience, the report said.

    “The absence of a Department wide PD [public diplomacy] strategy tying resources to priorities directly affects IIP’s work. Fundamental questions remain unresolved. What is the proper balance between engaging young people and marginalized groups versus elites and opinion leaders?” the IG said.

    Source:

    http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2532629

    The Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) is the State Department’s foreign-facing public diplomacy communications bureau. It provides and supports the places, content, and infrastructure needed for sustained conversations with foreign audiences to build America’s reputation abroad. IIP is led by Acting Coordinator Maureen Cormack.

    IIP supports both physical and virtual places, including approximately 820 American Spaces around the world, as well as a growing social media community that numbers over 22 million followers. Content includes publications, video, and U.S. expert speakers, who engage foreign audiences both in person and through virtual programs. IIP manages the infrastructure for all embassy and consulate websites, translations of public remarks by the President and Secretary, and internal websites serving field public diplomacy officers.

    http://www.state.gov/r/iip/

  • Reflexine, Emphotic Pronouns English Grammar

     

    MARK THE PRONOUNS IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES AND STATE WHAT IT STANDS FOR

     

    1.    Lord Rama broke the Bow and he married Sita.

    2.    The Eastern Puranas are the Reservoir of Indian culture and they are the                      binding force of the country.

    3.    I wish I had not come to the battlefield said Arjuna to Lord Krishna.

    4.   Thirukkuran was written by Thiruvalluvar and it is a repository of wisdom.

    5.   Jesus said, Thou shall not kill.

    1. Has Shankar not come?  It is time he is disciplined said the teacher to Raja.

    7.   This is beyond everybody, but me.

    8.   Either the Governor should have taken direct action or sent in his report to the centre.

    9.    While the centre has the final say in respect of Central list, it has no jurisdiction over State list.

    10. Neither the Politician nor the beauracates are doing their duty.

    11.  Each and Every one of us showed set high moral standards in whatever he / she does.

    12.  Cleopatra on the Asp (a small snake):  Does not the man see the baby that                          such the Nurse asleep?

    13.  Every action has its equivalent and opposite reaction.

    14.   It is the commitment and passion that matters in achieving success in any field.

    15.   Either you speak or let him speak.

    16.   Train a child on a mankind would and it would become a disciplined Adult.

    17.   People of lovable nature, whenever they perform an action, it would be for the benefit of us.

    18.   Tenth often appears to be self-contradictory but unfortunately it is the way it is.

    19.   Sekkizar compiled Periya Puranam and he hailed as a Nayanmar as well.

     

    Write the correct form of Pronoun.

     

    1.    We scored as many sixers in Twenty Twenty as …………… (they / their).

    2.    In the PTA meeting …………… and my father were present.  (me / I).

    3.    It was …… who tipped you ( I, me).

    4.   Rama is as old as ….. ( I , me).

    5.    It is not for …………………… to dictate terms to us ( they , them).

    6.    Between you and ….. the whole proposal is nonsense ( I , me).

    7.   Let ……. who can answer this question (He, Him).

    8.   You know the facts as well as …………… ( I, me).

    9.    We are not so poor as ……….. (they, them).

    10. Wait for Subash and ………… ( I, me).

     

    REFLEXINE  AND EMPHOTIC PRONOUNS

     

    Let us imagine that you have hurt yourself while using a knife.  How do you say it?

     

    I have hurt myself while using the knife.

     

    The action of hurting has been done on by you.  That is the action refers to the one being done on one’s self.  In other words, ‘myself’ is the object of the verb in the above sentence.

     

    I have hurt myself  –    I is the subject, Have hurt is the verb, myself is the object

    Therefore, Reflexine Pronoun are those process that are used as the object of the verb.  The object in this case, myself refers to the same subject (I) as that of the object (myself).

     

    This is applicable to second and third persons as well (for both Singular and Plural).

     

    Plural

     

    I have hurt myself                               –           We have hurt ourselves

    You have hurt yourself                       –           You have hurt yourselves

    He / She hurt himself / herself            –           They hurt themselves

    The horse hurt itself                            –           They hurt themselves

     

    We add  ‘Self’ to the words (my, your, him, it).

     

    This is also called Compound Personal Pronouns.

     

    –           Sometimes we use ‘Self’ as Nouns.

    He thinks too much of self.

     

    –           Sometimes we use ‘Self’ to emphasis

    I will correct it myself

     

    The accused themselves admitted their guilt.

     

    When we use self for emphasis, then Compound Personal Pronouns (self, selves) are called Emphasis Pronouns.  (Singular – self; Plural  – selves).

     

    We have to sometimes point out the objects.  These Pronouns are called Demonstrative Pronouns.

     

    That is the Tanjore Temple.

     

    His views are the same as those of his father.

     

    I have scolded him to correct him and such was my intension.

     

    Some words are adjectives (demonstrative), when they are used with Nouns.

     

    They are ‘This’ and ‘That’.

     

    This watch is mine.  The word watch is the subject.

     

    ‘THE’ adds more meaning by pointing out the particular subject (watch)(.  The adjective ‘THIS’ demonstrates or states clearly of the subject.

     

    Hence, “THIS’ is demonstrating that the watch is specifically pointed out. ’THIS’ therefore, is an adjective and it demonstrates.  So, it is called ‘DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE’.

     

    You may also see that ‘THIS’ means not the thing we speak of  very near or close to us.

     

    When we say ‘ What is that Noise’?

     

    We know that the noise is taking place slightly away from us.  We should use ‘THIS’ when we refer to things that happen near us and ‘THAT’ when they occur slightly away from us.

     

    ‘THIS’ is Singular and the Plural is ‘THESE’.

     

    ‘THAT’ is Singular and the Plural is ‘THOSE’.

     

    When we want to say something about something near us and something away from us in the same sentence we can us ‘THIS’ and ‘THAT’ as follows:

     

    ‘THIS’ shirt is better than ‘THAT’.  (Here this also shows your preference).

     

    We can use ‘THAT’ with ‘THOSE’ (Plural of ‘THAT’) in a sentence to avoid repetition of the preceding (the nouns just before) Noun as in:

     

    The habits of Dravidians are similar to those of the Red Indians.

     

    We use both ‘THIS’ and ‘THAT’ while referring to things we have mentioned already.

     

    Kindness and cruelty are both Natural, while ‘THIS’ leads destruction ‘THAT’  leads to  happiness.

     

    Here, ‘THIS’ refers to ‘cruelty’ (which appears last) i.e. after kindness.  ‘THAT’ a refers to ‘Kindness’ and it appears first.  So, ‘THIS’ in these kinds of statements will refer to what is said last. ‘THAT’ will refer to what is said first.

     

    Many times we are vague in statements. (may be we are doing it deliberately or as a matter of fact), even when we point out.

     

    One does not know how to correct him.

    Many in the Defense forces are Gurkhas.

    They say limited Alcohol is good for heart.

     

    In Government, everybody’s responsibility is nobody’s responsibility.

     

    (Some words that can be used as one, none, they, some, few, many, other, others).

     

    These nouns are used in general or in an indefinite way.  they are called Indefinite Pronouns.

     

    Some of these words may be used as adjectives.

     

    I will own Rupees one core one day.

    Krishna is a man of few words.

     

    –   When we use ‘Anybody, Everybody, Everyone, Each one, anyone, we should use either he / she as the content requires.

     

    Father guides any one of his sons in his career.

     

    But, in modern usage we use Plural.

     

    Father guides every one of his sons, in their studies.

     

    Some words – Either, Neither points our person / thing one at a time.  They are distributed among the group indicated.  These types of words are called Distributive Pronouns.

     

    As they point out a particular Person / Thing, it is always in Singular.  Therefore, the verb showed always be in Singular.

     

    Each of the boys stand up.

    Either of these Religions lead to God.

    Neither of y our parents turned up for the function.

     

    Each points out to everyone / thing.

     

    Either means one or the other.  (There is ………….)

    Neither means not this or not that or not anything.  It is negative.  It is the opposite of (ANTONYM/ of Either).  Either and Neither should be used.

     

    When speaking of two persons or things, any, no one, neither, none is to be used when we speak of more than two things.

     

    POSITION OF EACH

     

    Each has these positions in a sentence.

     

    1.         Each of the students received a prize.

    2.         These students received each a reward.

    3.         These DVDs cost Rs.150/- each.

     

    When Each, Either or Neither is used as adjective, it is followed by a Singular Noun

     

    Each player should play well.

     

    Each and one belong to the subject

     

    Other and another belong to object.

     

    In practice, they are called Compound Pronouns or Reciprocal Pronouns.  They are, in correct usage not even separated even by a preposition.

     

    Make Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns in the following sentences:

     

    1.         They enjoyed themselves.

    2.         He could not bring himself to terms with his loss.

    3.         Lord Krishna was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself.

    4.         Some people are fond of talking about themselves.

    5.         Don’t hurt your self.

    6.         I myself can work for him.

    7.         Those who worry others worry themselves in the long run.

    8.         I blame myself for my failure.

    9.         Love of oneself is an impediment to spiritual growth.

    10.       Some often deceive themselves.

     

    The friends quarreled with each other.  They gave evidence against one another.

     

    Normal rule is that we should use each one when we speak of two persons or things and one another when we speak of more than two persons or things.

     

    However, in modern usage, we use ‘EACH OTHER’, even while we speak of more than two Persons / things as in ‘The three friends quarreled with each other’.

     

    RELATIVE PRONOUNS.

     

    There are some words which stand for Nouns (Pronouns).  They also do the work of a Conjunction.  (It is called Conjunctive Pronoun).

     

    We also call them ‘Relative Pronouns’.  This word also relates or refers or is connected to the noun that appears before ‘h’.

     

    The words under this heading are ‘Who, Which and What’.

     

    Ex:       I saw Ram.  He was going home.

     

    When we join these two sentences it  becomes

     

    I saw Ram who was going home.

     

    Here, who stands for Ram (Noun). Therefore, who is a Pronoun ‘WHO’ also joins the two sentences.  Therefore, it is also a conjunction. The word ‘WHO’ also refers to ‘RAM’ which occurs before it.  So, ‘WHO’ is a conjunctive or Relative Pronoun.  The Noun (Ram) which appears just before ‘WHO’ (Relative Pronoun) is called Antecedent (Antecedent means before).

     

    What are the forms of Relative Pronouns?

     

    As Relative Pronouns stand in for Noun, some of the rules of Nouns are also applicable to them.  i,e. cases:

     

    WHO              Singular & Plural

     

    Nominative                 Who

     

    Relative                       Whose

     

    Accusative                  Whom /  ……….

     

    –           This is the student who secures first rank.

    –           This is the girl whose handwriting is excellent.

    –           This is the girl who / whom all praise.

    –           These are the students who work hard.

    –           These are the students whose handwriting is good.

    –           These are the students whom / who we all praise.

     

    The forms are the same for Masculine, Feminine, Singular and Plural.

     

    –           ‘WHO’ is used for persons only.

     

    We say   ‘I saw Ram who was going home’.

     

    But, we do not say ‘I saw a book who was lying on the table’.

     

    ‘He succeeds who works hard.

     

    Sometimes, we use ‘WHO’ for referring to animals as in :

     

    This is the horse who came to us from our friend.

     

    The Possessive Noun of who i.e. ‘WHOSE’ is also used for animals and things.

     

    This is the horse whose record in DERBY (Racing Event) is excellent.

     

    This is the problem whose solution has been evading me.

     

    ‘WHOSE’ can be used in Singular and Plural.

     

    –           The Relative Pronoun, which has the same form for Nominative and                                               Accusative cases.

     

    This is the property that belongs to my uncle.

     

    This house which is in heart of the city is very costly.

     

    –           ‘WHICH’  – has no genitive case.  We use ‘WHOSE’ in its place.

     

    –           The effects of the earth quake which shock waves traveled from afar was               devastating.

     

    Note that the language employed in this book will gradually become less simple and the exercises will be tough to grade.  This is done deliberately to ensure that your communication skills improve.  As has been said earlier, it is essential that you read more and refer to Dictionary when you do not understand a word.  This is the only way you can improve your communication skills.  There are no short cuts.

     

    –           Which is used for thing without life or animals.  It can be singular or plural.

     

    –                      The momentum of  ……………. which is lost is difficult to regain.

     

    –           Which is used for thing without life or animals.  It can be singular or plural.

     

    –           The momentum of  ……………. which is lost is difficult to regain.

     

    –           The books which are glamorous looking are those that are normally without substance.

     

    We may also use ‘WHICH’ to refer to sentences or thoughts.

     

    –           He said that he saw the murder which was untrue.

     

    Many of our thoughts, which are of impulsive Nature, may lead to ruin.

     

    THAT

     

    Has the same form in Singular and Plural.  It has Nominative and Accusative case.  It has no genitive case.

     

    He that is humble, shall conquer the world.

     

    They that touch the Midas shall become Gold.

     

    Take everything that you like.

     

    THAT refers to persons or things.

     

    That is how I spoke of.

     

    That is the building when I lived in my childhood.

     

    That can also be used as an adverbial accusative (we shall discuss in details later).

     

    I recall the day that he visited.

     

    It is equivalent of        – on which, in which, at which.

     

    In some cases, ‘THAT’ cannot be used in place of who or which.

     

    My son, who is five years old, is very mischievous.

     

    We should not say  – My son that is five years old, is very mischievous.

     

    For more on English Grammar check under’ Language’

     

    http://ramanisblog.in/2012/09/10/personal-pronouns/

  • KINDS OF ADJECTIVES. English Grammar.

    ADJECTIVE adds meaning to Noun. There are various kinds of Adjectives. They are:

    1. Adjective of Quality: Kind or quality of a person or thing

    Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city.

    Mahatma Gandhi was an honest man.

    If you ask the question, ‘of what kind’?, you get Adjective of quality.

    2. Adjective of Quantity: shows how much of a thing or quantity.

    We have enough food

    There has been insufficient rain this season.

    3. Numeral Adjective or Adjective of Numbers: Indicates the number of things indicated.

    The hand has five fingers. Some numeral adjectives: few, many, all, most, several.

    To find ‘Adjective of quantity ask ‘How much or how many?

    Adjectives of Number are further classified into:

    a) Definite Numeral Adjectives: denotes exact numbers as one, two, three etc. (These are called Cardinals).

    First, Second, third etc., (these are called Ordinals).

    b) Indefinite Numeral Adjectives do not indicate exact number as few, man, several, all.

    c) Distributive Numeral Adjectives refer to each one of a number as

    India expects every one to do his / her duty.

    Some Adjectives may be grouped as Adjective of identity or Numeral Adjective according to its use.

    E.g.; Adjective of Quantity – Number

    He has lost all his money. All men must die.

    4. Demonstrative adjective – point out / emphasis which person / thing is meant.

    This boy is my son

    That house is mine.

    If you ask ‘which’?, you shall get Demonstrative adjective.

    NOTE: What / which / where: When you use these words with Nouns to ask question, you shall get Interrogative Adjectives.

    5. ‘OWN’ and ‘VERY’ are used for emphasis.

    These are called Emphasis Adjective.

    I saw it with my own eyes.

    6. Exclamatory Adjectives use ‘What!’, ‘What an Idea !’.

    Adjectives are formed from Nouns / Verbs / Adjectives

    From Nouns: Boy – Boyish, Storm – Stormy

    From Verbs: Talk – Talkative, Move – Moveable

    From Adjectives: Two – Two-fold, Sick – Sickly

    http://ramanisblog.in/2012/08/27/declension-of-nouns-know-your-english-grammar/

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