Not everyone understands words

As I have established in previous posts, the advanced levels (C1 and C2) are all about semantic nuances, connotations, lexical accuracy, etc. Indeed it is essential that an advanced student be aware of the differences that exist between, for example, the verbs going from and straying from.

The unvarnished truth, though, is that only a sophisticated thinker can handle sophisticated concepts and, needless to say, not every native speaker is (necessarily) what we would call a “sophisticated” individual (nothing wrong with that, btw) but, since this blog is all about language-related issues, we should center on actual words. So let's look at a concrete example.

The beloved Merriam Webster Dictionary states that the verb to spurn means to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to. In other words, it is a synonym of the more common alternatives to reject or to refuse. Of course, the difference lies in the "extra information". To spurn conveys the idea of rejecting something "with disdain". The Cambridge Dictionary is slightly more specific: to refuse to accept something or someone because you feel that thing or person is not worth having. So it means more than just refusing. You refuse something "because it is not worth having!". That is just a shade of meaning that sets those two words apart. Other words with a similar meaning are: balk (at something), deselect, disapprove, pass up, reprobate, repudiate, throw out, turn down. Does every native speaker know how to explain their differences in meaning or usage? I don't think so. And that’s something some teachers don't like to point out: many native speakers do not feel comfortable with very accurate vocabulary. According to some rough estimates, around 40% of the native speakers would pass a C2 exam.

In the video below, Stephen Colbert tells us how Ivanka Trump, famous for her poise and sophistication (also for being Donald Trump’s daughter), proves that she does not understand words like: complicit, otherwise or birthday. She also made improper use of the expression on a relative basis (!). At any rate, Colbert’s monolog is full of hilarious jokes (that might prove to be a tad too complex for a C1 student). Still, I believe you may get a kick out of some of them... Enjoy.

Singular and plural

So here we are, coming to terms with the fact that we’re standing on the shore of a boundless ocean of vocabulary. In order to make you feel slightly better I’ve decided to let you take a peek at some of the mistakes native speakers make.

The video below should give you an idea of two facts, the first of which is rather straightforward: native speakers are not perfect (no surprise there, right?). The second point is less obvious: some of the theoretical mistakes that Paul mentions are no longer considered grammatical errors. For instance, the sentence “this year there are less students in the classroom” is an obvious mistake but “here’s three cookies” is not exactly a mistake per se but a simple feature of colloquial English. Would I include something like that in a formal letter? Hell no! Do I speak like that? I’m afraid I do… You see? I guess that’s part of the joy of learning a language. Very often things are not black and white and human expression runs the gamut from extreme perfection to regrettable sloppiness. For example take the so-called ad sensum agreement or notional agreement, which describes the type of agreement that focuses on the meaning of a noun phrase rather than on its actual grammatical number.

In C1.1 we should concentrate on the fact that we oftentimes find two acceptable possibilities:

1. The police is after me.

2. The police have a difficult job to fulfill.

Nothing mysterious here. Sentence number 1 clearly refers to the institution (singular) whereas in the second one we mean a group of police officers (plural). So far so good. However there is also the “mistake” we see in a sentences like this one:

The majority of teachers know the truth

According to the by-the-book approach we should say the majority is because the noun majority is in its singular form. However the proximity of a plural (teachers) makes it tempting to use the verb in the plural (teachers know). Is that a real mistake? I don’t think so. Things can get a little more sophisticated when the choice depends not on the actual meaning of the phrase but on the speaker's intentions. Pay attention to the subtle implications of these two sentences (both of which are perfectly grammatical):

1. The government is united

2. The government are divided

In the first case we refer to the government as a cohesive group, in the second we imply that the individuals who make up that group may not share the same views. Needless to say a supporter of that government will chose the singular and a member of the opposition will favor the plural.

The lesson today is that, as you see, even the simplest grammar areas (such as the use of the singular and plural forms) can be quite tricky. So don’t take anything for granted and remember: nobody is perfect, not even native speakers.

The land of nuances

Hello my future students,

The beginning of yet another school year looms ahead and it comes full of surprises, one of which has to do with the relabelling of all courses and levels. The old C1 level has been split into two different courses: C1.1 and C1.2 and, guess what... Those happen to be the two classes I’m going to be teaching.

What does that entail?

In my capacity as your personal Moses, I plan to devote the first weeks to parting the choppy waters of the C1 sea into two distinct levels so that every student is fully aware of what the challenges of their course are. (By the way, if you have understood that last sentence without rereading it you may be ready to pass the reading exercise of a C2 exam).

Right off the bat I can tell you all that C1 is the land of nuances. Yes. It’s all about using the right word and expressing oneself in a way that comes close to being “natural”. What does that mean in simple terms? For starters let’s debunk some myths. “Conveying an idea and getting the message across” is simply not good enough. It also means that blanket terms such as break, woman and tool are just not going to cut it in contexts where a competent speaker would favor more accurate words like snap, surgeon or chisel. Gone are the days when you could feel proud of making yourself understood even if it took you minutes to describe an object whose name wouldn’t spring to mind. Those of you that may already be wondering why you should care about “using the right word” just watch the video below.