Development to Modern English

Development to Modern English

The 17th century port towns (and their forms of speech) gained in influence over the old county towns. England experienced a new period of internal peace and relative stability, encouraging the arts including literature, from around the 1690s onwards. Modern English can be taken to have emerged fully by the beginning of the Georgian era in 1714, although English orthography remained somewhat fluid until the publication of Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755.

The towering importance of William Shakespeare over the other Elizabethan authors was the result of his reception during the 17th and 18th century, directly contributing to the development of Standard English. As a consequence, Shakespeare's plays are familiar and comprehensible today, 400 years after they were written, [3] but the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland, written only 200 years earlier, are considerably more difficult for the average reader.

Orthography

 Shakespeare's writings are universally associated with Early Modern English.

The orthography of Early Modern English was fairly similar to that of today, but spelling was unstable. Early Modern English as well as Modern English had inherited orthographical conventions predating the Great Vowel Shift.

Early Modern English orthography had a number of features of spelling that have not been retained:

The letter <S> had two distinct lowercase forms: <s> (short s) as used toda

y, and <ſ> (long s). The short s was used at the end of a word, and the long s everywhere else, except that the double lowercase S was variously written <ſſ> or <ſs> (cf. the German ß sligature). This is similar to the alternation between medial (σ) and final lower case sigma (ς) in Greek.

<u> and <v> were not yet considered two distinct letters, but different forms of the same letter. Typographically, <v> was used at the start of a word and <u> elsewhere; [5] hence vnmoued (for modern unmoved) and loue (for love).

<i> and <j> were also not yet considered two distinct letters, but different forms of the same letter, hence "ioy" for "joy" and "iust" for "just".

The letter <Þ> (thorn) was still in use during the Early Modern English period, though increasingly limited to hand-written texts. In print, <Þ> was often represented by <Y>.

A silent <e> was often appended to words. The last consonant was sometimes doubled when this <e> was appended; hence ſpeake, cowarde, manne (for man), runne (for run).

The sound /ʊ/ was often written <o> (as in son); hence ſommer, plombe (for modern summer, plumb).

Nothing was standard, however. For example, "Julius Caesar" could be spelled "Julius Cæſar", "Ivlivs Cæſar", "Jvlivs Cæſar", or "Iulius Cæſar" and the word "he" could be spelled "he" or "hee" in the same sentence, as it is found in Shakespeare's plays.

Grammar

Pronouns

Early Modern English has two second-person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun. Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period. [citation needed]. It remains in customary use in Modern Standard English for certain solemn occasions such as addressing God, and sometimes for addressing inferiors, while it remains in regular use in various English dialects. The translators of the King James Version of the Holy Bible intentionally preserved, in Early Modern English, archaic pronouns and verb endings that had already begun to fall out of spoken use. This enabled the English translators to convey the distinction between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular and plural verb forms of the original Hebrew and Greek sources.

Like other personal pronouns, thou and ye have different forms dependent on their grammatical case; specifically, the objective form of thou is thee, its possessive forms are thy and thine, and its reflexive or emphatic form is thyself. The objective form of ye was you, its possessive forms are your and yours, and its reflexive or emphatic forms are yourself and yourselves.

My and thy become mine and thine before words beginning with a vowel or the letter h. More accurately, the older forms "mine" and "thine" had become "my" and "thy" before words beginning with a consonant other than "h", while "mine" and "thine" were retained before words beginning with a vowel or "h", as in mine eyes or thine hand.

Personal pronouns in Early Modern English Nominative

Oblique

Genitive

Possessive

1st person singular I, me my/mine mine

Plural we us our ours

2nd person singular informal thou thee thy/thine, thine

plural or formal singular ye, you you your yours

3rd person singular he/she/it him/her/it his/her/his (it) his/hers/his

Plural they them their theirs

^ a b The possessive forms were used as genitives before words beginning with a vowel sound and letter h (e.g. thine eyes, mine heire). Otherwise, "my" and "thy" are attributive (my/thy goods) and "mine" and "thine" are predicative (they are mine/thine). Shakespeare pokes fun at this custom with an archaic plural for eyes when the character Bottom says "mine eyen" in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

^ a b From the early Early Modern English period up until the 17th century, his was the possessive of the third person neuter it as well as of the third person masculine he. Genitive "it" appears once in the 1611 King James Bible (Leviticus 25:5) as groweth of it owne accord.

Verbs

Marking tense and number

During the Early Modern period, English verb inflections became simplified as they evolved towards their modern forms:

The third person singular present lost its alternate inflections; '-(e)th' became obsolete while -s survived. (The alternate forms' coexistence can be seen in Shakespeare's phrase, "With her, that hateth thee and hates vs all").

The plural present form became uninflected. Present plurals had been marked with -en, -th, or -s (-th and -s survived the longest, especially with the plural use of is, hath, and doth). Marked present plurals were rare throughout the Early Modern period, though, and -en was probably only used as a stylistic affectation to indicate rural or old-fashioned speech.

The second person singular was marked in both the present and past tenses with -st or -est (for example, in the past tense, walkedst or gav'st). Since the indicative past was not (and is not) otherwise marked for person or number, the loss of thou made the past subjunctive indistinguishable from the indicative past for all verbs except to be.

Modal auxiliaries

The modal auxiliaries cemented their distinctive syntactical characteristics during the Early Modern period. Thus, the use of modals without an infinitive became rare (as in "I must to Coventry"; "I'll none of that"). The use of modals' present participles to indicate aspect (as in "Maeyinge suffer no more the loue & deathe of Aurelio" from 1556), and of their preterite forms to indicate tense (as in "he follow'd Horace so very close, that of necessity he must fall with him") also became uncommon.

Some verbs ceased to function as modals during the Early Modern period. The present form of must, mot, became obsolete. Dare also lost the syntactical characteristics of a modal auxiliary, evolving a new past form (dared) distinct from the modal durst.

Perfect and progressive forms

The perfect of the verbs had not yet been standardized to use uniformly the auxiliary verb "to have". Some took as their auxiliary verb "to be", as in this example from the King James Bible, "But which of you ... will say unto him ... when he is come from the field, Go and sit down..." [Luke XVII:7]. The rules that determined which verbs took which auxiliaries were similar to those still observed in German and French (see unaccusative verb).

The modern syntax used for the progressive aspect ("I am walking") became dominant by the end of the Early Modern period, but other forms were also common. These included the prefix a- ("I am a-walking") and the infinitive paired with "do" ("I do walk"). Moreover, the to be + -ing verb form could be used to express a passive meaning without any additional markers: "The house is building" could mean "The house is being built."

Vocabulary

A number of words which remained in common use in Modern English have undergone semantic narrowing. An example would be the verb to suffer, which literally means "to endure pain or hardship" (used alongside the native to thole), but which since the 14th century could carry the extended meaning of "to allow, to permit", similar to suffrage today. This sense survived into Early Modern English, as in the Suffer the little children of the King James Bible, but has mostly been lost in Modern English.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English

Unemployment

Employment means the availability of paid work. A person may be employed with Some organization. In such a case he receives a fegular salary or Commission and other financial benefits. A person may have his own business or other productive activity. This type of employment is called self-employment. Non-availability of any chance of earning a regular income is termed as "unemployment".

The English Novel in Literature (2)

Length

    The first quality of a novel is its length. Although there are no definite rules on the subject of length, it is generally agreed among writers and publishers that the length of the narrative must be good enough. generally more than 100 pages. If it is less than that, is usually referred to as a novella, such as Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Emphasis on the Character

    Another quality of a novel is its emphasis on the characters in the story. Since a novel is longer than a short story, the length of a novel allows the author to give the reader a much fuller description of the characters and to introduce more than one conflict. Therefore, the reader can better understand the character's motives for action or inaction, relationships with others, and their own personal feelings, dreams and fears.

Structure

A novel has more than one themes, conflicts, points of view or plot.  

Plot

    The plot is the series of events that happen in the novel. The plot is like a rollercoaster that climbs slowly up a big hill and then quickly drops down at a sharp angle. a story begins with the exposition, the action rises to a climax, or high point in a work and then falls to a resolution or denouncement. 

Plot of Novels (The Conflict)

In early novels plots centred on three different conflicts. These three major conflicts all dealt with how the individual viewed himself or herself in relation to society to the self, and to other individuals. 

• Person VS. Society

• Person VS. Self

• Person VS. Person

Setting

• Where and when a story takes place

• Time of day or year

• Geographical location

• Climate or weather

• Immediate surroundings of the character

Purpose of Setting

• Setting serves many purposes in a story such as a backdrop. supporting or antagonistic role etc.

Theme

    Theme is the central idea in a literary work that serves to unify the story. It is what the author has to say about death, love, hope, courage, morality, society, etc. Every element of the novel; plot, point of view, setting and character contribute to the theme. 

Character

• Person in a literary work

• Main character, the protagonist

• Character in direct conflict with the protagonist, the antagonist

 Property of a Plot

Another quality of a novel is the complexity of plot. Unlike the short story, a novel will often have more than one major conflict within the plot. Often the author is interested in developing a plot in which the main goal for the character is better understand his or her own humanity or place in society. The conflict can be internal or external. 

The English Novel in Literature (1)

 

The English Novel in Literature

General Parameters of the Novel in Literature

GENRE: Fiction (Narrative)

STYLE: Prose

LENGTH: Extended

Definitions:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      "An imaginary work in prose of a considerable length, which presents real certain characters living in a given environment and describes their attitude, fate and adventures."

(Percy Lubbock)

"The novel is like a symphony in that the closing movement echoes and resounds with all that has gone before."

(John Gardner)

Outcomes of Definitions:

~ We notice all the different ways in which one can define the novel. The most important literary genre, novels are basically just products of writers' imaginations.

~ These definitions emphasize various aspects of the novel such as real and life-like characters, rising of conflicts and presentation of themes etc.

~ The universal idea that the novel should be believable is one of the unique qualities of the novel and explains its popularity as a literary form.                                                                                                      

~ The novel has various unique qualities or characteristics that distinguish it from other forms of prose.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

What are idioms? (Courtesy: Literaryenglish.com)

 

What are idioms? 

Idioms are the most commonly used words that we read and hear across our daily life conversation. Idioms are the group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. Idioms do not match with the surface meaning of the words but these are used very consciously in the context of the conversation.

Commonly used English idioms

1. A hot potato

Meaning: A difficult task or something difficult to deal

Example: Learning how to drive a car is not a hot potato.

2. A piece of cake

Meaning: Something that is very easy. (1)

Example: The quiz was a piece of cake (very easy) so all of the students passed it with an A grade. 

3. Acid test

Meaning:  To prove the effectiveness of something.

Example: I already know how to compute decimals but the acid test will come when our Math professor will conduct the assessment orally.

4. Add insult to injury

Meaning: To make a bad situation more badly.

Example: Father was angry, and then, to add insult to injury, younger brother broke the window pane.

5. Add fuels to the flames

Meaning: Say something that makes a difficult situation even worse.

Example: Raul forgot Ali’s debt, and his excuses only added fuel to the flames.

6. An arm and a leg

Meaning: A lot of money.

Example: It is the best car to buy, but it will cost you an arm and a leg.

7. At the drop of a hat

Meaning: Instantly; without any hesitation

Example: Ali was ready to play a match at the drop of a hat.

8. Back-room boys

Meaning: People who perform important work but have no contact with the public.

Example: Johnny Manahan and the writers of the show are the backroom boys that deserve more applause than the artists performing on stage.

9. Blow up in the face

Meaning: This refers to a situation when a plan or project suddenly fails.

Example: It was difficult to be on time in the venue. It blew up in the face when the bus didn’t arrive on time at the station.

10. Back to the drawing board

Meaning: Starting something again.

Example: We lose this match, but now we are back to the drawing board.

11. The ball is in your court.

Meaning: It is your turn to take a step

Example: I have given my opinion, now the ball is in your court.

12. Barking up the wrong tree

Meaning: Accusing the wrong person; looking in the wrong place.

Example: He did not commit the crime, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

13. Be glad to see the back of

Meaning: Being happy to see someone leaving.

Example: I do not want to see her. I’ll be glad to see the back of her.

14. Beat around the bush

Meaning: Not speaking directly about the issue.

Example: Tell your problem don’t beat around the bush.

15. Best of both the worlds

Meaning: Condition in which one enjoys two different opportunities.

Example: Amina had the advantage of a lecturer and the freedom of a student. She had the best of both worlds. 

16. Best thing since sliced bread

Meaning: A good plan or idea

Example: I prefer your idea. It’s the best thing since sliced bread.

17. Blind as a bat

Meaning: Someone whose vision is very poor, or who is unable to see anything.

Example: Sajida is totally dependent on her glasses. Without them, she is as blind as a bat.

18. Blind leading the blind

Meaning: A person with very little ability trying to help or guide a person with no ability.

Example: Don’t ask me to help you in your speech. I could hardly speak English words right. I don’t want to be blind leading the blind.

19. Blink of an eye

Meaning: happen nearly instantaneously with hardly enough time to notice it.

Example: Saif just vanished in the blink of an eye.

20. Burn the midnight oil

Meaning: To stay up working late at night especially studying.

Example: She’s been burning the midnight oil for the last few days; her hard work will positively pay off in the upcoming exams.

21. Chance on one’s arm

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms that mean something even though the chances of success are very little.

Example: Considering her height, Tahir knew that there was little chance of her being cast in Bb. Panabo 2019 but he still decided to chance her arm.

22. Cake not worth a candle

Meaning: Something in which results are too less compared to the effort.

Example: Henry studied so hard in the English exam but still he got a low score. The cake wasn’t worth the candle.

23. Caught between two stools.

Meaning: Difficult to choose between two alternatives.

Example: Tahir had committed to both and now he’s caught between two stools.

24. Cook someone’s goose

Meaning – Ruin other person’s chances of success.

Example: Sadia cooks someone’s goose when she failed to answer easy questions in the quiz test.

25. Cross that bridge when you come to it.

Meaning: Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary.

Example: Ali: I think I need to hire a lawyer – Aalia: Cross that bridge when you come to it. 

26. Cry over spilt milk

 Meaning: To be unhappy about something that cannot be undone.

 Example: It can’t be helped, don’t cry over spilt milk.

27. Curiosity killed the cat

 Meaning: Being too curious can get you into trouble.

 Example: Don’t ask about his divorce-curiosity killed the cat!

28. Cut corners

Meaning: To take shortcuts; when something is done badly to save money.

Example: They always put quality first; they won’t cut corners just to save money.

29. Cut the mustard

Meaning: Perform satisfactorily; to succeed.

Example: We need a better catcher; this one just doesn’t cut the mustard.

30. Deadwood

Meaning: people or things that are no longer useful or necessary.

Example: The college acquires new laboratory equipment. They no longer want the dead woods.

31. Devil’s advocate

Meaning: To present a counter-argument

Example: The professor always played devil’s advocate to provoke discussion in the classroom.

32. Don’t give up the day job

Meaning: You’re not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.

Example: Why did you invest in the business even after failing in it in the past? Don’t give up the day job!

33. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: Don’t focus all of your attention on one thing or one area.

Example: I know you love Harvard, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to other colleges too.

34. Drastic times call for drastic measures

Meaning: When you’re extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.

Example: Yes we had to let go of five of our workers! Drastic times call for drastic measures.

35. Elvis has left the building

Meaning: The show has come to an end. It’s all over.

Example: We waited for another performance by the band but it looked like Elvis had left the building.

36. Every cloud has a silver lining

Meaning: Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.

Example: I’m sorry your business is going badly, but remember every cloud has a silver lining.

37. Far cry from

Meaning: A thing that is very different from something else.

Example: What you did was a far cry from what you said you were going to do.

38. Feel a bit under the weather

Meaning: Feeling sick or unhealthy.

Example: I’m not coming to the office today, I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

39. Fast track something

Meaning: Rating something higher on a priority list to achieve the desired result.

Example: In view of the seriousness of the crime, civil society is pressing up on a fast track decision from the court.

40. Flying start

Meaning: Something that is immediately successful.

Example: “Praybet Benjamin” hit the box office with a flying start and collected the highest revenue on day 1 of the Metro Manila Film Festival.

41. Fair-weather friend

Meaning: someone who acts as a friend when times are good, and is not there when you are in trouble.

Example: I thought I could count on Bill, but I’ve discovered he’s just a fair-weather friend.

42. Fine-tooth comb

Meaning: examining something carefully so as not to miss out on any details.

Example: My thesis adviser examined my report with a fine-tooth comb before submitting it to the panel for defence.

43. Go up in smoke

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms that mean something that ends before getting a result.

Example: His plan of cheating in the exam has gone in smoke after the proctor inspected all the examinee's things.

44. Go to the dogs

Meaning: Getting comparably less successful than before.

Example: With the inexperience of the SSC president on budgeting, the student council is going to dogs.

45. Golden handshake

Meaning: Sum of money given to a person on retirement.

Example: When the company want to cut down on the manpower, they usually offer a golden handshake to many of their aged employees.

46. Give the benefit of doubt

Meaning: Believe someone’s statement without proof.

Example: I knew him for the past 5 years, so I gave him the benefit of doubt.

47. Hear through the grapevine

Meaning: To hear news from someone who heard that news from someone else

Example: I heard through the grapevine that she’s pregnant.

48. Hard as nails

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms that mean a person without sentiments and sympathy for anyone.

Example: He has become as hard as a nail after his brother was brutally murdered.

49. Hit the nail on the head

 Meaning: To do or say exactly the right thing.

 Example: You’ve spotted the flaw, Robert. You’ve hit the nail on the head.

50. Hit the road running

Meaning: This means to start performing immediately.

Example: She came late that’s why she hit the road running just seconds of her arrival.

51. In the heat of the moment

 Meaning: Overwhelmed by what’s happening at the moment.

 Example: He doesn’t hate you. He just said that in the heat of the moment.

52. In the bag

Meaning – Refers to a situation when you are sure that success is sure.

Example: The BPA Team fans rise to yell, the victory seems to be in the bag after the opponent’s best player failed to shoot in the last two seconds time.

53. Jack of all trades

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms which mean a person who can do many different things but is not very good at any one of them.

Example: I can sing, I can dance, I can write, I can act but I do not excel on any of them. Now, I realize that I am a jack of all trades.

54. Jump on the bandwagon

Meaning: Join a popular trend or activity.

Example: So many people are playing that game that I might as well jump on the bandwagon and check it out.

55. Keep something at bay

Meaning: Keep something away

Example: A good way to keep your anxiety at bay is through meditation.

56. Keep up appearances

Meaning: Maintaining an outward show of prosperity or well-being while hiding your difficulties

Example: Her smile and taste of fashion keep up her appearances to her friends and colleagues.

57. Kill two birds with one stone

Meaning: To solve two problems at a time with just one action

Example: John practised his words while peeling the potatoes. He was killing two birds with one stone.

58. Last straw

Meaning: The last problem in a series of problems

Example: This is the last straw. I’m calling the police.

59. Let slip through fingers

Meaning: Failing to obtain or keep up a good opportunity.

Example: This reporting could be your chance to chosen as the class debater. Please don’t let it slip through your fingers.

60. Lick one’s wounds

Meaning: When someone licks one’s wounds, it means that he is trying to regain their confidence or boost up the spirits after a defeat.

Example: Janna is licking her wounds after being dropped from the Deans List.

61. Live on the breadline

Meaning: Having very little income.

Example: The war in Kashmir caused many natives live on the breadline.

62. Live beyond means

Meaning: spending more money than you can afford.

Example: Carol has a habit of living beyond her means. Most of the times, you will find her borrowing the money from her friends.

63. Live in an ivory tower

Meaning: living a lifestyle that saves you from the real-world problems.

Example: Jay has problems in dealing with poor people because she has lived in an ivory tower.

64. Lump in your throat

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms that mean emotion like sadness or gratitude.

Example: I have a lump in my throat seeing my daughter receiving a gold medal today after all the hard years we have in the family.

65. Mean business

Meaning: Being serious about what you announce.

Example: We mean business when we posted the announcement on the internet site.

66. Make or break

Meaning: Circumstances causing total success or total ruin.

Example: Your performance in the Q and A portion will make or break you.

67. To make a long story short

 Meaning: Come to the point – leave out the details.

 Example: And – to make the long story short – I never got back the money I lent him.

68. Makes your blood boil

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms that mean make someone really angry.

Example: The absence of Pres. Aquino on the arrival of the FALLEN 44 made the Filipinos blood boil.

69. The method in the madness

Meaning: A purpose in what one is doing, even though it seems to be crazy.

Example: What I’m doing might seem strange, but there is the method in my madness.

70. Make a go of

Meaning: This means you are succeeding in your enterprise.

Example: With his hard work and dedication, he has made a go of his new venture.

71. Makes your blood run cold

Meaning: If something makes your blood run cold, it means it shocks or scares you a lot.

Example: The tiger look of our English teacher made my blood run cold

72. Murphy’s law

Meaning: This means that if anything can go wrong, it will.

Example: Sofia prepared for the worst in the debate but she doesn’t forget Murphy’s law.

73. Miss the boat

Meaning: To miss out on something.

Example: Pay attention, John, or you’ll miss the boat and never learn algebra.

74. Not a spark of decency

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms which mean a person who has no manners

Example: Her brother has not a spark of decency. I don’t like the way he acts in public.

75. Not turn a hair

Meaning: This refers to not exhibiting any emotion where it is expected.

Example: Martha didn’t turn a hair even after her name was called as the Grand Prize Winner.

76. On the ball

Meaning: When someone understands a situation well; attentive.

Example: If you were on the ball, this wouldn’t have happened.

77. Miss the boat

Meaning: Failure to take advantage of an opportunity because of slow actions.

Example: I wasn’t able to pass my project in advance and failed to earn an early bird bonus points. Submitting late made me miss the boat.

78. Oldest trick in the book

 Meaning: A well known and much-used trick/method

 Example: Oldest trick in the book to treat cold and cough is drinking turmeric milk.

79. On the pig’s back

Meaning: A person, event, idea in a successful and well situation.

Example: Her studies were on the pig’s back before she met Adrian.

80. Old habits die hard

Meaning: People find it difficult to change their accustomed behaviour.

Example: She retired last month, but still gets up at the same time in the morning. Old habits die hard.

81. Once in a blue moon

Meaning: Very rarely

Example: Jill has a very rocky relationship with her father. She speaks to him once in a blue moon.

82. Out of the blue

Meaning: Happen unexpectedly

Example: She had given up all hope when out of the blue she got a call from Harvard. 

83. Out on a limb

Meaning: Do something risky or something that others do not support (leaving the doer in a difficult situation) 

Example: She was out on a limb with her project – nobody supported her idea.

84. Over the top

Meaning: Totally excessive and not suitable for the occasion.

Example: Her sari was way over the top for a sombre occasion like this.

85. The pen is mightier than the sword

Meaning: Words and communication have a greater effect than war

Example: A simple handwritten note put an end to their week-long cold war – the pen is mightier than the sword.

86. Plum job

Meaning: This is a desirable position that is well-paid and considered relatively easy.

Example: This looks like a plum job but it has its own bunch of complications.

87. Reduce to tears

Meaning: It means getting into tears because of some one’s behaviour.

Example: Greta reduced to tears when her boyfriend stopped seeing her.

88. Reap the harvest

Meaning: It is among commonly used English idioms which mean benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions.

 Example: When he cleared MS, he reaped the harvest of all his hard work.

89. Sink your teeth into

Meaning: Do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Example: Robin immediately sank his teeth into his new job.

90. Skating on thin ice

Meaning: Do or say something risky or something that could cause trouble.

Example: Don’t say anything that hurts her self esteem or you could be skating on thin ice.

91. Take a back seat

Meaning: Choose to be less important in a role

Example: He finally decided to take a back seat and let his son run the family business.

92. Take a nosedive

Meaning: Rapid drop or decrease in value

Example: The share prices took a nosedive when there were rumours of the company’s CEO resigning.

93. Take the plunge

Meaning: Venture into something of one’s interest despite the risks involved

Example: Jack finally took the plunge and opened a restaurant.

94. Tricks of the trade

Meaning: Clever way of doing something.

Example: It is among commonly used English idioms which mean being an entrepreneur for 20 years, I know all tricks of the trade.

95. Weather the storm

Meaning: Succeed in surviving a difficult period of time

Example: Given the current global market conditions, the Indian economy is weathering the storm pretty well.

96. Waiting in the wings

Meaning: Waiting for an opportunity to take action, mostly to replace someone else in their job.

Example: Dr Santos is going to retire in the next 2 months. Two of his juniors who are waiting in the wings will have fierce competition.  

97. Wet behind the ears

Meaning: Inexperienced and immature

Example: Instead of a full-time job, she should be offered an internship as she is still wet behind the ears.

98. Wooden spoon

Meaning: This refers to the imaginary prize for the last person in a race.

Example: We won a wooden spoon at the fashion show.

99. Worth one’s salt

Meaning: Good or competent at the job or profession specified

Example: She deserves respect as she is totally worth her salt.

100. Zero in on something

Meaning: Focus all attention onto one thing

Example: The teacher immediately zeroed in on the weaker students of the class.