Words Commonly Confused or Misused

Alike and like

Alike means 'like each other.'

The two sisters are alike in looks. (NOT The two sisters are like in looks.)
She is like her mother. (NOT She is alike her mother.)

Alike is mainly used in predicative position (after a verb). In attributive position (before an adjective) we use other words or phrases to express the idea.

The two sisters are very much alike.
He has two very similar-looking sisters. (NOT He has two very alike sisters.)

Accept and agree

These verbs have similar meanings. Before an infinitive we use agree, not accept.

He agreed to come. (NOT He accepted to come.)

All right and alright

The standard spelling is all right. Alright is common but many people consider it incorrect.

Alone and lonely

You are alone when you have nobody around.

I don't like to be alone even for short periods.

Lonely and lonesome refer to unhappiness caused by being alone.

After being alone for a few days, I started getting lonely / lonesome.

Alternate and alternative

Alternate means 'in turn', 'first one and then the other'.

We meet on alternate days. (Monday, Wednesday etc)

Alternative is a second choice that can be made other than one's first choice.

I had to go there was no alternative.

Altogether and all together

Altogether means 'entirely', 'completely'.

It is altogether wrong to ill-treat animals.
My new novel isn't altogether finished.

All together means 'everybody or everything' together.

Put the books all together on the table.

Any more and anymore

In British English, any more is usually written as two separate words. In American English, it is often written as one word anymore.

She doesn't live with her parents any more. (GB)
She doesn't live with her parents anymore. (US)

Dead and died

Dead is an adjective.

He is dead.
James is dead.

Died is the past tense and past participle form of the verb die.

He died in 1995.

Disinterested and uninterested

Disinterested means 'unbiased' or 'neutral'. You are disinterested when you have no reason to support one side or another in a disagreement or negotiation because you have nothing to gain or lose if one side wins.

I can't give you disinterested advice because I am a shareholder of the firm.

Disinterested is commonly used to mean 'uninterested'. Many people consider this incorrect.

I am quite disinterested in sports. (Meaning: 'I am quite uninterested in sports.')

Drown and was drowned

In British English both active and passive forms of drown can be used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. OR He was drowned while swimming across the river. (GB)

In American English, only active forms are used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. (US)

Manjusha Nambiar is an ESL tutor and content developer. Her blog grammarenglish gives free English grammar lessons and printable grammar worksheets

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The History of Braille

Braille, a form written communication used by the blind, has interesting origins. Invented in 1824, braille stems from a combination of ideas from a French Army captain and a blind teenager. Today, braille is used worldwide as a standard means for blind people to communicate and educate themselves with the written word, and it has changed little since its creation.

Louis Braille was born in 1809, and was not visually impaired until after a terrible accident. When he was only three years old, Louis was playing in his father's saddle-making workshop, and he scratched his eye while trying to cut leather. Although the wound was bandaged, an unfortunate infection eventually took hold, spreading to both of his eyes and causing complete blindness. Despite the horrible accident and illness at a young age, Louis held on to his curiosity and love of learning. Seven years after the accident, Louis Braille received a scholarship to The National Institute for the Blind Youth in Paris, where he met Charles Barbier.

While studying at The National Institute for the Blind Youth (also know as the Royal Institute for Blind Youth), Louis Braille learned to read the outlines of raised letters in special books. This system was created by the school's founder, but it was inefficient and the books were large and few. In 1921, Louis was inspired during a school assembly when Charles Barbier demonstrated a system he created for the French military after Napoleon expressed a need for way for soldiers to communicate silently in the dark, called "night writing." His system used sets of 12 raised dots, with each set representing a letter. It was too cumbersome for the soldiers to use efficiently and thus was rejected for use by the military. However, the students at the school were very interested in and impressed by Barbier's creation. It was much easier to understand and faster to read than anything they had seen before. Another advantage was that they could write using this system by impressing the dots on wood to form the symbols.

Louis Braille was especially impressed with what Charles Barbier had shown him and his classmates. He always was an intelligent and intuitive boy, and even at the young age of 12 he noticed the flaws and room for improvement on the Captain's invention. Over the next few years, Louis Braille developed his own system based on what he learned from Charles Barbier's inventions and his experience of being a blind person who wanted to communicate fluently in the written word. In 1824, Louis put the final touches on his system, calling it "braille," after himself. In 1829, he released the first book about his writing system, entitled "Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them." Ever since, braille has made reading possible for blind people around the world.

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How Learning Mandarin Can Enhance Chinese Business Communication

The most important thing to understand about Chinese business communication is that so much of it relies on what is unsaid, rather than on what is spoken aloud. Thus, while it is very important to gain proficiency in Chinese through online lessons if you are planning to do business in the country, it is just as essential for you to gain a basic understanding of Chinese cultural norms so as not to inadvertently give offense and damage the association before it has even started. Learning how to speak Mandarin also helps you to build a personal relationship with a potential business partner, in the spirit of the Chinese concept of guanxi ("connections"), before a professional association can occur.

When you are fluent in Mandarin, you can open an initial meeting by sharing small talk and pleasantries since it is Chinese custom not to come to the point immediately, unlike in the West where a business transaction can be completed in minutes with neither of the participants knowing anything more about each other than their names. This importance of building relationships is also the reason why you should not bring your lawyer to any preliminary meetings since it may cause offense, as the other party may believe you don't trust him or are trying to get the better of him.

At the same time, you should also not be too informal or too personal. You can talk about topics like your family, your marital status and your job but avoid talking about your feelings. Make sure you answer any question put to you; don't appear that you are avoiding answering since this makes you look untrustworthy. And unless you can speak Mandarin very, very well you should avoid humor, since jokes are always lost in translation and you may end up inadvertently causing offense.

One of the most important concepts to understand in Chinese business communication is the concept of face. The word 'face' in Chinese is roughly translated to respect or good reputation and to lose face is to be deeply humiliated in front of others. This is why the American businessman who wants to do business in China should get away from the mindset of arguing with or correcting somebody if you think they're wrong; never contradict someone in China or say no since this will cause them to lose face. Again, this is where the importance of being fluent in Mandarin comes in since you will be able to communicate your corrections in such a way as to allow the other party to still keep face. It is a delicate balancing act and possible only if you can converse clearly.

Ultimately, the value of learning Mandarin for Chinese business communication is that it frees you from struggling to communicate verbally so that you can also focus on non-verbal communication, such as observing the other party's body language. Proficiency in another language is the best way to bridge the gap between two parties so that connections can start to be made, which hopefully will grow into a mutually profitable relationship.

Consider carefully the choice of courses you want to enroll to learn Chinese/Mandarin online especially for Chinese business communication. Look at the courses provided by Business Chinese Online before making any final decision because doing business in China is a serious business!

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Bilingualism: The Advantages of Knowing Mandarin Chinese and English

Being bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English will be able to enable one to expose to the beauty and richness of western and eastern cultures, literature, customs, festivals, history, etc.

Over 1 billion people around the world speak Mandarin Chinese, about one fifth of the global population. China is the most populous nation in the world, with 1.32 billion people.

Chinese Mandarin is becoming one of the fastest growing and popular academic fields of study in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and many English Speaking countries.

China is one of the world's oldest and richest cultures and is over 5000 years old.

China is the second largest economy in the world. China has become a huge market, business leaders are looking for people who can speak Chinese and operate successfully in the Chinese cultural context.

The wealthy Chinese tend to indulge in branded and luxurious goods from the west. Learning any language is an advantage when looking for a job. Employers like bilingual employee especially in English and Mandarin Chinese.

The Chinese-US and Chinese-European trade are becoming to be a very huge market. Traders or businessmen who are proficient in both Mandarin Chinese and English will definitely enjoy a great advantage.

In this digital age, English is still the widely preferred medium of communication. It is still the dominant language of social media sites, online education networks, websites, etc. The introduction of Chinese words Pinyin enables anyone to learn and read Chinese character easier and faster.

Pinyin is the official system to transcribe the Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet to teach Mandarin Chinese. Nowadays, there are many excellent teaching materials or tools available in the Internet to help anyone to learn the Mandarin Chinese. The medium of teaching is mostly in English with the Chinese Teaching materials.

This is the best time to learn Mandarin Chinese.

With the latest technology and software through Internet, the Chinese language has been more easily accessible than ever before.

Research has shown that learning an additional language is good for the brain.

It also enhances the learning of other subjects.

One study found showed that students who are multilingual are more flexible problem-solvers.

It has been shown that older people who are bilingual are less susceptible to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and can keep their brains sharper much longer.

This benefit is even more profound in learning Chinese. The fact that Mandarin Chinese is so different from English in sound, tones and script means that learning it is even more mentally stimulating than other languages.

There is no doubt that speakers of more than one language have nimble brains. Bilingualism enhances attention and cognitive control in kids and adults.

Start learning an additional language today.

The benefits of bilingualism in learning Mandarin Chinese are tremendous, it not only can provide healthy stimulation to the brain but a very useful tool and valuable asset in one's academic studies, career, business opportunities. One can even enjoy the beauty and richness of two different cultures, the English and Chinese cultures.

You are most welcome to visit a very informative and educational website, 'Learn Mandarin the Fun and Easy Way' at http://www.iknowmandarin.com/.

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