DAILY GRAMMAR (DG) 09-10-2018
1a. The lawyer has covet admiration for corrupt politicians. (No)
The lawyer has covert admiration for corrupt politicians. (Yes)
1b. Do not covert your friend’s property. (No)
Do not covet your friend’s property. (Yes)
(“Covert” is an adjective that means hidden or secret, the opposite of “overt”. “Covet” is a verb that means to desire or want something, especially what belongs another person.)
2a. Your friend won’t tell you because she considers it a secrete. (No)
Your friend won’t tell you because she considers it a secret. (Yes)
2b. If you press the fruit again, it will still secret juice. (No)
If you press the fruit again, it will still secrete juice. (Yes)
(“Secret” is something hidden or unknown to someone. To “secrete” is to produce or discharge usually a liquid substance.)
3a. The economy is bad for everyone, learn to cut your coat according to your size. (No)
The economy is bad for everyone, learn to cut your coat according to your cloth. (Yes)
3b. As two good heads are better than one, the man has agreed to listen to his friend’s view before making a decision. (No)
As two heads are better than one, the man has agreed to listen to his friend’s view before making a decision. (Yes)
(Idioms are fixed expressions that are not altered, strictly, by replacement, addition, omission, etc. Usually, idioms, like “cut your coat according to your cloth” and “two heads are better than one”, among others, are used the way native speakers use them without editing.)
Did You Know?
“Whipper-tooties” are pointless misgivings or groundless excuses for not trying to do something.
Mahfouz Adedimeji’s Blog
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