Tongue twisters in English to improve pronunciation

English is a universal language that is spoken by people all over the world. The accent everyone follows changes according to the country where they speak. There are many accents like British English, American English, etc. However, regardless of what accent you follow, it is the pronunciation that grabs the limelight. If you have sound pronunciation, your speech will have better clarity and ultimately more people will listen to you. This will pave the way for you to grow faster in your career by being promoted to better managerial positions.  

Tongue twisters are underrated:

Tongue twisters are proven to improve eloquence

One of the easiest ways to improve your pronunciation skills is by giving your tongue a twist or two with some common tongue twisters in English. There is a myth around tongue twisters that they are games supposedly played by kids to improve their pronunciations. Yes, kids do benefit a lot with tongue twisters. But, over age, our bodies become rigid. Just like how we do exercises to be physically fit, we also need to some speech exercises to be an efficient speaker. Tongue twisters in English are really helpful exercises to improve pronunciation skills.

Interesting tongue twisters in English:

While there are countless tongue twisters in English, that are fun and equally frustrating, the following three are my picks.

1) "Pad kid poured curd pulled cold."

An experienced team of researchers from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston have found that this tongue twister is the hardest to say in the entire world. Well, saying this tongue twister just once is easy. Saying it twice would still be cozy. But, say it loud, and fast, you will find out why this is the toughest of all the tongue twisters in English. 

2) "I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.

I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.

I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch."

Say this tongue twister at least thrice and you'll know that this is not just a fun one, but a mouth-watering one. While the first tongue twister you read helps you more with tongue flexibility, this one will help you in controlling 'sh' sounds so your speech could sound more eloquent. 

3) "Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear."

This one is a more frustrating tongue twister than the rest. If you notice all the words in this tongue twister, you will understand that they are so similar words with little changes that happen so fast. So, this tongue twister is like a sprint where you will run in different directions in one stretch.

If you have any interesting tongue twisters, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Photo by Hayes Potter on Unsplash

How to improve communication skills - Read these 3 simple tips before your next appraisal

Why communication skills are important?

Have you ever felt confused why your colleagues keep asking you the same thing again and again? Do you generally see perplexed faces while you are doing a presentation? Do you always send a reminder mail because your previous mail generated fewer responses? If your answer is yes to the above questions, then you are suffering from a simple, yet a career-growth threatening problem. You are unable to communicate properly. You could defend yourself saying that people around you are day dreamers and are mostly inattentive. You could go one step further and put the blame on the weather saying, it is cloudy outside, so people are feeling drowsy inside. 99 times out of 100, the drowsiness could be because you are doing a presentation. 

I am just trying to exaggerate the importance of good communication skills as people rarely wonder how to improve communication skills. I have seen many people wondering why they could not see growth in their career. The main reason is, when you are expecting growth, your company would want you to manage more colleagues of different personalities and when it comes to managing them, it is about being able to communicate with each person effectively. So, during an appraisal, the management looks for people with good communication skills, not necessarily technical skills. So, next time you find colleagues who could be a pain in the neck, follow these 3 simple tips for the pain to ease off.

3 simple tips on how to improve communication skills:

While there are numerous ways to improve communication skills, the following are some tips I follow for better communication with my colleagues.

1) Mail communication is a must:

Many escalations and issues happen within a project or across projects because of a silly reason. People don't always send a mail to acknowledge or summarize the discussions they had in person with other colleagues. Yes, everyone is a grown-up to not have someone poking them to do a task. But, because everyone is a grown-up, then tend to get caught up with other activities and might forget some of the pending activities. Sometimes only when we send a mail asking for an update on the project, our colleagues would realize that such a project was in the pipeline. This problem is prevalent when we communicate with team members from different teams. You think this problem doesn't happen always, don't you? But, remember, escalations don't happen always too. We still want to avoid them. So, no matter how small or big a discussion you had might be, never hesitate to send a follow-up mail to summarize the discussion the same day after the discussion. This mail works in two ways. Gives the day dreamers a chance to finally wake up and understand what the discussion was about. Another way is, it will avoid escalations happening because of people who suffer from amnesia.

2) Body language is more important than language:

Forget about what you are going to speak about. Most of the presentations involve a ppt with slideshows that could be a lullaby to anyone, especially on Fridays. Instead of just acting like a robot that recites every word from the ppt, do some gestures to make the presentation have a lively feel. By gestures, I don't mean, your hands doing some stretching exercises, which they surely would. I want your entire body to move. Walk towards every person in the discussion room. Make them wonder why you come towards them. Make the others realize that they would be the next you would walk towards. This would make everyone attentive and the chances of them sleeping are slim to none. Body language is very crucial as some presentations involve no lights while the projector is in use. This environment could make anyone go out like a light. So, let your body dance to the rhythm of the presentation.

3) Be a fun wikipedia, not a scary encyclopedia:

Your colleagues should not be scared of your presentations or you in general. Don't be a content machine. No one likes meetings, discussions, etc., because they are mostly about targets, summary, blah blah blah i.e. full of content. So have fewer meetings or make them more enjoyable with some entertaining stuff. Have a good rapport with your colleagues by making jokes even if if they aren't humorous. Spend some time with them at the cafeteria or have a Whatsapp call when you are working remotely. These are ways to have casual conversations. This will make your colleagues find you friendly and approachable. This in turn will make them more attentive to you and you need not run behind them to make them finish a task. In fact, they will run toward you because you are full of fun.

If you have any other tips on how to improve communication skills, post them in the comments section below.

Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

How to introduce yourself at interview - Common mistakes people make during job interviews

Finding a job is never easy. This is why people attend a lot of interviews so they could increase their chances of getting a job. Everyone does a lot of hardwork before attending an interview. Your confidence, skills, experience and a lot of other factors determine your success rate at interviews. When people try their best to give their best at interviews, somehow they overlook a tiny, yet important step that plays a major role in how the interviewer analyzes them. And, what is that? It is how you tell your name at interviews.

I know this sounds confusing. But, when you are thinking about how to introduce yourself at interview, shouldn't you be thinking about how you need to tell your name? In fact, your name is the first thing that you tell the interviewer. Surely you don't wanna make a mess of it, do you?

How to not introduce yourself at interview?

Imagine your name is James and you introduce yourself to the interviewer in one of the following ways.

1) Myself James.

2) I am James.

3) Hey there! James here.

If you had told your name to the interviewer in any of the above three ways, you definitely did not have a great start at the interview. The reason is, all the above 3 ways are commonly used, but ironically they are completely wrong. Let us know why.

1) Myself James is totally wrong. Click here to know why myself should not be said at all.

2) 'I am James' is to be said only when someone is searching for you.

3) "Hey there! James here". This is unprofessional, something that you can tell when you are hanging out with new friends. The interviewer is not looking for a friend. He is looking for an employee. So, don't follow this style too. Now, let us see the best way to introduce yourself.

How to introduce yourself at interview?

My name is James.

Yes! This is the simplest and most professional way of introducing yourself at an interview.

Feel free to post your comments or queries in the comments box below.

Difference between its and it's - its vs it's - Common mistakes people make with its and it's

Its a beautiful day today!

Its great to finally meet you.

Its an honor to be representing our country at Olympics.

If you don't find any spelling mistakes in the above three sentences, and if this is how you usually send messages to your colleagues, then you definitely need to read this post. This post is about the difference between its and it's. This is one of the common mistakes many people make while writing. Writing professionally is paramount to your career growth because nowadays due to the Coronavirus pandemic and other technological advancements, gone are those days when we mostly used to communicate with others in person. Because almost everyone works from home of late, messages and mails are the order of the day for communicating with team members. Surely your team members who read your messages and mails won't tell you that you made an embarrassing error. Sometimes, pointing out mistakes is more embarrassing than the mistakes itself. But, its time to stop making embarrassing mistakes. Oops! Did you notice the highlighted word 'its'. Its again a mistake. Oops! I made the same mistake again. Let me stop confusing you and get straight to the point. There is a big difference between its and it's.

What is the difference between its and it's?

Its and it's, both have the same pronunciations, and it is only natural that we make mistakes with these words. But, 'its' denotes an object or anything that is previously introduced in a sentence.

Example:

1) I saw a dog last night. I was amazed with its shiny fur.

In the above example, 'its' denotes the dog that is introduced in the initial sentence.

Some other examples:

2) Never judge a book by its cover.

Yep! This is a common proverb, isn't this? Here, 'its' denotes the book.

3) The majestic look of a lion is surpassed only by its awe-inspiring roar.

Here again, 'its' denotes the lion.

I am pretty sure with the above examples, you now know where to use 'its'. Now, let us see where we have to use it's.

Example sentences using it's:

If you go to the beginning of this post, you will find three sentences. In all those sentences, you should use only it's. The correct way of writing those sentences are as follows.

It's a beautiful day today!

It's great to finally meet you.

It's an honor to be representing our country at Olympics.

Feel free to post your feedback or questions in the comments section below.

Seeing a movie or watching a movie - Know the difference between seeing and watching

This is a common mistake many people make. Some say, I am seeing a movie. Some people say, I am watching a movie. The difference between seeing and watching is very simple. When you are continuously seeing something for sometime, then you need to use 'watching'. The best example for this would be a watchman. Why do we call him a watchman and not a seeman?

The job of a watchman is to continuously see the activities that happen around him for a long time. This is why he is called a watchman. He watches the activities that happen around him to make sure the place is safe.

Another example is bird-watching. This is not called bird-seeing because people who watch birds are actually observing the characteristics of birds by continuously seeing them for sometime. Hence, it is called as birdwatching and the person who does this activity is called as a birdwatcher.

Let us understand better why 'watching a movie' has to be used instead of 'seeing a movie'.

A movie is something that happens for at least half an hour. That means you will be seeing the movie for a long time. Hence you need to say, I am watching a movie. So next time when you are in a movie theatre and if someone calls you and asks what you are doing, tell them, I am watching a movie.

Some scenarios where watching and seeing are used:

1) I am watching you.

I am sure you would have heard this dialogue in many movies. 'Watching you' means the person who said this will be keeping a close eye on you. It is like, the person will be noticing all your activities. It is sort of like an investigation.

2) You complain to the police about your neighbor saying the following.

I have been watching my neighbor for the past seven days. He has been doing a lot of suspicious activities. 

Here also, you cannot use 'seeing' as you are continuously monitoring the behavior of your suspicious neighbor. Hence, 'watching' has to be used.

Now, it is time to test your understanding of this concept!

I am seeing/watching a rainbow. Which one has to be used?

You actually can use both. However, the meaning changes with each word. When you say, I am seeing a rainbow, it means, you are walking on the terrace and you suddenly see a rainbow and you are shouting in excitement saying, I am seeing a rainbow!!!!

Now, for 20 minutes you have been seeing the same rainbow. It means you are enjoying its beauty. You still are seeing the rainbow. Now, your mother downstairs yells at you, Son, what are you doing on the terrace?

Now, you need to say, Mom, I am WATCHING a rainbow. 

Do post your feedback or questions in the comments box below.

Compliment or complement - meaning of compliment - complement meaning - difference between compliment and complement

Most of us have been using the word 'complement' even without knowing that such word exists. I am surely one of them who never knew that 'complement' was a word until I saw a question in my English exam, which asked me whether compliment or complement was the right answer. The question was as follows.

James and Jenifer compliment/complement each other.

For a moment, I thought this question was one of the no-brainer ones that are asked to check if we have no brain. Also, I never ever saw the word, 'complement' ever in my life before then. So, I chose 'compliment' as the answer. My teacher definitely did not compliment me for choosing that answer. That was when she taught me and almost everyone at the class the difference between compliment and complement. Before telling you the difference, let me tell you the correct answer to the above question. It is 'complement' with spelling E.

Difference between compliment and complement:

A compliment is the usual word that many know. When you do something great, people congratulate you on that achievement. That is called a compliment. When you get married, people wish you good luck. That can also be called a compliment. When someone praises you saying you are handsome, beautiful, etc., that is also called a compliment. Now, this brings us to the next question. What is the meaning of complement?

Meaning of complement:

A complement is a feature that will improve the performance of something or someone. A complement is also something without which a product or a person looks incomplete. An age-old example for this would be, husband and wife should complement each other.

The above example means that, when husband lacks inspiration, the wife has to give that. When wife lacks in something, the husband has to provide that. They both have to live their lives in such a way that one will be improving the other person's life, and being together, both their lives would excel.

Another trendy example would be, laces and shoes complement each other.

Without laces, shoes are useless. And, without shoes, laces would simple be called as ropes. So, laces and shoes improve each other's use by being together. Hence, laces complement shoes and vice-versa.

Do share your feedback on this article in the comments section below.

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover - meaning, origin and examples

I am pretty sure you know that there is a phrase, face is the index of mind. This means that, with the expression one shows on their face, it will be easy to guess what's in their mind. However, 'never judge a book by its cover' is a different phrase altogether. This phrase is not talking about books. If it were so, you should always judge a book by its cover. You can't expect Harry Potter's magic inside a book with a cover that says, Alice In Wonderland. So, 'never judge a book by its cover' is usually associated with people and their undisclosed talents.

Meaning:
'Never judge a book by its cover' means you should never presume one's skill or the value of something, just by how they look from the outside.

Origin:

Initially, the phrase, never judge a book by its cover, just like most other English phrases, had a literal meaning. It means, people usually buy books only by looking at the cover. Many good stories might be overlooked by them if they don't try to steal a glance at what's inside the books. In 1944, this phrase was used for the very first time in an African-American journal speech which mentioned, 'you can't judge a book by its binding'. This phrase became very popular when it was used in the famous 'murder in the glass room' book which was published in 1946. In this book, the phrase was used as "you can never tell a book by its cover'.

Examples:

1) An ideal example for this phrase would be jackfruit. This is an exotic tropical fruit that is available in abundance in Asia. The skin of the jackfruit resembles thorns (not so sharp, not amusing either). However, when it is cut open, much to your surprise, there will be yummy slices which are sure to kill the drought in any mouth with its mouth-watering taste. Taste it once, you'll know why it is called as an exotic fruit.

2) Another example for the phrase, never judge a book by its cover could be, the legendary Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. He was just 16 years old when he made his international debut against Pakistan in Karachi. He looked so little. He just scored a mere 15 runs. The world took him so lightly as a cricketer. Everything that happened later in his career was nothing short of a spectacle. He scored 100 international centuries and people used to call him the little master, master blaster, God of cricket, etc. The person who selected Sachin Tendulkar for the Indian team surely must have known the meaning of the phrase, 'Never judge a book by its cover'.

3) Some people might not look very approachable. If you do take the initiative of talking to them, you might understand better the meaning of 'never judge a book by its cover'.

Feel free to post your comments below. Don't forget to subscribe to this blog for more useful posts. 

What is the difference between affect and effect - meaning of affect and effect with examples

If you are reading this article, you probably have lost enough hair already trying to get clarity on the difference between affect and effect. More than the meaning of affect and effect, the main problem is, these words are so similar that people tend to replace 'affect' with 'effect' and vice versa. This just adds up to the confusion. For starters, without asking any questions here, blindly keep one thing in mind. Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. Now, gently open your eyes and see the following meaning for each word.

Meaning of affect:
If you refer to Google, you will know that affect has different meanings and is also a noun. But, the verb form of affect is commonly used worldwide. So, let us just stick to the verb form.

affect (verb) - it means changing something in a negative way.

To make you never forget meaning of affect, remember this. Affect starts with A. Ability also starts with A. Hence, affect has the ability to change something. The change is always negative. When Peter Parker became a Spider-Man after a spider bit him, no one said that  Peter was affected by the spider and he became a superhero. So, 'affect' is always used to indicate a downfall or something bad.

Examples:
1) The nation-wide lockdown seems to be affecting Jonathan's health, physically and mentally.
2) In the year, 2020, the then novel Coronavirus affected the livelihoods of people all over the world.
3) Many experts fear that the latest financial bill passed by the legislative assembly might affect the people who are below the poverty line.
4) I strongly believe that humanity is about helping mankind thrive without affecting the nature which is the mother of all living creatures.

Meaning of effect:
I am sure you would have heard phrases like, side-effects of certain drugs, effects of global warming, etc. Let us take an imaginary example. You have been swimming for 5 days now. Now, you feel so fit. This is the effect, swimming had on you. The word 'effect' is not just used to denote something negative. It can also mean something positive like in the example of swimming. Let us now see the meaning of effect.

effect (noun) - the change something or someone experiences during or after a process. This change can be good or bad.

Examples:
1) Pain-killers always have a soothing effect on injuries.
2) The foul smell which came up all of a sudden in the elevator, did not have any effect on James. He showed no facial expressions.
3) Many youngsters don't realize the serious effects liquor drinking could have on their health in the future.
4) The voice of my English teacher, Rachael, always had a calming effect on my classmates during our schooldays.
5) The world needed a person like Mahatma Gandhi to show the extraordinary effects non-violence could have on any battle.

To summarize this article on 'what is the difference between affect and effect', affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Feel free to post your comments below and don't forget to follow this blog for more useful articles.

Meaning of break a leg and its origin

Before knowing the meaning of break a leg, let me tell you something very clearly. When someone tells you break a leg, it doesn't mean that they want you to break your leg and end up on a hospital bed. They actually are indirectly wishing you, Good Luck. So the meaning of break a leg is "Good Luck".

Origin of break a leg:
"Break a leg" originated in America, probably in the 1920s and this phrase was initially used in theaters (musical theaters) where actors and other artists perform on the stage. Performers tend to get nervous while performing in front of a big crowd. So, when, someone is telling them Good Luck before their performance, it actually might make them feel more nervous. That is why, people say "Break A Leg". Also, some people feel that wishing someone Good Luck might actually bring bad luck. So, it is better to use an indirect phrase if you feel that your mouth has this lovely curse.

Doesn't break a leg sound violent?
Haha! Actually in English, sometimes when phrases are taken literally, it might sound violent. It might even sound awkward. We live in a world where people often use acronyms like ROFL, LOL, LMAO, etc. All these acronyms if imagined visually, will definitely look awkward. So, get over your literal understanding of stuff.

Why break a leg is used?
Though the meaning of break a leg is good luck, there is a logic behind using this phrase. You now know that this phrase originated in theaters to wish the performers Good Luck. Break a leg is used because, it indirectly means, that the performer standing on the stage has to do their absolute best that should make their legs break. It means that the performer has to perform to the best of their potential. Imagine that you are telling a dancer, break a leg before their performance. It means that you want the dancer to dance so fiercely making wild and awesome movements with their legs.

Know when to use does in questions - Difference between do and does

Do and Does are two of the most important words that we regularly use in conversations. The main reason is, no matter what verb we may use in our sentences, 'do' and 'does' are often used along with the verb as auxiliary verbs. In other words, 'do' and 'does' are words that support the main verb in your sentences. One has to understand the difference between 'do' and 'does' to get clarity on when to use 'does' in questions.

Let us first see the following examples.

1) James knows the answer to this question.

2) Emma brushes her teeth three times a day.

3) Dravid goes to school by helicopter everyday.

4) He has a crush on Sarah.

When to use does in questions?

When the above four examples are converted into questions, you will have to use Does. Take a look at the following questions.

a) Does James know the answer to this question?

b) Does Emma brush her teeth three times a day?

c) Does Dravid really go to school by helicopter everyday?

d) Does he have a crush on Sarah?

If you carefully see all the above questions that start with Does, you will notice that all the questions talk about only one person (i.e. singular). James, Emma, Dravid and He. This means, Does has to be used in questions for singular person or object. To understand this easily, you should also ask questions that start with Do.

Example questions using Do:

1) Do you know the answer to this question?
2) Do they really go to school by helicopter?
3) Do you now know when to use 'does' in questions?

From the above three questions, you can clearly understand that, whenever you are asking questions to the second person (You) or about third person (plural), you need to use Do instead of Does. Let us now frame few more questions using both 'do' and 'does' alternately. This will be a great way to know when to use does in questions and also to understand the difference between do and does.

Questions using Do and Does:

1) Do you know the answer?

2) Does she know the answer?

3) Does this flight go to America?

4) Do these flights go to America?

5) Does he always fight with the teacher?

6) Do they always fight with the teacher?

There are many more differences between do and does. If you have any more queries, feel free to ask them in the comment box below.

In time or On time? Know the difference

Time is a very important factor, not just in life, but also in English. If you are a working professional and you work under tight deadlines, more often than not, you will be hearing your superiors telling you to finish your works in time. Some people also use the phrase, on time. I am pretty sure by now you would be confused whether to use 'in time' or 'on time' in your sentences. You are reading this article to get rid of this confusion, aren't you? Let's get to the point right away.

You can either use in time or on time in your sentences. But, both have different meanings. Imagine that your manager has given you a deadline to finish an activity. The deadline is 3 pm. The following is your manager's dialogue.
"Hey buddy! I have assigned you a new activity. The deadline to finish this is 3 pm".

To make your manager know that you will finish this activity without any delay, you are telling him one of the following.
1) Hey manager! Don't worry. I will finish this task in time.
2) Hey manager! Don't worry. I will finish this task on time.

If you are saying the first sentence, it means that you will finish the task before 3 pm that is the deadline. If you are saying the second sentence, it means that you will finish the task exactly at 3 pm. This means that 'on time' is the exact time mentioned and 'in time' is anytime before the mentioned time. I am pretty sure you would have watched flight advertisements that say, 'on time, every time'. This means that the flight will take off exactly at the mentioned time without any delays. The following graph will give you a better understanding if you should say 'in time' or 'on time'.

Example sentences using in time / on time:

1) The train that Vincent boarded departed on time.

2) David is always good at finishing his assignments in time without any delays.

3) Though there were just few days left for the opening of a world-class hospital in Ohio, officials were confident that they would get all the necessary medical equipment in time for the surgical procedures.

4) Serena's father who is on an official tour to London promised her that he would return home in time for her birthday party next week.

5) Have you ever written an exam that did not start on time? 

Feel free to post your comments below.

Information 'is' or 'are' - Is information singular or plural?

Only countable nouns can be considered singular or plural. For example, 'detail' is singular, 'details' is a plural word. People always have a habit of thinking of the plural forms of any and every word they come across. Similarly in the case of information, many people use it as 'informations' which is completely wrong.  For starters, information is an uncountable noun and hence, it is always used as singular. To never forget that information is singular, remember the proverb, 'information is wealth'.

This takes us to the next question. Should I say, information 'is' or 'are' in sentences?  

You can now answer this question yourself. Because, information is singular, you can only say, information is.... The following are some of the sentences that will give you better clarity on how to use information in sentences.

1) George doesn't seem to have any information about the new building that will be soon constructed near his house.
2) The police were searching for a critical piece of information that will reveal the whereabouts of the criminal in the murder case.
3) When WHO declared Covid-19 as pandemic, scientists and biological researchers around the world started working in overdrive mode to find more information about the novel coronavirus so they could develop a vaccine.
4) Internet is always a place where you can get many useful information on any topic that you would like to learn about.
5) Never share your personal information like card number, pin, etc. with strangers, especially when you are speaking to them over the phone.
6) My friend gave me a lot of information about his research paper titled, Biology and its impact on humans.
 
In the example 6, 'a lot of information' is used. Do not use this phrase as 'a lot of the information that my friend told me are very useful'. The reason is 'are' should not be used for information. If needed, you can write the sentence as follows.
A lot of the information that my friend told me is very useful. However, the common way of saying this sentence is, My friend told me a lot of very useful information.

Feel free to post your comments or suggestions for a new topic.

How to use Share in sentences?

The following are some of the examples on how to use share in sentences.

1) It is always a good habit to share your happiness with others. 

2) Jessica is so fond of chocolates that she never shares even a piece of it with anyone in her school. 

3) Sharing your personal details with everyone, especially strangers, is not advisable. 

4) When Ramesh was declared the winner of the international 100 km marathon race, he vowed to share the majority of his prize amount with his coach who dedicated his life to help Ramesh succeed as a marathon runner. 

5) In the wake of novel coronavirus, James was asked by the Canadian government to share the details of his latest international trip with the physician appointed by the World Health Organization. 

6) Nancy is ready to share anything with her friend, Natalie. But she doesn't like sharing her room. 

7) Sharing sweets with friends and relatives is something that can be seen in abundant during festive seasons. 

8) For security purposes, Vincent was asked not to share his new phone number with his acquaintances. 

9) Social media is a great platform to share your knowledge of a particular subject with like-minded people. 

10) If you find the articles on this site useful, share this website link with your friends who are looking to hone their English skills.

'Share me' or 'Share with me' - Know how to use Share with example sentences

Let me say you are working in an office where you often communicate with your colleagues via mails and phone calls. You always ask your teammates to send you a particular document and you in turn would send them another or similar file if the need arises. Communication via mails is a teensy bit different. You often use words that you don't normally use while talking in person. Share is a similar word. How many of you have said or written mails mentioning, Can you share me the document asap? If you are one of them, it is time for you to learn how to use Share in sentences.

Share me or Share with me?

Imagine you need a file from your friend named John. You are drafting a mail. If you are using the word, Share, which of the following two sentences would you use?

1) Hey John! Can you share me the file asap?
2) Hey John! Can you share with me the file asap?

If you have been following option 1, it is time you stop following it right away. Option 1 is grammatically wrong. Only when you are using the word send, then you can say, Hey John! Can you send me the file asap? But, if you are using the word, share, only follow option 2.

Why share WITH me has to be used instead of share me?

Initially, Sharing was used for items like sweets, chocolates, etc. that people give everyone. If there is a box full of sweets, some sweets are shared with others so that the person who gives the sweets will also be left WITH some sweets for themself. To indicate that the sender also has some sweets with him after sharing, WITH is used. When you use the word Send, it means the entire sweet box is sent to another person. This will leave the sender with no sweets. That is why, when you use the word, send, WITH is not used.

But, our people have a knack for using words. They started interchanging the word Send and Share, so that communication sounds more formal. Over time, Send Me was replaced with Share Me. But, the correct way of saying this is Share With Me. I hope now you know whether you have to say share me or share with me.
Click here to know how to use Share with example sentences.

Discuss or Discuss About - Which is grammatically correct?

A discussion usually happens within a group that has many persons talking about something in an attempt to generate new ideas, come up with solutions for existing problems, exchange thoughts, etc. Many people say, I am discussing about a topic, I am discussing about a matter, etc. All these sentences are grammatically incorrect. The reason is discuss is a verb which should not be accompanied by the word ABOUT. i.e. discuss is a word that should only be used without the word about. The following meaning of discuss will make you understand this better.

Discuss (verb):

to talk about something extensively with a person or a group of persons.

The above mentioned meaning of discuss already has the word ABOUT. Hence, if one says discuss about, it means we additionally use the word about once again which will lead to redundancy.

Eg: discuss - talk about.

Eg sentence: I am discussing about a topic with my friend.

Now, in the previous sentence, replace the word 'discussing' with 'talking about'. The modified sentence would be as follows.

I am talking about about a topic with my friend.

The above sentence has the word ABOUT used two times. To avoid this, we just say 'discuss' and not 'discuss about'. The following sentences show the correct way of using the word, discuss.

Use of 'discuss' in example sentences:

1. I am discussing a matter with my friend.

2. The police are seriously discussing the case to find who the murderer is.

3. Never discuss anything with people who have no idea about the topic of discussion.

4. We have been discussing an issue that happened at work yesterday.

5. If you have any queries on this topic, feel free to discuss that with me by posting your questions in the comment box below.