“I know, I know! I’m late again. I didn’t expect the traffic to be so bad this early in the morning.”
“It’s a pity that you haven’t taken after your father.”
“What should I have taken from my father? What are you talking about?”
“The expression ‘take after’ is often used in everyday contexts. When someone says that you’ve taken after your father, it means you resemble him.”
“In other words, I look like him. If I resemble my father, why did you say it’s a pity that I haven’t taken after him?”
“You can take after someone in terms of looks and in terms of character.”
“In other words, I may be like him in terms of looks, but not in terms my likes, dislikes, temperament, etc.”
“Exactly! And you’re nothing like your father when it comes to those things. He is known for his punctuality. You haven’t taken after him when it comes to that.”
“My sister has taken after him in that respect. Tell me, how is p…r…e…s…t…i…g…i…o…u…s pronounced? Does the word have three or four syllables?”
“For native speakers of English, the word consists of three syllables. The first is pronounced like the word ‘press’, while the following vowel is like the ‘i’ in ‘sit’ and ‘bit’. The ‘g’ sounds like the ‘j’ in ‘jam’ and ‘juice, and the final….”
“The final ‘ous’ sounds like the ‘ous’ in ‘famous’.”
“Very good! The word is pronounced ‘pres-TIJ-es’ with the stress on the second syllable. You know what the word means, right?”
“Of course, I do. It means respected and admired. My friend Venkatesh graduated from a very prestigious institution in India.”
“He’s a product of IIT Madras, isn’t he? What would you do if you were given a prestigious award?”
“For what? My ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat?”
“I don’t think there’s an award for that!”
“But tell me, many Indians pronounce the word ‘pres-TEA-ji-es’. They pronounce it as a four syllabled word. Is it wrong to pronounce it that way?”
“A native speaker of English would probably think so. But within India, it won’t be a problem. People will understand you. By the way, congratulations. Your favourite actor’s new release is a big hit.”
“Not a mere hit. People in the film industry are saying that it’s a blockbuster. Many of the movie critics have paid the actor handsome compliments.”
“You mean they paid the handsome actor compliments, don’t you?”
“No, I mean ‘handsome compliments’.”
“Handsome compliments! What are you talking about? Isn’t the word handsome always used with people? Especially men!”
“Not really! The word can be used with things as well. For example, when you say that someone paid you a handsome compliment, what you’re suggesting is that the individual paid you a generous compliment.”
“I see. How about this example? When I was a kid, my uncles were seldom generous with their compliments. They specialised in finding faults.”
“In your case, that must have been easy. The company gave Sindu a handsome raise to make sure that she stays.”
“To retain someone like her, they would have had to double her salary. Whenever Sunitha goes to a restaurant, she always tips the waiter handsomely.”
“That’s easy to do when you get a handsome cheque every month.”
Published - July 13, 2026 08:30 am IST