Now don’t look so put out!

S. Upendran

Now don’t look so put out!
Focus on learning slowly and practise everyday, don’t get distracted What is the meaning of ‘put out’ in the following sentence? The committee was put out by Madhuri’s statement. (M. Uma, Chennai) The expression ‘put out’ has several different...
Focus on learning slowly and practise everyday, don’t get distracted

What is the meaning of ‘put out’ in the following sentence? The committee was put out by Madhuri’s statement. (M. Uma, Chennai)

The expression ‘put out’ has several different meanings. When you say that someone was put out by the comment you made, what you are suggesting is that the individual did not take kindly to your criticism. He was annoyed or very upset by the statement. It is possible for your actions to ‘put out’ people as well. You may be upsetting them intentionally or accidentally.

Kshema and her sister were put out at not being invited to Prem’s party.

I don’t know what was said at the meeting, but Rahul looked really put out.

What is the difference between ‘distract’ and ‘detract’? (L. Jambunathan, Ongole)

Both verbs have the stress on the second syllable; they are pronounced di-TRACT and dis-TRACT respectively. The word ‘detract’ comes from the Latin ‘detrahere’ meaning to ‘take down’ or ‘pull down’. When you ‘detract from’ something, what you are doing is reducing or diminishing its value. You are taking away all the attention that someone has given it.

The editing is not particularly good in some places. But it does not in any way detract from the overall quality of the film.

The smell emanating from the mouldy walls certainly detracted from the beauty of the palace.

‘Distract’ comes from the Latin ‘distrahere’ meaning ‘draw in different directions’. When you are ‘distracted’, your mind wanders; it is drawn or pulled in different directions. Something causes you to lose focus; there is something on your mind.

The professor was distracted by the noise coming from the back of the classroom.

If you want to win, stay focussed. Do not let the rowdy spectators distract you.

Is it okay to say, ‘After her fall, she has great difficulty to walk to the bathroom’? (C. Harish, Chennai)

No, it isn’t. You generally don’t have ‘great difficulty to do something’, but ‘great difficulty in doing something’. The correct sentence would be, ‘She had great difficulty in walking to the bathroom’. You could also say, ‘She had great difficulty walking to the bathroom’. If you wish to use ‘to walk’ in your sentence, then you will have to say, ‘She was finding it difficult to walk to the bathroom’.

Priya had great difficulty in understanding the problem.

The children had great difficulty in convincing their parents.

Priya was finding it difficult to understand the problem.

Is it okay to refer to someone as a ‘firecracker’? (Ashok Tiwari, Lucknow)

Firecrackers are something that everyone in India is familiar with — we have all heard them explode at the time of Deepavalli. In native varieties of English, the word is sometimes used to refer to people and things. When you refer to a person as being a firecracker, you are suggesting that he/she is someone who is very exciting to be with — a very attractive individual who is full of energy. The word can also be used to talk about books, movies, etc.

We don’t have anyone like Suman in our family. She’s nearly 80, but she’s still a firecracker.

The actor strongly believes that his next movie will be a real firecracker.

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