Books & Movie & Drama: Sherlock Holmes VS House M.D.

Time flies when you have already missed an entry, and in a blink of an eye it is already Wednesday. I am still stuck with my ear pressure, but less serious now, at least I can do a little ear clearing.

Image from Google

I remember reading The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was little. Didn't really understand fully about the flow of the story, but it was intriguing enough to draw my interest in reading more novels about Sherlock Holmes. I forgot when my interest in the character disappeared and why it disappeared, but after watching the latest movie, it has definitely rekindled this long lost feeling of excitement and the will to become as observant and intellectual as he is.

The Statue of Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street, London
Image from sherlock-holmes.org.uk

It is a natural behaviour for one to admire another who is better than he is. This is an important part of the human evolution (as well as the natural selection of all species). As for me, I admire those who are more intellectual than I am, preferably, much more intellectual than I am, because I enjoy learning from them.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum 221B Baker Street, London

Image from flickr

Since this Chinese New Year holiday, I have been all crazy about the TV drama House M.D.The creator of the series, David Shore, is a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and thus the character Gregory House (acted by one of my favourite actors Hugh Laurie) is a lot based on Holmes. The most obvious of all, are the use of inductive reasoning and his reluctance to accept cases he finds uninteresting.[1] . Because of the coolness of Dr. House, I am now watching season 5 and I must say I am a lot influenced by him. The largest benefit for me so far is that I have become much more observant than I used to be, and I am using a lot more of my brain than I have ever done.

House M.D. Season 5

Image from shockya

Say, for example, I realised that a lot of the ladies and school students nowadays are having abnormal shoe wear.

Image from bayside-orthotic-clinic

There are many possible reasons for that, but the fact that it happens in school students most often, I guess, is due to the external weight of their school bags. I used to see a lot more before schools use lockers!

How about ladies? Ladies don't usually wear school bags, so it shouldn't have much to do with external weight. Then what could be the reason? First, I have to state one more observation. Ladies wear both high-heels and flat-bottom shoes, most likely Converse for the latter. It is common for all to see that high heels do not guarantee as much balance as flat-bottoms, so ladies who often wear high-heels have a higher tendency to develop unstable postures when walking, which means they will have a higher possibility of developing abnormal shoe wear than ladies who seldom wear high-heels.

Another possibility could be the design of the shoes, which I vaguely remember had been researched by the Consumer Council some years ago. However, since I don't have the proof with me, I should not go on with this point.

Anyway, my main point is, through observations, you will get to learn a lot more than you normally can, which is crucial if you want to improve in your English vocabulary.

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Before I end this entry, let me tell you how I managed to deduce correctly a man I saw on the MTR who had dandruff on his shoulder is actually recovering from a cold.

First, he caught my attention because he had dandruff on his shoulder, and at the same time he was wearing a black colour down jacket. Normally, if one knows that he has dandruff on the shoulder, he would fan it off, but he didn't. So there are two reasons why he didn't -- 1) he didn't care; 2) he didn't know. Since he was not dressing too badly, I believe he didn't belong to reason 1), so 2) seemed more likely. But white dandruff on a black down jacket is highly noticeable, which left the fact that he hadn't removed his jacket for a long period of time, which means he did need to wear that down jacket, which meant he did feel cold, which was further confirmed when I saw him wearing a turtle-neck sweater. Since he was wearing both a thick bottle-neck sweater and a down jacket for a long time, it meant that he was having a lower body temperature than normal, so he must be ill. However, he had no sign of sneezing, sniffing or runny nose, I couldn't conclude that he was having a cold.

So I looked at his nose. His nose was thin at the sides, with red capillaries, which means either 1) he was born that way or 2) he had been rubbing for some time. It could have been both, but the slightly dry skin around the nose compared to the oily level of his face showed that he had been using oil absorbing substance which I guess would be tissue, so it would fit better to choose 2). And since he didn't have those typical symptoms of a cold, I suppose he was recovering from one, which was further confirmed when suddenly a lady came into the compartment and started talking to him and he spoke. His voice was obviously blocked, which meant that he did have a cold and it was still contagious. Case solved! I quickly moved away from him.


"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -- Sherlock Holmes

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Vocabulary:
in a blink of an eye -- extremely quickly
rekindle -- to make someone have a feeling that they had in the past
wear (from wear and tear) -- the damage which happens to an object in ordinary use during a period
postures -- [C or U] the way in which someone usually holds their shoulders, neck and back, or a particular position in which someone stands, sits, etc
contagious -- describes a disease that can be caught by touching someone with the disease or a piece of infected clothing




Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/medicalear-pressure-and-ear-clearing.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=D5qPEyQm9BkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Hound+of+the+Baskervilles&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/movie-sherlock-holmes-for-holiday.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/tv-drama-house-with-medical-terms.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Laurie
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_md#References_to_Sherlock_Holmes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=96618&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=66628&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=89537&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=61846&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=16589&dict=CALD&topic=passing-on-illness-and-causing-disease

Medical:Ear Pressure and Ear Clearing

Hi guys! I missed my Monday entry again. Nowadays, my afternoon job is killing me and not letting me have the slightest time to write my entry, and so I have to wait until I get back home. I have lots of topics these days, and all of them are pushing me to share with you, so they might sem a little messy. Hope you don't mind.

Well, the one I want to share with you today is one of the reasons I can't hear well in class these few days. I seem to have caught a cold somewhere. No idea where and when, and I used the word "seem" because I didn't visit a doctor but the symptoms fit: sore throat, stuffy nose, dry throat, tiredness, slight runny nose.

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/human-being/sense-organs/hearing/structure-ear.jpg

But what is new for me, something that I have never ever had before when I caught cold, is ear pressure. Generally, ear pressure can be easily cured by simple ear clearing techniques, but not this time. I tried everything from yawning to swallowing, as well as those maneuver suggested here.  None of them worked. I guess I must wait until I am fully recovered before the pressure will go away.

Baby Yawning

http://mentalfloss.cachefly.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/baby-yawn.jpg

In serious cases, pressure not released can cause damage in the ear drum, called Ear Barotrauma, but the complication mostly happens to divers, since I haven't done any diving, I suppose my ear drums are still intact.

Anyway, my experience these few days allowed me to realise once more that if we have good health, we are being blessed. This is because it is never guaranteed that we have good health, and we must never take it for granted that our health will sustain if we don't continuously maintain it. The weather is changing fast, so everybody please take good care of yourselves. You can only do what you want when you have good health.



Vocabulary:
complication -- an extra medical problem which makes it more difficult to treat an existing illness
intact -- not damaged
take it for granted -- If you take situations or people for granted, you do not realise or show that you are grateful for how much you get from them




Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuffy_nose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver#Normalizing_middle-ear_pressures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_clearing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_clearing#Methods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barotrauma#Ear_barotrauma

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=15679&dict=CALD&topic=disease-and-illness-general-words
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=41261&dict=CALD

Usage: Modals Anatomy -- Part 2 (Will & Would)

Oops, I missed my Friday entry. Sorry about that. I was down with a not-so-bad cold but quite serious ear pressure. I'll share more about that in the next entry, for now, let's continue with our grammar first.

I must say I am very happy to see 3 female willing learners trying the exercises I posted. Keep up with the good work. If you don't try, you never know if you have got the right concept. If you have any doubts, do feel free to contact me as well. The Question Page and the comments are there for you to throw me questions.

And sorry to those of you who would like to try but I put up the answers too early. So next time, I am going to let you have a week to leave me answers before I release my suggested ones.


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So, in the previous entry, Usage: Modal Anatomy -- Part 1 (Can & Could), we have discussed a lot about Can and Could, let's move on to the next pair -- Will & Would.

As we have already discussed under the topic Conditional Sentences, we now know that Will and Would can be used to express possibility as well as time.

Actions without planning, instant decision:

1. Jane: I feel a little cold.        Paul: I'll close the windows.
2. John: Where to, my friend?    William: I'll just walk around. 

Making predictions from one's knowledge:

1. Sandy: He won't let you off so easily this time. He'll track you down and make you beg on your knees!!!

          Jimmy: What did I do? I only miss submitting my homework twice!


Making promise and showing threat:

1. I promise I'll take good care of you!
2. I'll show you what it means by pain! 

Refusal:

1. The computer won't boot up! I've tried a million times!
2. She won't open up to us.

Giving orders or instructions:

1. Will you STOP SCREAMING? Thank you.
2. Will you come this way please?

Polite request:

1. Would you like to have something to drink?
2. Would you mind passing me the pepper, please?

Official Arrangement:

1. At 9:20am, we'll meet at the South Pacific Hotel in Wanchai.

Now, let's look at some examples from the future perfect form:

Action completion by a particular future time:

1. I will have worked for 24 hours non-stop in 2 hours' time.

Action which are no longer possible (Third Conditionals), usually showing regret:

1. If I hadn't lost my wallet, I would have already watched the film by now.
2. It would have been amazing to watch Michael Jackson's "This is it!" live concert.

Homework:


Try to explain the meanings of the following sentences in details, you can make your predictions as you wish:
(Leave comments for me to check)

1. He won't tell me the truth. Let's think of alternatives.
2. He won't tell me the truth. No matter how I have asked.
3. Pete: I'm going to the supermarket.   Laura: Will you get me some crisps?
4. Would you keep the door open for me?
5. Will you please come back tomorrow at 10am?
6. He will have worked for this company for 20 years tomorrow.
7. I would have noticed had you not disturbed me.
8. You wouldn't have noticed even if I had lost my voice!

Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/search/label/QUESTION%20PAGE
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=55608&dict=CALD&topic=honesty-openness-and-sincerity
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/10/grammar-third-conditional.html

Song: When You're Gone -- Avril Lavigne

Am I not listening to new songs? Nope. But why do I keep recommending older songs to listen to? That's because they are great songs which can last for a long time, and they are sung whole-heartedly by the singers and the lyrics are really well-written. And let's not forget, by listening and singing more songs, you can acquire accents easily!

This song sung by Avril Lavigne is one of my favourite songs at all time, and it makes me want to sob every time I listen to it. The lyrics are terribly simple, yet the feeling conveyed is so strong!!! Avril applied a girlish voice at the beginning and gradually exerted power, bringing the song to the peak of emotions! Superb song and it couldn't have been more suitable than Avril to sing it!!

Enjoy the song, learn the song!






I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cried
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie
Is made up on your side


When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?


When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay
I miss you


I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do
Reminds me of you
And the clothes you left
They lie on the floor
And they smell just like you
I love the things that you do


When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?


When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it ok
I miss you


We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were
Yeah, yeah


And all I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I do I give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me
Yeah


When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear will always get me through the day
And make it ok
I miss you



Vocabulary:
whole-heatedly -- completely enthusiastic
convey -- to express a thought, feeling or idea so that it is understood by other people
exert -- [T] to use something such as authority, power, influence, etc. in order to make something happen

Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/07/learning-method-how-to-improve-your_28.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avril_lavigne
http://artists.letssingit.com/avril-lavigne-lyrics-when-youre-gone-c6k7w26
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=90422&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=16892&dict=CALD&topic=defining-and-explaining
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=26899&dict=CALD

Song: Love Story -- Taylor Swift

Getting busy this week, and I am finding little time to do my usual researches, but one movie I recently watched called "Valentine's Day" gave me a tip which made me realise that Taylor Swift really does consistently sing great songs, thus my recommendation of her song today.

I find this song particular meaningful as it tells a complete story of Taylor and her love at first sight in a way that resembles Romeo and Juliet's. The song includes dialogs between the girl, the boy and the girl's father, and describes every little bit of feeling of a young teenage girl's determination, passion, anticipation, confusion and eventually joy. It is neither a simple song nor simple lyrics to write. The story proceeds step-by-step, reaching climax at the chorus. I particularly like the youthfulness in her voice.

What's this great song like?

We were both young when i first saw you
I close my eyes
and the flashback starts
I'm standing there
on a balcony in summer air

See the lights,
See the party the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
and say hello
little did I know

That you were romeo you were throwing pebbles
and my daddy said stay away from juliet
and I was crying on the staircase
begging you please don’t go, and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all theres left to do is run
you’ll be the prince and i’ll be the princess
its a love story baby just say yes

so i sneak out to the garden to see you
we keep quiet because we’re dead if they know
so close your eyes
lets escape this town for a little while
cause you were romeo i was a scarlet letter
and my daddy said stay away from juliet
but you were everything to me
and i was begging you please don’t go and i said

romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
i’ll be waiting all theres left to do is run
you be the prince and i’ll be the princess
its a love story baby just say yes

romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel
this love is difficult, but its real
don’t be afraid we’ll make it out of this mess
its a love story baby just say yes,

Oh, oh

I got tired of waiting
wondering if you were ever coming around
my faith in you was fading
when i met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

romeo save me i’ve been feeling so alone
i keep waiting for you but you never come
is this in my head, i don’t know what to think
he knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

marry me juliet you’ll never have to be alone
i love you and thats all I really know
i talked to your dad go pick out a white dress
its a love story baby just say yes
oh, oh,
we were both young when i first saw you


Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0817230/
http://www.taylorswift.com/
http://www.metrolyrics.com/love-song-lyrics-taylor-swift.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6xbylPMFnA

Usage: Modals Anatomy -- Part 1 (Can & Could)

Does anyone recall the entries I wrote about modal verbs? It was under the title "Usage: Polite or Impolite? Past vs Present -- Part 3". Since then I have wanted to write a bit more about modal verbs, because to me, they can be very easy to begin with, difficult to go deep, and then easy once again when you can remember all.

Modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb(or helping verb) that is used to indicate modality -- meaning possibility and necessity.[1][2]

As I have mentioned in "Usage: Polite or Impolite? Past vs Present -- Part 3", the 9 modals are

Can & Could

Will & Would

Shall & Should

May & Might

Must

We'll look into each pair in each entry. First, let's take a look at the pair Can & Could

Having ability:

1. I can swim.
2. I could swim (in the past, now I can't).

Giving permission:

1. You can go now.
2. N.A.

Asking for permission:

1. Can I speak to Jane?
2. Could I speak to Paul? (more polite, time concerned is still present)

Request for help:

1. Can you lend me a dollar?
2. Could you lend me a dollar? (more polite, time concerned is still present)

Giving suggestion:

1. N.A.
2. You could clarify with her first before blaming her. (time concerned is still present)

Expressing possibility:

1. Smoking can cause cancers.
2. It can't be true! (it is not possible to be true)
3. You could arrive anytime now. (Slight possibility/ Unsure) (time concerned is still present)

Offering help:

1. Can I get you a drink?
2. N.A.

As you can see from the above, Could is the past tense of Can only for the case of ability.


Modals can also be categorised according to their forms.
Basically, you can call them:

1. Modal Simple 
• I could talk to her.
2. Modal Continuous
• I could be talking to her.
3. Modal Perfect
• I could have talked to her.
4. Modal Perfect Continuous
• I could have been talking to her.

Among the forms, I am most interested by the Modal Perfect of Could and Can because of their usefulness in expressing different mood.


Could have done (more common)
Can have done (less common)


Showing possibility in past event:

1. I can have visited her. (I had the chance, but I didn't visit her.)
2. You could have talked to her. (You had the chance, but you didn't, maybe you chose not to) (same as 1)

Showing disbelief in past event:

1. He couldn't have behaved so badly in school!
2. She couldn't have betrayed her dearest friend!

Showing criticisms / regrets in past event:

1. You could have informed me before you threw away my letters!! (But you threw my letters away and now I am very angry!)
2. I could have saved that kid had I called the ambulance earlier. (Because I didn't call the ambulance earlier, the kid has died and I am angry with myself now, and I regret it too)

The negative sense of Could/Can have + Past Participle is slightly more tricky and you just have to read carefully between the lines, usually it carries the meaning of "the result wouldn't have changed even if somebody did try":

Couldn't have done (more common)
Can't have done (less common)

1. I couldn't have succeeded without your help. (But I did succeed because you did help me)
2. He couldn't have phoned you because he left his cellphone at home. (It was just not possible for him to call you)
3. The dinner couldn't have been better! It was fantastic! (The dinner was not possible to get even better, it was already at its best)

Homework:


Try to explain the meanings of the following sentences in details, you can make your predictions as you wish:
(Leave comments for me to check)

1. Person A: "We can try to use inductive reasoning to solve this puzzle." Person B: "Could do."
2. Could you please shut your mouth?
3. You could have killed yourself crossing that road just now! Now take those earplugs off!
4. He couldn't have solved those problems by himself.

Enjoy!!!


                      "Who says grammar is boring?" -- Locky




Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/11/usage-polite-or-impolite-past-vs_13.html
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_verb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_verb
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_modality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_modal_auxiliary_verb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-modal

Book reference:
Practical English Usage -- Michael Swan