৪০ দিনে ৪৭তম বিসিএস প্রস্তুতি - Archived

Catch somebody unawares/ catch somebody off-guard/ catch somebody on the hop (idiom): 
English Meaning - To do something when someone is not ready for it and is not able to deal with it. 
Bangla Meaning - কোনো কিছু করা বা ঘটে যাওয়া যা অপ্রত্যাশিত এবং সামাল দেওয়া কঠিন।

Complete Sentence - His unexpected resignation caught everyone off-guard in the office.
Bangla Meaning - তার অপ্রত্যাশিত পদত্যাগ অফিসের সবার জন্য অপ্রত্যাশিত ছিল।  

Other options, 
Throw in the towel - Stop trying to do something because you have realized that you cannot succeed. 
Burn the midnight oil - To work late into the night. 
Turn over a new leaf - To start behaving in a better way.

Source: 
1. Cambridge Dictionary. 
2. Accessible Dictionary by Bangla Academy. 

Formal letter: 
- Official বা Business সংক্রান্ত চিঠিপত্র।
- একটি formal letter এর প্রধান অংশ হলো ছয়টি। যথা:  

1. Heading - প্রেরকের নাম, ঠিকানা ইত্যাদি।
2. Salutation - যেমন Sir, Dear X.  
3. Body 
4. Complimentary close or, subscription যেমন I remain, Sir/ Yourse faithfully, 
5. Signature - স্বাক্ষর। 
6. Address or, superscription.

Source: 
1. High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin.
2. English Grammar and Composition (9th-10th Class).
3. Applied English Grammar and Composition by P.C. Das.

Business letter: 
- Business letter হলো ব্যবসা সম্পর্কিত চিঠি।

Different types of Business letters:
- Sales Promotion letter: designed to create interest in a product or service.
- Letter of instructions: outlining a procedure to be carried out by the reader.
- Letter of transmittal (cover letters): to accompany reports and other documents that you will mail out.
- Letter of recommendation: for friends, fellow workers, or past employees.
- General business letters: describing progress on a project, requesting assistance, ordering parts or tools, confirming meeting times, and so on.
- Letter of inquiry: asking about the cost or availability of a product, requesting advice for solving a problem, soliciting comments about a job applicant, and so on.
- Complaint letters: They are written to complain about disappointing service or faulty products and to request an adjustment.

• Invitation Letter হচ্ছে এক ধরণের Informal letter. 

Source: Business English, School of Business, Bangladesh Open University. 

• Make sure: 
English Meaning: establish that something is definitely so / confirmed.
Bangla Meaning: সত্যতার ব্যাপারে নিশ্চিত হওয়া।

Ex. Sentence: Make sure he's honest before you lend him any money.
Bangla Meaning: তাকে টাকা ধার দেয়ার আগে সে সৎ কিনা নিশ্চিত হয়ে নিও।

Complete Sentence: Before leaving the house, make sure you turn off all the lights and lock all the doors.

• Other options, 
Make oneself useful - do something that is of some value or benefit to someone / do something helpful.
Make up one's mind - make a decision / to decide.
Make someone’s blood boil - to make someone very angry.

Source: live MCQ lecture. 

Paragraph: 
- Paragraph হলো এমন একটি ক্ষুদ্র রচনা যার মধ্যে একটি মাত্র, idea বা theme থাকে।
- তাছাড়া Paragraph এ সাধারণত তিনটি অংশ থাকে। যথা: Topic Sentence, Body, Terminator. 

Different types of paragraphs - 
• Descriptive: In a descriptive paragraph you describe a scene a thing or a person. 

• Narrative: In a narrative paragraph you narrate an incident. 

• A paragraph of definition: In a paragraph of definition you define a person or an object. 

• A paragraph of similarities: When you compare two things you have to bring out the similarities between them in a convincing manner.

• A paragraph of differences: When you contrast two things, the differences have to be expressed in an explicit manner. 

• Statement of facts and figures: There are paragraphs that do not belong to any of the above categories and are mainly concerned with giving facts and figures in a clear and emphatic manner.

Source: English Two, HSC Programme, Bangladesh Open University. 

• Noun phrase:
- A noun phrase consists of a pronoun or noun and any associated modifiers, including adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses and other nouns in the possessive case.
- অধিকাংশ সময়ই, Noun phrase মূলত: একটি Noun বা Pronoun এর কাজ করে।

→ এছাড়া, অর্থ এবং বাক্যে অবস্থান অনুযায়ী Noun phrase বিভিন্ন ভূমিকা পালন করে। যেমন: 
- Subject হিসেবে। 
- Object of a verb হিসেবে। 
- Object of a preposition হিসেবে। 
- Subject complement হিসেবে। 
- Object complement হিসেবে।

• Her beautiful, handmade jewelry caught everyone's attention at the craft fair.
- এই বাক্যে 'Her beautiful, handmade jewelry' Subject হিসেবে কাজ করে Noun এর ভূমিকা পালন করছে। 
- তাই, এটি একটি Noun phrase. 

• Prepositional Phrase:
- যে Phrase Preposition দিয়ে শুরু হয়; কিন্তু Adjective বা Adverb এর কাজ করে, তাকে Prepositional Phrase বলে।
- At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the 'object' of the preposition.

Structures: 
- Preposition + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause.
- Preposition + Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause.

Examples -
- At home:
At = preposition; home noun.
- In time:
In = preposition; time = noun.
- By singing:
By = preposition; singing = gerund. 

More Examples:
- The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from shower steam.
- Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!
- The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green with mold.
- Which sweet potatoes? The ones forgotten in the vegetable bin!

Source: English Two, HSC Programme, Bangladesh Open University. 

Infinitive phrase:
- An infinitive phrase begins with an infinitive [to + simple form of the verb]. 
- Infinitive phrase সাধারণত Noun/Adjective/Adverb Phrase এর কাজ করে।

Here are some examples:
- To smash a spider;
- To kick the ball past the dazed goalie.

Gerund phrase:
- A gerund phrase will begin with a gerund, an 'ing' word, and will include other modifiers and/or objects.
- Gerund phrases সবসময় noun এর কাজ করে, so they will be subjects, subject complements, or objects in the sentence. 
- Example: The student enjoys taking online classes. 

Participle phrase:
- A participle phrase begins with a present or past participle.
- If the participle is present, it dependably ends in 'ing'. Likewise, a regular past participle ends in a consistent 'ed'.
- Example: Shouting with happiness, William celebrated his chance to interview at SunTrust.

• I was relieved to finish my project.
- to finish is the infinitive;
- my is the modifier for the object project;
- Functions as an adjective. 

Source: English Two, HSC Programme, Bangladesh Open University. 

To have an axe to grind (idiom): 
English Meaning - To have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something. 
Bangla Meaning - (লাক্ষণিক) ব্যক্তিস্বার্থ থাকা।
Example Sentence - Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet.

More idioms,
To strain every nerve - To make the greatest possible effort. 
To take heart - If you take criticism or advice to heart, you think about it seriously, often because it upsets you. 
To draw the line - To never do something because you think it is wrong.

Source: Cambridge Dictionary. 

Cut and dried:   
English Meaning: (of a situation) completely settled.
Bangla Meaning: পূর্বেই প্রস্তুতি সম্পন্ন / পূর্ব নির্ধারিত।  

Ex. Sentence: The championship is not as cut and dried as everyone thinks.
Bangla Meaning: সবাই যেভাবে ভাবছে এই চ্যাম্পিয়ানশিপ পূর্বনির্ধারিত, বিষয়টা আসলে তেমন নয়।

Other options, 
• Cut someone to the quick - to hurt someone's feelings a lot.
• Curry favor - ingratiate oneself with someone through obsequious behavior.
• Cut no ice - have no influence or effect.

Source: Live MCQ lecture.