Know your English

“Can the word choreograph go with ₹ght? (A. Elavarasan, Puliyur)”

“Yes, it can. The word choreograph is derived from the Greek ‘choreia’ meaning ‘dancing.’ Choreography is “the art of composing ballets and other dances for the stage; especially planning and arranging the various movements of dancers.” So when a person choreographs a dance, he/she not only invents the various steps and movements of the dance, but also teaches the dancers how to perform the dance.

Mala has agreed to choreograph our next dance.

The dances in the film were beautifully choreographed.

But now-a-days, the word choreograph has taken on a wider meaning. It does not refer to dancing alone, but to any activity that seems to look natural, but actually is the result of several rehearsals. The ₹ghts that we see in ₹lms are rehearsed several times before they are actually shot on camera. So we can say, the ₹ghts in Rocky IV were wonderfully choreographed.”

“Appreciable, appreciate (P. R. Ananthavenkatesachar, Madras).”

“Appreciable means “capable of being readily perceived or estimated; considerable.”

There is an appreciable drop in the number of students this year.

In this sentence, the word appreciable is used to indicate that the drop in the number of students is large enough to be noticeable. So when you talk about appreciable changes of any kind, you mean that the changes are so large that they are easily noticeable or perceivable.

During the month of March, share prices rose appreciably.

Many tend to confuse appreciable with appreciate. The word ‘appreciate’ has several meanings, one of which is “to increase in number or value.”

The prices of shares appreciated in the month of March.

This means that the prices increased in the month of March. But this increase may be either big or small. On the other hand, if you say, the prices increased appreciably, it means there was a considerable increase. So it is possible for us to say, the share prices appreciated appreciably. Appreciable does not mean ‘worthy of appreciation.’”

“Trade and Commerce (Rao Gogada, Rajahmundry).”

Both words refer to the “buying and selling of commodities.” Commerce generally refers to business dealings between countries.

India must try and promote commerce with Australia.

Trade, on the other hand, can be carried on between countries, or between States, towns or individuals within a country. Thus it is possible for us to talk about ‘domestic trade’ as well as ‘international trade.’

There was an unusually brisk trade at the market last week.

There is also a di¨erence between the two words in terms of quantity. The buying and selling of goods in commerce are on a large scale; whereas in trade, they are done either on a small or big scale. So much for trade and commerce in general terms.”

Published in The Hindu on June 9, 1992.