Converse your way into a unique English lesson (Part 2)

After reading the emotional, heart-felt letter, both, Arya and her mother, needed something to cheer them up and help them relax. Her mother suggested that she was yearning to go on a long drive for a long time. And the dutiful daughter that Arya was, she instantly agreed to the plan and proceeded to get the car keys.

Given Arya’s work profile as an editor, who was also a linguist, she always had a habit of correcting people she knew, when they used a word/sentence incorrectly. That night, as soon as she and her mother stepped into the car, Arya’s mother exclaimed, ''Despite of telling you several times, you haven't got the dents in the car fixed. It’s time you did something about it, now.'' Arya took no time in correcting her mother, ''The word ‘despite’ is never followed by ‘of’ unlike ‘inspite’, which is followed by ‘of’. So, you can say how inspite of telling you several times you still haven’t got the dents fixed. I’m sorry for deviating from the topic; and I shall get the dents fixed, tomorrow morning.'' Arya’s mother, helplessly, looked at her daughter and started smiling at her daughter, while nodding her head. The sky that evening flaunted a full moon. And the stars had beautifully lit up the sky making the entire arrangement look elusive. ''The stars are very less in the sky, today. Nonetheless, the moon seems to be shining in all its glory,'' said Arya. Showing her approval, her mother looked away from the stars and asked Arya, “Why did you use the word ‘less’ and not ‘few,’ Arya?'' To this, Arya quickly responded, ''That’s because the stars in the sky are uncountable. And when you are referring to an uncountable noun, you use ‘less’, whereas, if you are referring to something countable, like some pairs of jeans left on the table, you use the word ‘few’. So, if I want to say that the milk in the glass is not a lot, I will say the milk is ‘less’ and not ‘few,’ because the milk is an uncountable noun.’’ Arya’s mother was trying to process what her daughter was explaining before asking her, ''So, if I want to refer to some furniture in a room and if I can count it, should I use ‘few’ or ‘less’?'' Arya, who sat upright before replying, explained that 'furniture' was a mass noun, and the objects that constituted the furniture in a place are countable as opposed to the furniture itself. So, she concluded that ‘furniture’ could not be counted and hence, to describe it, one must to use ‘less’.''

The route that Arya took for the long drive reminded Arya’s mother of the times she and Arya’s father would go on long drives with little Arya sitting in the back seat. In a fit of nostalgia, she said, ''I can never tire of coming for a drive on this street. Dad and me have spent many special moments here. I informed about our long drive to him, a while ago, and even he recollected some of the memories we have made along this stretch.'' Arya’s face beamed up on hearing this. She expressed a desire to go on a long drive with both her parents. At this time, Arya’s mother jokingly reminded her of how she hadn't found any errors in her statement. Arya shook her head and burst out laughing. She replied, ''Umm, there is one, actually. Can I correct it?'' Arya’s mother smiled and replied in the affirmative. Arya then stated, ''You always inform somebody about something, and not about something to someone. For e.g. I informed dad about my friend’s arrival coinciding with his arrival in July.'' And while the drive continued with all the excitement and child-like enthusiasm upon seeing a full moon, the talks became more and more vivid and intense. Right from talking about Arya’s future career plans to what they saw themselves doing during their old age, it was refreshing to see a mother-duo bond to such an extent.

As the drive came to an end, Arya revealed a secret to her mother, which she had kept hidden for a long time. ''Mom, Ronit proposed to me 3 months ago, and we wish to get married by next year,'' exclaimed Arya. Arya’s mother was taken aback for a brief moment.'' Wait. Is this for real?'' she asked. ''And how did this incidence occur so suddenly?'' Skeptical about her mom’s reaction, Arya tried to make light of the situation and replied ''Mom, it was an incident. Not incidence. You use ‘incidence’ in the context of a disease or crime, and not otherwise.'' Still surprised, Arya’s mother, with a tinge of humour, added, ''Not again!'' And this time around, both of them, could not control their laughter.