“According to this newspaper report, the housewife lit the stove because she wanted to... or is it she lighted the stove? Which is correct lighted or lit the stove?”
“Both, actually. The verb ‘light’ has two past tense forms ‘lighted’ and ‘lit’. Which one you use, depends on which word you are comfortable saying. One can say, the priest lighted the lamp or the priest lit the lamp. There is no difference in meaning between the two.”
“That’s good to know. The mother lit/lighted all the candles on the chocolate cake.”
“That’s a good example. Your favourite hero’s latest movie has got very bad reviews.”
“I saw the movie yesterday, and I can tell you, it deserves those bad reviews. The movie was just terrible. Very badly made.”
“That was to be expected, I guess. After all, it was a rush job.”
“A rush job? What does it mean? Something that was done very quickly?”
“That’s right! When you refer to something as a ‘rush job’, what you are suggesting is that it was something that came up unexpectedly and you had to deal with it very quickly.”
Rush job
“And because it was unexpected and had to be dealt with or completed in a hurry, you didn’t really have much time to plan. Therefore, you didn’t do a good job of it.”
“Not necessarily! You might just end up doing a good job. Naresh’s bestseller was written in a week’s time. There’s no hint that it was a rush job.”
“In other words, he did a good job. How about this example? If this is going to be a rush job, I want to be paid double.”
“Sounds good. My cousin is in the printing business. He refuses to take up rush jobs.”
“He sounds like your ex-boss. Has your company found a replacement for her?”
“Not yet! But they need to, and that too quickly. Life at the office is like a soap opera.”
“Soap opera? You mean it’s like those crazy serials one sees on TV?”
“Not exactly! When you say your life is like a soap opera, what you are suggesting is that it’s unpredictable. Just like in a soap opera. It’s full of problems and...”
“And the situation changes rather suddenly and dramatically.”
High drama
“Exactly! I guess we should all welcome a bit of soap opera in our lives.”
“One way to avoid boredom, I guess. Tell me, why are those serials called soap operas?”
“The term ‘soap opera’ was first used to refer to radio drama that dealt with the story of a particular group of individuals their problems, relationships, and so on. The programme was usually broadcast in the afternoons during weekdays.”
“Yes, but what does it have to do with...”
“Since the people who listened to these programmes were mostly women, the early sponsors for such radio programmes were companies that made detergents and soaps.”
“Makes sense, I guess. It’s usually the women who decide what to buy for the house.”
“Exactly! Since the early sponsors were makers of soap and detergents, the radio programmes they sponsored began to be called ‘soap operas’. Nowadays, they’re simply referred to as ‘soaps’.”
“I’m not particularly fond of soaps. Do you watch any?”
“I have better things to do.”
* * * * *
Television is a weapon of mass distraction. Larry Gelbart
The author teaches at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. upendrankye@gmail.com
