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~ I miss my family, I miss the people, I miss the sunshine, I miss the
cheese and the wine.
" Do you miss walking in the Pyrenees? ~ Yes, I miss that too.
missing / missed (adjs) = lost / cannot be found
When missing and missed are used as adjectives, they behave like present and
past participles, e.g missing pages are pages that are missing, a missed
opportunity is an opportunity that has been missed. Note also that missing is
often placed after the noun it qualifies, rather than in front of it. Compare the
following:
" The weather cleared. We should have climbed the mountain. It was a missed
opportunity.
" They were unable to complete the jigsaw as several pieces were missing.
" Did you know there are five pages missing from this book? It goes from 32
to 43.
" My name was missing from the list of participants but it was clear that I
had enrolled.
" Ten people are known to have died in the blast and a further fifteen are still
missing.
" Did you know you've got a button missing from your blue shirt?
" She has been missing for over six months and has now been placed on the
missing persons register.
Note that in this last example we talk about a missing person or a missing
persons register, rather than missing people or a missing peoples register, to
emphasize the individuality of people who have left home and it is not known
whether they are alive or dead.
miss in idioms
Note also idiomatic usage in the following expressions:
" He didn't have all the advantages of a proper education and really missed
out.
" Growing asparagus is very difficult and can be a very hit-and-miss affair.
" There have been several near misses between planes landing at this airport
recently.
" He's failed his exams again and I think he has missed the boat as far as
higher education is concerned.
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" I think I've missed a trick here in failing to consult my accountant about tax
returns.
" I think I'll give the book signing ceremony a miss. What about you? ~ No,
I'm going.
" They came fourth in the league and missed promotion by only one point, but
as the old saying goes: a miss is as good as a mile.
miss out on something = miss an opportunity that you would clearly benefit from
hit and miss / hit or miss = sometimes very successful, sometimes not
near miss = when something is nearly hit by e.g. a vehicle or a bomb
miss the boat = miss an opportunity which will probably not arise again
miss a trick = fail to take advantage of an opportunity
give something a miss = to avoid it
a miss is as good as a mile = a failure is a failure by however small an amount
NB1 Miss can be used as an alternative to Ms placed in front of the name of an
unmarried woman when the person concerned wishes it to be known that she is
single.
NB2 Miss Right or Mr Right can be used as expressions to describe a woman or
man who is regarded as an ideal marriage partner:
" He was looking for the perfect Miss Right and had some difficulty in finding
her!
meeting/gathering/assembly/rally
Chen Jianxin from China writes:
Can you please tell me what the difference is between these four nouns: assembly,
gathering, meeting and rally? How do we distinguish between them when we use
them?
Meeting (and meet) are the most generally and widely used from your list of four,
Jianxin. Assembly (and assemble), gathering (and gather) and rally are more
restricted in use.
meet (verb)
When two or more people meet, they come together or are brought together for
some reason or they just happen to be in the same place and start talking:
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" Where shall we meet this evening? ~ Let's meet under the clock at Waterloo
Station.
" Have you met my dad? ~ No, I haven't. ~ Well, come and meet him. Dad,
this is Martin. ~ Pleased to meet you, Martin.
" Representatives from the two countries will meet again in June to resume
their talks.
meeting (noun)
A meeting is any event where a smaller or larger group of people come together to
discuss something or to make a decision:
" Can I speak to Jane please? ~ No, I'm sorry she's in a meeting. ~ When will
the meeting be over?
" Can we hold a meeting with everybody to discuss this, please? You can't
make a decision without having a meeting first.
" Can you come to supper on Thursday? ~ I don't think so. I've got a meeting
in the afternoon which is sure to go on till six or seven in the evening.
gather (verb)
When people or things gather somewhere, they come together for a particular
purpose. They do not meet by chance:
" The storm clouds are gathering. It's going to rain soon.
" Can you see the birds gathering on that tree over there?
" We gathered around the camp fire and started singing folk songs.
When you gather things or pieces of information, you collect them with a particular
purpose in mind:
" We went out to gather mushrooms in the woods.
" I need to gather as much information as I can so that I can write this report.
I gather means I understand in the sense that somebody has told me or I have
read about this. As far as I can gather& is an expression meaning As far as I
can find out& :
" I gather there will be no alcoholic beverages at the his party.
" As far as I could gather, he was trying to raise money by selling cars which
had been stolen.
gathering (noun)
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A gathering is a group of people who are meeting together for a particular purpose:
" There was an exclusive gathering of show-business people and footballers at
Posh and Becks' Gucci and sushi garden party last Saturday.
" It was a friendly gathering. Everybody was in good humour and there was a
lot of laughter.
assemble (verb)
Assemble is very close to gather in meaning in the sense of coming together for a
particular purpose. It perhaps suggests a greater sense of organisation:
" They assembled / gathered in the school canteen after the exam to discuss
how well they had done.
When we assemble things, we fit the different parts together to make a whole:
" He couldn't assemble the jigsaw without seeking the help of his older sister.
" If the police can assemble / gather enough evidence, they will arrest him
for burglary.
assembly (noun)
Assemblies are usually larger gatherings of people who meet regularly for a
particular purpose:
" The National Assembly voted to hold the first entirely free elections for over
20 years.
" The assembly of musicians was impressive. Over 300 were gathered
together in the Festival Hall.
In a school, the assembly is a gathering of all teachers and pupils at a specified
time in the school hall for matters that affect the whole school: [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]