Too many cooks
Dear Dr English,
Does the proverb ÒToo many cooks spoil the brothÓ convey the same meaning as ÒToo many chiefs and not enough IndiansÓ? If they don't, will you please point out how they are different? Thanks.
Korn Khaammunee
ÒToo many cooks spoil the brothÓ certainly relates to different situations from ÒToo many chiefs and not enough IndiansÓ, therefore they have different meanings. The first proverb tells us that there are too many people doing the same job or project, resulting in the work not being done well. The speaker is giving a hint that the work will be done more efficiently with fewer people. Sometimes you might hear people say only, ÒToo many cooksÓ.
ÒI donÕt need 10 people to set up this three-day training course. Too many cooks.Ó
ÒToo many chiefs and not enough IndiansÓ means the chiefs are the bosses, and there are too many bosses and not enough workers to do the project.
ÒThese fax messages have been ready to send for hours, but nothing has happened. There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians in this office.Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for rules for words ending in -er/-or
Dear Dr English,
ÒDoctorÓ, ÒauditorÓ, and ÒsenatorÓend with ÒorÓ. ÒTeacherÓ, ÒprompterÓ, and ÒfighterÓend with ÒerÓ. Are there any rules on how such kinds of words meaning professional persons?
Sho Naruse
IÕm afraid not. As we all know that the suffixes -er and -or are added to verbs to create new nouns that mean Òsomeone who performs the actionÓ the verb stem describes. But I have never heard of any specific rules for this group of words. Apart from -er and -or, there are other suffixes that bear the same meaning when added to other parts of speech. They are for example, -ist, as in economist or cyclist, and -ian, as in technician.
**
NOTICE
Due to some technical errors, all readers who sent questions to Dr English between July 14 and August 8 are asked to re-send them. Your questions will be answered in the coming issues. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Got a question? (drenglish_7@hotmail.com)
If your query is chosen for Ask Dr English, you will receive a Bt1,000 gift voucher.
To claim your price from Nation Educational Services, you must fax a copy of your ID card to (02) 317-2057.
|
