“What are you doing here? Isn’t there some test you should be cramming for?”
“Cramming for? Are you asking me if I need to prepare for a test?”
“When you ‘cram for’ a test, you study very hard for it. You try to learn as much as possible in a short period of time.”
“In other words, instead of studying throughout the semester, you spend the last few days studying. That’s what many students...”
“I guess you could say that. My neighbour’s son is cramming for his physics test.”
“My friends and I usually spend most of March cramming for the final exam. Let’s talk about tomorrow’s match. Do you think there’s a possibility to win tomorrow’s game?”
“There’s every possibility of winning, provided we do not...”
“Possibility of winning? Don’t you mean possibility to win?”
“It’s okay to say ‘possible to’, but many people object to ‘possibility to’. We usually talk about the possibility of something happening. Rani is considering the possibility of buying a new house.”
“Is there a possibility of meeting Roger Federer at Wimbledon?”
“If you’re lucky, I guess. We must explore the possibility of starting a good school.”
“That’s a good idea! Your cousin Mala was telling me that she’s planning to quit school. Did she talk to you about it?”
“She did. I tried to tell her that a good education is a passport to success. But I...”
All about passport
“A passport to success? What does a passport have anything to do with...”
“The word passport, in this context, means something that allows a person to get what he wants — something that allows him to succeed and...”
“I see. So, what you’re saying is a good education will help you succeed in life.”
“Exactly! Here’s another example. Many youngsters believe becoming a software engineer is a passport to a life of luxury.”
“I’m not so sure about that! According to my grandmother, early to bed and early to rise is a passport to good health.”
“How is she doing? Has she managed to sell her property in the village?”
“She’s planning to ask her neighbour to help. He’s the local MLA and he’s been...”
“Not a very good idea, I’m afraid. She’ll find herself on a slippery slope.”
“Find herself on a slippery slope? What are you talking about? I’ve never heard...”
“Have you ever tried walking on a slope that’s very slippery?”
“Of course, I have! It’s very difficult to walk when the ground is slippery. You really have no control over where you’re going. Your feet...”
“That’s right! When you tell someone he’s on a slippery slope, what you’re suggesting is that he’s started something that he has no control over. He’s ...”
“He’s started something that he can’t stop! And chances are, the series of actions are going to create a lot of problems for him.”
“Very good. Not just problems, the action may have disastrous consequences. According to this article, many street children are on the slippery slope towards a life of crime by the time they turn ten.”
“In some cases, it starts even earlier. Hemant is on a slippery slope — trying to please both his wife and his possessive mother.”
“There’s no way he can please both. The poor chap is doomed.”
*****
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill
The author teaches at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. upendrankye@gmail.com
Published - July 30, 2017 05:00 pm IST
