75. * Besides, they don't come here anymore. * Without what's necessary, how will the work get done?
* What else is there to do besides this? * Who else but him!
* That's exactly why I come here.
* First, I express gratitude to everyone. (general sense) * First of all, I express gratitude to everyone. (emphatic sense)
* He's actually a scoundrel! (general sense) * He really is a scoundrel! (emphatic sense)
* It would be very good if he said it himself. (general sense) * It would be really good if he said it himself. (emphatic sense)
* So you had said it after all! * I heard he will help me. In that case, it will benefit me. (In this sentence, 'that' can be replaced with 'this', 'it', etc., if desired—something that cannot be done in the first sentence.)
* I don't know when he left! (Not 'I don't know that when he left!')
In the sense of "that indeed," we use তা-ই. For example, I came knowing that very thing. (Not 'তাই'... I came, so he went there... here again, not 'তা-ই'.) If তা-ই is correct, then why shouldn't we write যাচ্ছেতাই as যাচ্ছেতা-ই, তাইরে নাইরে নাইরে না as তা-ইরে না-ইরে না-ইরে না?
* The contracted or colloquial form of তাহা is তা.
By compounding the formal তাহা with ছাড়া and shortening it, the colloquial form has been created—তাছাড়া.
Therefore, the compound and colloquial forms of তাহা ছাড়া, এই জন্য, এই ছাড়া are not তা ছাড়া, এ জন্য, এ ছাড়া; they should be তাছাড়া, এজন্য, এছাড়া.
However, the forms তা ছাড়া, এ ছাড়া, তা হলে are also correct and usable in certain contexts. (The above examples may be consulted. I have written more about this later.)
When not used as a single word form (when joined with other words), there's no need to use a hyphen and write 'তা-ই' instead of 'তাই' for the contracted form of তাহাই. For example: যাচ্ছেতাই. তাইরে নাইরে নাই.
76. • ওখানে, এখানে but এ দেশ or এ-দেশ, ও দেশ or ও-দেশ. • সেসময়, সেদিন • Another day = আরেকদিন • A day more = আর এক দিন • Again = আরেকবার • Once more = আর এক বার • অনেক কিছু, সব কিছু (there should be a space in between.) • বেশিরভাগ (considering it compound) • ক্ষেত্রবিশেষে, একসময়, একটাসময় and একটা সময় • সারাদিন, সারাটা দিন • পরমুহূর্তেই • যে-সকল, যে-কোনো. Therefore, 'যা-কিছু' is preferable. • "I couldn't understand what he said." "I couldn't understand what he said." Both are correct. • What is the meaning of living? What indeed is the meaning of living! Is there any meaning to living at all? • 'ভাববার' is not standard, so it should be 'ভাবার'. • 'কখনো' Sometimes you suddenly enter some bookshop. And 'কখনও' Don't ever come here. (কখনও in negative sense, কখনো everywhere else.) • "All the clothes look the same." or, "All clothes look identical." (Never write 'সব পোশাকগুলি'.) • "The two brothers look identical." "The two brothers seem to look identical." "The two brothers seem to look the same." • I/we 'এগুই'. Others 'এগোয়'. (However, "আমি/আমরা এগোই।" is also common.) • "I read a newspaper line by line; with deep attention." I would change the structure of such sentences and say, "I read the newspaper line by line with deep attention." But the former is also correct. • বলেছিও, করেছিও. • Every day, every moment he thinks of her. • He had come. Of course, he has left too! • You asked him to stay, yet he left. • No one else saw her. • এ উদাসীনতা • Writing 'ওই' (not 'ঐ') is preferable. (Don't go ওইখানে. ওই look there…) • "He said that, and immediately you believed it!" "He said that, and you immediately believed it?" (আর অমনি=অমনিই) • "I couldn't understand what he said.", or "I couldn't understand what he said.", or "I couldn't understand what he said."? …All are correct. • "Any person can understand that. Or "যেকোনও person can understand that."? —I would write: যে-কোনো person can understand that. • "What is the meaning of living?", or "What is the meaning of living?", or "What is the meaning of living?"? — I would write: What is the meaning of living? Or, What is the meaning of living? • "I try to think again and fail.", or "I try to think again and fail."? Write: I try to think again and fail. • "Sometimes, I suddenly enter some bookshop.", or "Sometimes I suddenly enter some bookshop."? Write: Sometimes I suddenly enter some bookshop. (Both কোনও and কোনো are correct, but কোনো is more common. However, আরও, কারও are correct, আরো, কারো are not.) • "All clothes look the same.", or "All clothes look the same."? Write: All clothes look the same. Similarly, The two brothers look identical/the same.…Which one? Write: The two brothers look the same. Or, The two brothers look alike. • Calculating carefully, I keep moving towards victory/advancing/progressing.…Which one? Write: Calculating carefully, I keep moving towards victory. The reason: এ, ও are vowels of the same height. Similarly, This is how one can advance/progress/move forward!...Which one? Write: This is how one can advance! • I read a newspaper line by line, with deep attention./I read a newspaper line by line with deep attention.…Which one? (Line by line? or line-by-line/line by line?) Write: I read [a] newspaper, line by line, with deep concentration. • Won't stay, then what will you do?/Won't stay then what will you do?/Won't stay, then what will you do?...Which one? Write: Won't stay, then what will you do? ("I didn't know then!" is correct, "I didn't know then!" is incorrect. The particle 'তো' should be separate.) • বলেওছি, করেওছি. Or বলেছিও, করেছিও.? —Both expressions are correct. • Every day, every moment I think of her./Every day every moment I think of her.…Which one? Write: She is in my thoughts, every day, every moment. Or the first one. • He had come. Of course, he left too!/He had come. Of course he left too! — Write: He had come. And he left too! • I told him to stay, yet he left./I told him to stay, yet he left. —Both expressions are possible and valid. • No one else saw her./No one else saw her. — Write: No one else saw her. (Similarly, অন্য কোনো, অন্য দিন, অন্য কিছু, অন্য কোনোদিন etc.) • I am indifferent to the world, this indifference doesn't mean stupidity./I am indifferent to the world, this indifference doesn't mean stupidity. — Write: I am indifferent to the world; this indifference doesn't mean stupidity. • ওই that pond you see…/ ঐ that pond you see…Which one? Write: ওই that pond you see... Again, this is also possible: ওই that-pond you see... (However, the meanings of the two sentences are slightly different. How? "ওই as the saying goes, lest people say something!" "ওই that thing you said, needs some discussion." Thinking about the meanings of these two sentences will make it easier to understand.) • He said that and immediately you believed it!/He said that, and immediately you believed it! — Write: He said that, and immediately you believed it! (Writing অমনি after আর is sufficient. 'আর' and '-ই' express the same meaning. It could also have been written: He said that, and you immediately believed it!)
77. 'নাকি' versus 'না কি'
নাকি. Using 'নাকি' instead of 'কি' slightly changes the meaning's nuance, as if the questioner's reluctance or surprise gets added — Are you going to Calcutta with them নাকি? Does he smoke secretly নাকি? Is his glasses new নাকি?
The above sentences could also be said as: Are you going to Calcutta with them কি? Does he smoke secretly কি? Are his glasses new কি? (Writing this way indicates asking a direct question.)
And
না কি. Alternative of choice or possibility, meaning sentences that can be answered with yes/no —
Will Abahani become champion this time, না কি Mohammedan? Will you go, না কি stay?
78. Which one should it be?
Don't go ওখানে/ ওইখানে/ ওই খানে. এখানে/ এইখানে/ এই খানে Bashabi used to sit for a long time. এদেশ/ এ দেশ/ এইদেশ/ এই দেশ is like a gold mine! Put ওটা/ ওইটা away. সেসময়/ সে সময়/ সেইসময়/ সেই সময় the time itself was so turbulent! সেদিন/ সে দিন/ সেইদিন/ সেই দিন you could have come! Come আরেকদিন/ আরেক দিন. Think আরেকবার/ আরেক বার. অনেককিছুই/ অনেক কিছুই I feel like saying. সবকিছু/ সব কিছু hasn't ended yet. বেশিরভাগ/ বেশির ভাগ people went to the fair. I've been waiting অনেকক্ষণ/ অনেক ক্ষণ, sir! একসময়/ এক সময় we too had everything. একটাসময়/ একটা সময় they too lost patience. You spend সারাদিন/ সারা দিন roaming around, I see! If you waste সারাটাদিন/ সারাটা দিন like this! সারাদুপুরের/ সারা দুপুরের sleep, my mind snatched away! Right পরমুহূর্তেই/ পর মুহূর্তেই I regained consciousness! যা কিছু/ যা-কিছু/ যাকিছু I received, everything is your gift!
Let's see.
Don't go ওখানে/ওইখানে. In prose or poetry, both 'ওখানে' and 'ওইখানে' forms are acceptable. এখানে/এইখানে Bashabi used to sit for a long time. এ-দেশ/এই দেশ is like a gold mine! Put ওটা away. সে-সময়টাই/সেই সময়টাই was so turbulent! সেদিন you could have come! Think আরেকবার. (Here 'আরেকবার' is an adverb.) অনেক কিছুই I feel like saying. (Here 'অনেক' is an adjective, 'কিছু' is a pronoun.) I've been waiting অনেকক্ষণ, sir! ('অনেকক্ষণ' is compound; 'অনেকক্ষণ ধরে' is an adverbial phrase.) You spend সারাদিন roaming around, I see! সারা দুপুরের sleep, my mind snatched away! ('সারা' is an adjective; 'দুপুর' is a noun; 'সারা দুপুরের' is a genitive phrase; 'সারা দুপুরের ঘুমটা' is a noun phrase, object case.) Right পরমুহূর্তেই I regained consciousness! ('পরমুহূর্তেই' is an adverb.) যা-কিছু I received, everything is your gift!
79. তা ছাড়া / তাছাড়া
Should you write 'তা ছাড়া' or 'তাছাড়া'? What guidance applies to 'এবার' or 'প্রতিদিন', since these are similar types of words? Some thoughts came to mind regarding the 'তা ছাড়া / তাছাড়া' issue.
Whether we write 'তা ছাড়া' or 'তাছাড়া', both are adverbs, meaning 'leaving that aside' or 'apart from that', occasionally 'moreover'. 'তা ছাড়া' is an adverb formed by combining two words, an adverbial phrase. 'তা' is a pronoun and 'ছাড়া' is its postposition; structurally 'ছাড়া' is a participle (ending with a verbal suffix), ছাড় (root) + আ (Bengali verbal suffix). On the other hand, 'তাছাড়া' is a compound word; having a nominal word first followed by a participle, it can be called an attributive tatpurusha compound.
Now it's necessary to establish that these truly function as adverbs. Take this sentence: 'You can take the toy, তা ছাড়া/তাছাড়া you can also take the pencil.' The question is — does 'তা ছাড়া/তাছাড়া' modify 'pencil' or the verb 'can'?
'You can take the toy, you can also take the blue pencil.' If we rearrange the word order, can we say, 'You can take the toy, you can also blue take the pencil'? If we do that, we see that bringing the adjective 'blue' next to the verb creates no meaning at all. That is, 'blue' was meaningful only next to pencil — it's an adjective of the noun, and 'blue pencil' is an inseparable noun phrase. But if I say, 'You can take the toy, তা ছাড়া/তাছাড়া can take the pencil too', or 'You can take the toy, the pencil তাছাড়া can also take', then in both cases the meaning remains uninterrupted. 'তা ছাড়া/তাছাড়া' retained its meaning even when placed next to the verb, meaning it modifies the verb.
This way we can be certain that 'তা ছাড়া/তাছাড়া' functions as an adverb in the sentence. As mentioned earlier, separately 'তা ছাড়া' is an adverbial phrase, while 'তাছাড়া' is an adverb and a compound word (pronoun + participle).
Analyzing this way, we see there's no fundamental difference between 'তা ছাড়া' and 'তাছাড়া'. For the same purpose, in one case we use a phrase made of two words, in another case a compound word made of two words. Since Bengali is a compound-prone language, I see no fault in 'তাছাড়া'. (But if I say 'I can't manage without this thing', there I would certainly write it separately. As in: You could have kept that, but তা ছাড়া I simply can't manage!) If any dictionary gives the instruction 'two separate words, not তাছাড়া', then it must be asked what the general principle should be regarding compound versus non-compound — 'সেভাবে' or 'সে ভাবে'; 'এবার' or 'এ বার', examples of which are countless and most of which are adverbs. Needless to say, no one has a universal solution for this.
80. The usage of তা-ও, এ-ও, যা-ও, না-ও, গা-ও etc. will be remembered just by seeing a few examples.
Even so, philosophy originated in China. I came, yet you remain so inattentive!
This too had to be told to you!
Go there right now. Though he was getting a little agreeable, now he'll probably be stubborn again.
Take whatever you like from here. He's a boatman by profession, earns by rowing boats. But he might not come today either.
Now sing a song? Do I have to bathe your body too now?
(To be continued...)