tale
/teɪl/noun
उच्चारण टेल
कहानी, कथा, किस्सा
Basic wordPYP · asked 5 times
Asked in previous papers
as one-word substitution
- 1
[C]
a story, especially an imaginary one or one full of action and adventure
कहानी, कथा, किस्सा
- fairy tales
- the tales of the Panchatantra
- a tale of love and betrayal
+ 3 more examples
- The grandmother told a tale of a clever fox.
- It is a tale of courage in the face of war.
- The children love tales from the Jataka.
- 2
[C]
a report of something that may not be true
मनगढ़ंत बात, अफ़वाह
- She told tales of ghosts in the old house.
- Do not believe the tales he tells about his rich uncle.
- Don't listen to tales about the neighbours.
+ 2 more examples
- Nobody believed his tall tales about catching a giant fish.
- The newspaper repeated a tale that proved false.
Synonyms lie fib fabrication rumour gossip
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
tale of + noun / tale about
A tale of something is a story about it: a tale of courage, a tale of two cities. Of is more common than about.
'A tale of something' का अर्थ उसकी कहानी है, जैसे a tale of courage; यहाँ 'of' अधिक सामान्य है।
- The film tells a tale of friendship in a small village.
tell / spin a tale
The usual verbs are tell and spin. A told tale suggests an old story.
सामान्य क्रियाएँ tell और spin हैं।
- Grandmother told us a tale of a clever crow.
- He spun a tale about his late arrival.
tale (a doubtful story)
A tale can be a made-up or false account. Tall tale means an exaggerated story.
Tale किसी बनी-बनाई या अविश्वसनीय बात के लिए भी आता है; 'tall tale' बढ़ा-चढ़ाकर कही गई कहानी है।
- Nobody believed his tall tale about meeting a tiger.
tale vs tail
These are homophones: tale (story) and tail (animal's rear). Their pronunciation is the same.
Tale (कहानी) और tail (पूँछ) homophones हैं; इनका उच्चारण एक जैसा है।
- The tale of the fox with a broken tail is a famous fable.
+Collocations 5
adjective + tale
fairyfolksadtallcautionary
- It is a cautionary tale about telling lies.
verb + tale
tellspinweavehearrecount
- The old man spun a fine tale on the train.
tale of + noun
woelovecourageadventuresurvival
- Her book is a tale of survival in the mountains.
tale + noun
tellerbearerwriter
- The tale teller held the children spellbound.
tale + noun phrase
old wives' taletell-tale signtale of two citiesa tall tale
- That cure is only an old wives' tale with no scientific proof.
“More examples 6
- The Panchatantra is a collection of animal tales with morals.
पंचतंत्र नैतिक शिक्षा वाली पशु-कथाओं का संग्रह है।
- The tale of the tortoise and the hare teaches patience.
कछुए और खरगोश की कहानी धैर्य सिखाती है।
- She came back from the trip with a tale of adventure.
वह यात्रा से रोमांच की कहानी लेकर लौटी।
- Don't pay attention to idle tales about the new teacher.
नए शिक्षक के बारे में निरर्थक किस्सों पर ध्यान मत दो।
- The soldier lived to tell the tale of the battle.
सैनिक युद्ध की कहानी सुनाने के लिए जीवित बच गया।
- Every region of India has its own folk tales that grandmothers pass on to children.
भारत के हर क्षेत्र की अपनी लोक-कथाएँ हैं, जिन्हें दादी-नानी बच्चों को सुनाती हैं।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ My grandmother told me a tail every night.
✓ My grandmother told me a tale every night.
The story is a tale; a tail is the part of an animal.
कहानी के लिए 'tale' लिखा जाता है; 'tail' जानवर की पूँछ है।
✗ She said a tale to the children.
✓ She told a tale to the children.
The verb with tale is tell, not say.
Tale के साथ क्रिया 'tell' आती है, 'say' नहीं।
✗ The tale was end with the death of the king.
✓ The tale ended with the death of the king.
Use the simple past, not was + base verb.
Simple past 'ended' आता है, 'was end' नहीं।
¶Idioms 4
tell tales (about sb)
to tell somebody in authority about something wrong another person has done
चुगली करना, शिकायत लगाना
- Do not tell tales about your classmates.
tell its own tale
to show clearly what has happened
खुद ही सब बता देना
- The empty bottles told their own tale.
live to tell the tale
to survive a dangerous experience
(खतरे से) बचकर कहानी सुनाने को जीवित रहना
- The jeep fell into the ravine, but the driver lived to tell the tale.
an old wives' tale
an old idea or belief that is not scientifically true
दादी-नानी की कही बात (अवैज्ञानिक विश्वास)
- Eating fish with milk causes white spots: that is an old wives' tale.
?Which word?
tale or tail?
Tale (a story) and tail (the part at the back of an animal) are pronounced the same, /teɪl/. 'A cat's tale' is a story about a cat; 'a cat's tail' is the part it wags. A telltale sign is one that reveals something: 'the telltale smell of smoke'.
Tale (कहानी) और tail (जानवर का पिछला अंग, दुम) की pronunciation एक जैसी है, /teɪl/। 'A cat's tale' बिल्ली के बारे में कहानी है; 'a cat's tail' वह अंग जिसे वह हिलाती है। Telltale sign वह संकेत है जो कुछ प्रकट करे: 'the telltale smell of smoke'।
Homophone, asked very often: tale and tail.
Homophone में यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: tale और tail।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Tell tales, tell its own tale, live to tell the tale, an old wives' tale, a tale of woe.
Idioms: tell tales (चुगली करना), tell its own tale (अपनी कहानी खुद बयान करना), live to tell the tale (मुसीबत से बचकर कहानी सुनाने के लिए ज़िंदा रहना), an old wives' tale (पुरानी अंधविश्वासी कहानी), a tale of woe (दुख भरी कहानी)।
✓In the exam
One-word substitution
A story with animals and a moral is a fable; a traditional story about magic is a fairy tale; a story handed down from the past is a legend or folk tale.
जानवरों और नीति की कहानी fable; जादू की पारंपरिक कहानी fairy tale; अतीत से चली आ रही कहानी legend या folk tale।
General knowledge
Literature: Dickens's 'A Tale of Two Cities'.
साहित्य में Dickens की 'A Tale of Two Cities'।