Daily "The Hindu" Vocab & Editorial 9 February 2026 | English Notes for SSC

Daily The Hindu Vocab & Editorial 9 February 2026 helps SSC and other competitive exam aspirants strengthen their English skills using real editorial content. This session covers important vocabulary, root words, idioms, one-word substitutions, grammar concepts, and reading comprehension, all explained in easy language. 

With exam-oriented MCQs and clear explanations, this daily practice makes learning English practical, effective, and focused on scoring better in exams.

Also Read:

• SSC Monthly Current Affairs
• SSC Weekly Current Affairs

The Hindu English Vocabulary and Comprehension Introduction

It is a comprehensive resource for English vocabulary and comprehension essential for competitive exams. It covers keywords from The Hindu editorial, explores the root word SPECT, explains common idioms and one-word substitutions, and clarifies important grammar rules. Practical exercises and a reading comprehension passage strengthen preparation and support better performance in competitive exams.

Vocabulary Warm-Up: Words with Pictures

This section uses visual context to understand word meanings.

• Distressing:

• Meaning: Troubling or causing anxiety and sorrow.

• Incorrect: Deciding.

• Grim:

• Meaning: Serious, harsh, or stern.

• Incorrect: Fantastic.

• Patronage:

• Meaning: Backing or support.

• Incorrect: Patience. Patronage is a very important word for SSC exams.

• Intermediaries:

• Meaning: Middlemen or mediators.

• Incorrect: Interesting.

• Engineered:

• Meaning: Planned or skillfully arranged and brought about.

• Incorrect: Demanded.

• Secession:

• Meaning: Termination or the act of formally withdrawing.

• Incorrect: Intention.

• Fragmented:

• Meaning: Scattered or broken into small pieces.

• Incorrect: Durable.

• Prone:

• Meaning: Vulnerable or susceptible; likely to suffer from something. (Memory Tip: Think of 'Prone to accidents').

• Incorrect: Prediction.

• Under-report:

• Meaning: To suppress or report something as being smaller or less important than it actually is; a form of concealment.

• Incorrect: Departure.

• Degraded:

• Meaning: Damaged or ruined; reduced in quality.

• Incorrect: Purified.

• Prohibitive:

• Meaning: Restrictive or forbidding an action.

• Incorrect: Capable.

• Integrate:

• Meaning: To combine or merge.

• Incorrect: Distinguish.

Daily "The Hindu" Vocab MCQ Practice (Associated with PYQs)

MCQ practice section given below is based on previous year questions (PYQs) and helps students understand the exam pattern better. These questions cover vocabulary, idioms, one-word substitutions, and grammar concepts commonly asked in SSC GD, SSC CGL, CHSL, RRB Group D, NTPC, ALP, and other competitive examinations. 

Practising these MCQs regularly improves accuracy, boosts confidence, and helps in faster problem-solving during the actual exam.

Idiom

• Question: Cool about

• Explanation: Describes an attitude of being unenthusiastic or unwilling.

• Answer: Not Ready to Work.

Vocabulary

• Question: Colloquial

• Explanation: Refers to the language of ordinary, informal conversation. (Lexical relates to vocabulary, Prosodic to speech rhythm).

• Answer: Conversational.

One-Word Substitution

• Question: The faculty or power of using one's will.

• Explanation: The power of making a choice or decision; free will.

• Answer: Volition.

Vocabulary

• Question: Juxtapose

• Explanation: To place two things close together for contrasting effect.

• Answer: Placing Near.

Idioms

• Question: To Go Through the Roof

• Explanation: Implies a significant rise or improvement.

• Answer: A Significant Improvement in Something.

• Question: Beat a Retreat

• Explanation: To withdraw from a difficult or dangerous situation.

• Answer: To Withdraw from a Dangerous Situation.

• Question: Nail in the Coffin

• Explanation: An action or event that contributes to the failure or ruin of something.

• Answer: A Sign of Failure.

Root Word Analysis: SPECT

The root word for today is SPECT, derived from the Latin spectare, meaning to see or to look.

• Spectator: One who watches; an observer (दर्शक).

• Inspection: To examine closely (जांच करना).

• Respect: To show regard or honor (सम्मान).

• Perspective: A particular point of view (दृष्टिकोण).

• Prospect: A future possibility or outlook (संभावना). This is an important word.

• Suspect: To have an impression of truth without certain proof.

• Spectacle vs. Spectacles:

• Spectacle: A public show or display (तमाशा या दृश्य).

• Spectacles: A pair of glasses (चश्मा).

• Retrospect: Looking back on a past event or period of time.

• Introspect: To look within oneself; self-analysis (आत्मविश्लेषण).

• Circumspect: Careful and cautious (सतर्क). This is an important word.

• Aspect: A particular part or feature of something (पहलू).

One-Word Substitution

• Question: Complete about every detail.

• Answer: Thorough.

• Other options: Lackadaisical (lacking enthusiasm), Crammed (forced into a space; studied intensively), Cursory (hasty, superficial).

• Question: A person who is skilled in collecting and tabulating numerical facts.

• Answer: Statistician.

• Other options: Mathematician (expert in math), Data Analyst (broader term), Economist (expert in economics).

• Question: Mental illness caused by illness.

• Answer: Delirium.

• Other options: Piasco (complete failure), Epithet (descriptive phrase), Hysteria (exaggerated emotion).

Core of the Session: The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary

The core of this session focuses on important vocabulary taken directly from The Hindu editorial. Each word is explained with its meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and example sentences to help students understand how the word is used in real contexts. 

These editorial words are frequently asked in SSC and other competitive exams, making this section especially useful for building strong and exam-oriented vocabulary.

1. Unusual (Adjective)

• Definition: Not common; different from what is normal or expected.

• Synonyms: Rare, strange, extraordinary.

• Antonyms: Usual, normal, typical.

• Example: It was unusual for the Prime Minister to skip the debate.

2. Parliamentary Convention (Noun Phrase)

• Definition: Long-established and accepted practices or traditions within a parliament.

• Synonyms: Tradition, custom, protocol.

• Antonyms: Violation, irregularity, breach.

• Example: Parliamentary conventions ensure the smooth functioning of democracy.

3. Excerpt (Noun)

• Definition: A short piece or passage taken from a larger work.

• Synonyms: Extract, passage, selection.

• Antonyms: Whole, entirety.

• Example: The excerpt was disallowed by the Chair.

4. Obliquely (Adverb)

• Definition: In an indirect or unclear manner.

• Synonyms: Indirectly, vaguely, subtly.

• Antonyms: Openly, directly, explicitly.

• Example: He obliquely hinted at possible disruptions.

5. Bizarre (Adjective) - An SSC favorite word.

• Definition: Extremely strange, unreasonable, or unusual.

• Synonyms: Strange, absurd, weird.

• Antonyms: Normal, sensible, logical.

• Example: The claim sounded bizarre to most MPs.

6. Plausible (Adjective) - An SSC favorite word.

• Definition: Seeming reasonable or believable; credible.

• Synonyms: Believable, reasonable, convincing.

• Antonyms: Implausible, unbelievable.

• Example: A more plausible explanation was suggested.

7. Erosion (Noun)

• Definition: The gradual weakening, destruction, or loss of something.

• Synonyms: Decline, deterioration, degradation.

• Antonyms: Strengthening, improvement, growth.

• Example: The incident shows an erosion of democratic values.

8. Contentious (Adjective)

• Definition: Likely to cause an argument or disagreement. (Words ending in -ous, -ful, -able, -tive are often adjectives).

• Synonyms: Controversial, disputable, debatable.

• Antonyms: Agreeable, uncontroversial.

• Example: Parliament must debate contentious issues openly.

9. Forum (Noun)

• Definition: A place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views can be exchanged.

• Synonyms: Platform, assembly, meeting place.

• Antonyms: Isolation, exclusion.

• Example: Parliament is a forum for public debate.

10. Show Up (Phrasal Verb)

• Definition: To appear or arrive.

• Synonyms: Appear, arrive, turn up.

• Antonyms: Disappear, avoid, skip.

• Example: The Prime Minister did not show up in the house.

11. Concrete (Adjective)

• Definition: Clear, definite, and specific; existing in a material form.

• Synonyms: Definite, solid, tangible.

• Antonyms: Vague, unclear, abstract.

• Example: The Speaker claimed to have concrete information.

Grammar & Vocabulary Practice

Grammar Rule: Parallelism

• Sentence: "Mr. Birla said that he had concrete information about opposition Members of Parliament planning something unexpected, obliquely suggesting that they may have caused harm."

• Correction: To maintain parallel structure with "planning" (which describes a past action Mr. Birla had information about), "suggesting" should be in the past tense to match the implied sequence of events. The corrected phrase is: obliquely suggested that…

Grammar Rule: No Error

• Sentence: "Parliament must function as the forum to debate contentious issues and to ensure accountability without any compromise."

• Analysis: This sentence correctly uses parallelism ("to debate… and to ensure…"). The grammar and phrasing are accurate.

• Answer: No Error.

Antonym

• Question: Foment

• Explanation: To foment means to instigate or stir up trouble (भड़काना).

• Answer: Dampen (to make less strong or intense).

Phrasal Verbs

• Question: The workers took it out on their supervisor.

• Explanation: To take it out on someone means to treat someone badly because you are angry or upset.

• Answer: Blamed Angrily.

• Question: The company plowed back its profits into research.

• Explanation: To plow back means to reinvest profits into the business.

• Answer: Reinvested.

Correctly Spelt Word

• Question: Find the correct spelling.

• Answer: Dependent.

Reading Comprehension: On Parliament and Parliamentary Norms

Passage

In an unusual departure from established parliamentary conventions, the Lok Sabha adopted the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to Parliament without the Prime Minister’s reply to the debate on February 5. The explanation by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, for the Prime Minister not replying to the discussion on the motion, raised more questions than it answered.

Mr. Birla said that he had concrete information that opposition Members of Parliament were planning something unexpected, obliquely suggesting that they may have caused harm to the Prime Minister inside the House. It is bizarre to assume that the Leader of the House, the Prime Minister, avoided speaking in the House fearing harm from fellow MPs.

Developments in the House earlier and outside provide a more plausible reason for the Prime Minister not showing up in the Lok Sabha. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during his speech on the discussion on the Motion of Thanks, sought to cite excerpts from a book by former Chief of the Army Staff General M.M. Naravane, which was disallowed by the Chair.

On the one hand, the Leader of the Opposition was not allowed to speak, and on the other, the Prime Minister chose not to speak. Both are against parliamentary norms. More than that, it is a disturbing erosion of democratic accountability. The debate and reply function as a mechanism through which the executive is held accountable to Parliament.

Comprehension Questions

1. What was the unusual departure mentioned in the passage?

• Answer: The Motion of Thanks was adopted without the Prime Minister's reply.

2. The author finds it bizarre to assume that:

• Answer: The Prime Minister fears harm from fellow MPs.

Reading Comprehension Exercise: Concluding Questions

The debate and reply mechanism holds the executive accountable to Parliament.

1. What was the unusual departure mentioned in the passage?

• Answer: The Motion of Thanks was adopted without the Prime Minister's reply.

2. What did the author find bizarre (strange) to assume?

• Answer: The author found it strange to assume that the Prime Minister fears his fellow Members of Parliament (MPs).

3. Why did the Speaker suggest the Prime Minister did not reply?

• Answer: The Speaker suggested that opposition MPs had planned unexpected disruption.

4. What incident involving Rahul Gandhi was mentioned?

• Answer: He was not allowed to cite excerpts from General Naravane's book.

5. Which statement best describes the author's view of the situation?

• Answer: The author's view is that the situation indicates an erosion of democratic accountability.