THE TRUTH ABOUT WORDS
A word is a single unit of language which means something and
can be spoken or written term, phrase, expression or idiom are also used as a
unit of language to express something.
“Words” is the plural of word. As for meanings, a word may
have many meanings. For example, the ‘word’ reach is used in the sense of ---
wealthy, affluent, well-off, well-to-do, prosperous, opulent, well-provided,
well-supplied, abundant, plentiful, vivid, brilliant, warm and vibrant.
The plural of rich is riches but is used to mean ___ money,
gold, capital, property, treasure, assets, resources.
If a house has been furnished richly, it means expensively, luxuriously,
splendidly, superbly, magnificently, etc.
A speaker or writer must be very careful in the use of words.
What he means must be clear to his/her listeners or readers.
However, the listener should not be biased about the speaker.
He/she must not misinterpret the words used by the speaker. Rivals,
competitors, foes, enemies, opponents, etc, try to twist the words to settle some old scores. They choose the
literal rather than the intended metaphorical meanings of the speaker’s words. This leads to bitterness, attacks and
counter attacks between the speaker and the listener. Tolerance is the best
means to avoid mutual altercations.
Both the speaker and the listener, the writer and the reader
should be adequately knowledgeable about the variety of meanings of the words used
by them.
It is also desirable for both the parties in a spoken or
written piece to be cautious and tolerant. To make words bones of contention is
not wisdom; it is foolhardiness.
Be of good humour whether you are a friend, a relative, a colleague, a political rival, or a stranger.
Words, by themselves , are innocent, it is the users who make
them guilty.
To conclude, here is a Quaker proverb: “Of your unspoken word
you are the master; of your spoken word the servant; and of your written word
the slave,”
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G.R.Kanwal
3rd January 2025
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