TwoCents | ON A LINGO - by Queensley Okon

Today we would be understanding some words and taking some words seriously and doing more. What can I say, I enjoy the lexicon of English and since it is a widely used language, it is only fair to communicate effectively with it. Let's get down to business people!!!1. COMPRISE This word was really one that took some time for me to even catch up with but made sense as I progressed. I know we love to use it with a qualifier but it is a standalone. Instead of saying "Language comprises of verbs, pronouns and adjectives" Say "Language comprises verbs, pronouns and adjectives" On its own, it encompasses its meaning which is to be composed of, or inclusive of. Learn today, I know it might be hard but just try.2. IT'S and ITS For some reason, this one is always juxtaposed and I don't understand why. IT'S is a contraction of "it is" and is normally used when describing inanimate things. Example "It is a dog" can be written as "it's a dog" ITS without the apostrophe is used to qualify the object or show ownership. In fact, that is the reason the apostrophe does not exist. For example, <ol> <li>The dog ate its food quietly. </li> <li>A camel has its own water storage facility </li> </ol> Can you see the difference? I'm guessing that's a YES3. IMPLY/INFER This word has been wrongly used in tandem with infer but they are completely different, in that IMPLY is used to suggest something indirectly while INFER is used in hindsight or after careful examination of facts. For example <ol> <li>You implied that I wasn't smart when you told that joke to the group. </li> <li>From this speech, I can infer that you agree with me. </li> </ol> It may be hard for you to get it but take your time. You can do this.4. LESS/FEWER When you are using "LESS", it means you are talking about things that cannot be quantified. If you can observe or reflect on conversations you have had with friends, you would notice that you have used the phrase "say less" repeatedly. Yeah, that is a good way to use it FEWER on the other hand emphasizes things that can be quantified like plates, people, hands, and so on Learn the difference and apply it to your speech5. PRECISE/ACCURATE This one confuses me too and hopefully we learn a simple way to wade through it. When we talk about precision, we talk of the closeness in value of a set of values and how that follows. For example, if you did a mathematical calculation and were to obtain five values, how close those values are to each other measures the precision. Or football, if you are always hitting the bar but the ball doesn't get into the net, you are precise. There is always room to get the ball into the net Now, with accurate, the ball has gotten into the net. When talking about accurate, you talk about how close you are to the true value. For example the story about creation in the bible seems accurate than the evolution story touted by scientists, which could be seen as precise.6. POISONOUS/VENOMOUS As much as you would like to argue this one out, take care to look at the meaning first When we say something is poisonous, it means it has the ability to cause illness or death like a mosquito bite (not the best example but you catch the drift). Expired foods can be classified as poisonous. With "venomous", we mean something that contains venom or is capable of producing or injecting venom. An example is a snake, if you eat a snake, it won't kill you because it is not poisonous, but it has venom and if that venom is injected into you, it coud kill you. I hope you understand it well now.🙂🙂😎😎7. DISINTERESTED/UNINTERESTED These two words have been wrongly used interchangeably and we can't help it but we can learn. I mean, there is a reason both of them exist and they do not mean the same thing. Disinterested means not having a stake or an investment in something. For example, The employee was disinterested in moving the company forward as its success was of no importance to him. Uninterested,on the other hand means to lose interest in something. For example I was uninterested in the movie after the main character died. Let's put it this way: With uninterested, you are already vested and lose your interest along the way, and with disinterested, you never started the journey, so whatever happens is of no consequence to you. Get it? I'm sure you do Okay then, that's all for today, we would continue next week. Have a great day ahead TGIF Supporting Links <ol> <li><a href="https://word-connection.com/commonly-misunderstood-and-misused-english-words/">https://word-connection.com/commonly-misunderstood-and-misused-english-words/</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242341">https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242341</a></li> </ol>

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