“In the beginning was the Word…” the Holy Bible states. “Words don’t come easy to me,” so goes a line of a song.
Let us discuss the importance of words. If you aspire to be a speaker, writer, or journalist, it is essential to possess a substantial vocabulary. If you find yourself lacking words, what will you express or write?
The Philippines is considered the third largest English-speaking nation globally. However, I question the proficiency of their spoken and written English. During a jeepney ride, I noticed a sign intended for all passengers: “Before pay, please tell where the get in before the get off.” The correct phrasing should be: “Before paying, please indicate where you get in and where you get off.”
In my high school days, one of my teachers frequently remarked, “Each and every one of us.” This is an example of redundancy. It suffices to say, “Each of us” or “Every one of us.” Similarly, it is unnecessary to state, “I have seen the incident with my two eyes.” This is implied, as nearly everyone possesses two eyes.
Similarly, you don’t say “for a while” to someone who is calling you on the phone. How long does “a while” actually mean? Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say, “Please wait for a minute” or something along those lines.
At one point, an American friend inquired why there was a queue of individuals waiting for their turn. I directed his attention to the sign: “Please fall in line.” He responded, “Indeed, that is what I was curious about: why fall in line? Are we to collapse together — as if falling down? Or should the sign read, “Please form a line.” The proper term is queue.
Predominantly used in the United Kingdom, the British Commonwealth, and former British territories (notably, the Philippines is excluded from this group!), the term queue – which denotes a line of individuals, originates from the Latin word cauda (meaning tail).
In addition, queue is one of the two five-letter English words where, if you remove the four letters, the pronunciation remains unchanged. The other word I am aware of is aitch (you will need to consult a dictionary for its definition).
The meaning of your sentence can shift with the addition of a single word. Therefore, it is essential to place the word correctly. Consider the word “only.” Here are some variations: “ONLY I drink milk in the morning.” “I ONLY drink milk in the morning.” “I drink ONLY milk in the morning.” “I drink milk in the morning ONLY.” Are you able to perceive the differences?
Frequently, we tend to use lengthy words to impress others. However, my English teacher once advised me: “Avoid using a long word when a shorter one suffices.” Examples include josh, fudge, tryst, rend, rapt, snipe, quash, fey, and waif. In certain cases, we describe the situation rather than using the appropriate word. Naninghawak is a Visayan term that refers to someone with their right and left arms placed on their hips. The English equivalent, should you be interested, is akimbo (as in “stand akimbo”).
If you encounter someone who speaks to themselves (“nagsulti’g inusara”), the correct term to use is soliloquy.
Ever heard of spoonerism? Named after 19th century Oxford academic Dr. William Spooner, it refers to the linguistic flip-flops that turn “a well-oiled bicycle” into “a well-boiled icicle” and other ludicrous ways that speakers of English get their mix all talked up.
At one time, he said, “I remember your name perfectly, but I just can’t think of your face.” Here’s another: “Now let me see. Was it you or your brother who was killed in the war?”
Pun, a humorous play on words of similar sound, is in these days. Examples: “It’s hard to face your problem, especially if the problem is your face.” “Seven days without food makes one weak.” Cemetery (now known as memorial parks) is a place where people are dying to go.
Euphemism is the use of a mild word in place of a plainer but possibly offensive one. That’s why we have a “comfort room” (CR) instead of a toilet. (By the way, never use the word CR when trying to find out such in the United States; CR stands for conference room.) Lovers “make love” instead of “doing sex.”
During spare times, one favorite pastime we have is riddles, or asking a puzzling question. The most famous riddle of all is the one that the Sphinx asked every human she met. It goes this way: “What walks on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?” (If you don’t know, read the answer at the end of this piece.)
These days, we write our write-ups and drafts on computers. We rely on our speller check to correct our spelling. But you cannot rely much on that either. Read this paragraph: “Eye halve a spelling checker. It came with my pea sea. It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea. As soon as a mist ache is maid, its nose and eye can put the error rite.”
Later on, I found out the spelling is not really that important when it comes to reading. Read this piece, which was forwarded to me by a friend via e-mail: “Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht odrer the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny ipmroatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the hmuan mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?”
The answer to the riddle: man. As a baby, he has four “feet.” When he is a full grown man, he has two feet. When he is old (euphemism for evening), he carries with him a cane – so that makes three “feet.”
