Preface:
1. I hope that this article will be read and appreciated by those readers as the article is about the English language, which is fast becoming the first global language because more and more words fall out of the sky, metaphorically speaking, thanks to the wonders of electronic information and satellite technology.
2. Please consider this: It has been estimated that there are now 800,000 words in the English language. UNESCO has estimated that 1,000 million people use the language to some degree. About 300 million people use English as their native language. About 700 million people use it as a second language. Some 300 million people in China are learning English alone. That means there are more Chinese learning English than Americans speaking it. I hope my dear reader will find this article useful and entertaining and have as much fun reading it. Thank you, sir.
3. Well, my respected reader. The following are some English problem words.
English Problem Words (i)
As this article is very delicate, difficult, dedicated, and long, I intend to express my ordinary, simple, basic, and layman’s views. I will mention it in a series. And this is my first humble and honest attempt, as far as possible, in alphabetic order.
‘Abdicate’ and ‘Abrogate’
King Edward VIII decided to ‘abdicate’ the throne of England. ‘Abdicate’ means give up management sought to. ‘Abrogate’ is an agreement with the Union. ‘Abrogate’ means to cancel, abort, and abandon. Due to a fault in a booster rocket, the space launch aborted. The word ‘aborted’ means terminated due to a fault. Due to a shortage of money, the space project was abandoned. The word ‘abandoned’ means given up. It implies a human decision.
‘Accent’ and ‘Dialect’
Her French ‘accent’ is unbelievably bad. ‘Accent’ is about the sound of words. His Yorkshire is rich in old Viking words. ‘Dialect’ is about the sound of words, their meaning and their strangeness.
‘Access’ and ‘Excess’
Goods are delivered to the shop through the rear access. The noun ‘access’ beginning ‘a’ means approach or, in this case, door.
The value of goods sold at my shop last year was in ‘excess’ of $250,000. The noun ‘excess’ beginning ‘e’ means an amount exceeding.
‘Accessary’ and ‘Accessory’
His brother was suspected of being an ‘accessary’ to the robbing of the City Bank. The word ‘accessary’, ending ‘ary’ implies assistance or consent.
The question is whether the type of weapon is an ‘accessory’ to the problem of disarmament. She was wearing a blue hat and accessories. The word ‘accessory’ ending ‘ory’ implies secondary importance.
‘Accommodate’
‘Accommodate’ spells with double ‘c’ and double ‘m’.
‘Accordingly’ and ‘Consequently’
The boy has pneumonia; accordingly, he must go to hospital. The word ‘accordingly’ is used to link ideas. It means in a suitable way.
The boy has pneumonia; ‘consequently’ he may die. The word ‘consequently’ is used to link ideas. It means as a result of.
Reference;
English Problem Words, by George Jerkings, London.
