How many of you are of the view that English is not a technical language and that it is just a language of expression ? Well, nobody can deny the fact that all languages are medium of expressing one’s thoughts – English being one of them -but it does not end there. English is a highly technical language – similar to all the 22 officially recognized languages in India and ‘God-knows-how-many‘ across the world. Every language has its set of technicalities and a systematic & structured approach. When you read a well structured article or a novel, you can easily understand the flow of ideas and views of the author, because he has interwoven his thoughts into words in a systematic,coherent manner. His ideas have a well defined path – not just roaming around. Following the same path, the author’s words enter your mind and get deeply engraved in it.
Just like there are various ways to solve a mathematical sum, there are numerous approaches to writing in English. I am not suggesting that only one of them is correct. The aim here is to get one’s ideas deeply engraved in the minds of the reader ( just like aim in maths is to get the answer ). Since, English is also a steadily evolving language, people have the privilege to experiment with their approaches in writing. We can enjoy the best of both worlds ! We do not have to restrict ourselves to rules all the time !
So keep experimenting and exploring the language with your own devised ways ! As for the technical part – here is a list of classes in which words are divided – often confused words ! In the future posts, I will introduce a new section – ‘Most Confused Words’ – a list of words that are most confused in English.
Happy Learning ! 🙂
Homophones – A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning, and may differ in spelling.
Same pronunciation
Different meanings
Different/Same spellings (homophones with same spellings are homonyms)
(Same spellings)
We saw a grizzly bear while vacationing in the mountains.
I can’t bear this burden any longer.
(Different spellings)
My son is presently in the military.
The sun is hidden behind the clouds.
Homonyms – Same words with same spelling and same pronunciation but have different meanings when used in different contexts.
Same pronunciation
Different meanings
Same spellings
e.g. A bear (the animal) can bear (tolerate) very cold temperatures.
Homographs
Different pronunciation
Different meanings
Same spelling
e.g. Wind: I need to wind the alarm clock so I can fly my kite in the early morning gusty wind.
e.g. Desert as in dry climate vs Desert as in leaving alone(they are pronounced differently)
Capitonyms
Same spelling
Different meanings on capitalization
e.g. May: In May(month), when spring is almost over, I may(auxiliary verb) pack away my winter clothes.
A date with an Amateur 