Students give me many answers to this question, but let us agree that a word is a symbol. To communicate, whether by speaking or in writing, we must use words. These sounds (and written marks) are symbols: they stand for other things.
For example, the word symbol “dog” stands for a four legged animal, said to be “man’s best friend’. Even when they are without a voice, human beings use words to communicate with their hands and fingers using standard ‘sign language’.
(In formal language, one should refer to such persons as ‘mute’, do not use the word ‘dumb’, which is slang and insulting, because it also means ‘stupid’.)
Many
of you may feel that you know a good number of English words already. This is
likely true; but there are just as likely many words that you think you
understand (but don’t), and many words that you think you use correctly (but
don’t). Therefore, one task you have is to be sure that you ‘own’ all the words
that you use.
By ‘own’ the words, I mean that you completely understand all the aspects of the word: the meaning of the word, the proper use of the word, and the symbolism of the word.
How do you do this?
You do this by what I call ‘close reading’. It is hard work, but also rewarding.
Close reading requires that you put all of your language skills together in an attempt to understand what someone else is trying to communicate.
You build your vocabulary by close reading. To own your words, you have to ‘purchase’ them. You have to buy these words with your effort. You need to invest some of yourself in learning about the words you want to own. In this way, the words will become yours to use to write (express) whatever you want to say, and when used by others, you will understand them thoroughly (completely).
The words chosen by a writer create a path for the reader to follow; a reader follows the writer’s path by reading the words.
Copyright: 2004 English 4 All, Inc.