There are estimates showing there are more than a million words in the English language, and it is growing by thousands every year. Think about that for a minute. It’s important to remember that this includes different forms of the same word. It also includes lots of words that we could call archaic or old-fashioned. According to some experts, adult native speakers of English have a vocabulary of 20,000-35,000 words. (WIL, n.d.) That’s a lot of words! Today I want to look at one word, the word we have been exploring all year: ENOUGH. A Synonym is a word with a similar meaning as the original word. The phrase, “I am Enough!” can become somewhat cliché, so we can use Synonyms to express the same sentiment. Or can we? Take the word Abundant. That sounds like a good synonym for Enough, doesn’t it? If I say, I have Enough self-esteem, or I have Abundant self-esteem, I’m saying the same thing, right? What about Bellyful. That is also a synonym for Enough, according to Dictionary.com. Are we saying the same thing? The term, Bellyful implies we are not exactly happy about whatever we have enough of. Two more synonyms, Adequate and Last Straw, have almost opposing meanings. (Enough, n.d.) Even though they are synonyms of Enough, we need to be careful how we use the words, as they can be taken differently by different people. Whether using the words as nouns or adjectives is also going to have an effect on the meaning of the word. While some languages have only one word for one meaning, English uses a variety of words to convey a single meaning, each with its own unique and subtle distinction. (Ellis, 2022) Having a good command of the language means using the words appropriately. If you are tempted to use synonyms, be careful that you are using words that convey the meaning you wish to convey. Next time we will discuss Antonyms – or opposites. References
Ellis, M. (2022, August 16). Synonym: Definition and Examples. Retrieved from Grammarly.com: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/synonyms Enough. (n.d.). Retrieved from Dictionary.com: https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/enough WIL. (n.d.). How Many Words in the English Language. Retrieved from English Live: https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-lab/many-words-english-language/
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AuthorI am a Performance Enhancement Specialist with a background in Emergency Psychiatric Medicine and Community Addiction. Archives
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