WORDS NEEDING ATTENTION - 1

Some of the words in common usage have widely divergent meanings and need deep reflection. I don't lay any claims to the originality of the words/sentences I have chosen, they are from my very old collections modified from time to time. Here are a few of these words, which fascinate me the most:

ACCURACY - It is basic to style. Words dress our thoughts and should fit not only in their utterances but also in their implications, their sequences and in their silences, just as in architecture the empty spaces are as important as those that are filled. The problem of all writing, speech and conversation is the same as that presented by the composition of a telegram. One has to convey a meaning, with the use of a few and generally inadequate words, and eke it out with what the reader, drawing upon his own reserves, will understand. The number of words one can use can never be enough to express one's innermost and real feelings and the impression one wishes to convey. Hence the necessity for apt choice of the few words one really uses - but the reserves he can draw upon in the readers or listeners mind are lavish indeed and that's what counts. The entire art therefore lies in choosing the words that the person not only understands but also has no room for ambiguity or misunderstandings.