The Confusing Language
Take the word ‘lead’ as an example of major confusion in my native language.
In one form, lead is the name given to a heavy bluish soft ductile metal. But in numerous other forms, it has a completely different meaning. Here are just a few for you to consider:
To lead – the act of leading someone or an animal, or, and here comes yet another confusion, he ‘led’ them – lead minus the ‘a’.
Then you have ‘to lead someone on’, in other words to take advantage, to deceive.
Next comes ‘lead to’, a route or a means of access to a particular place.
How about ‘lead someone to’, the act of motivating someone into an action or belief.
Or finally how about ‘to lead off’, to be in charge of, or to begin a report.
Is it any wonder that non-English speakers have so much trouble with our hybrid language?
And as for the other versions of the English language across the world and their own local ways of spelling and colloquial meanings, don’t even go there…
Great lead Jack. You got that right on the money (which could sound confusing itself to non-English speakers).
Thanks Gabriel 🙂 By the way, I love the fact that you are being attributed as the author of my Goblin short story “Hunt for a Friend” by a couple of our fellow contributors, don’t you 🙂
I just noticed the Goblin comments, my UK writing brother and left an additional clarifying comment,