Stories similar to The Beauty of Lexical Ambiguity:

English grammar mistakes and how to avoid them: ambiguity 1 year 40 weeks ago

This article takes a humorous, sideways look at the different types of ambiguity (lexical and syntactic), and how to avoid them in written English. Includes a section on Robert Thornton's Lexicon of Inconspicuously Ambiguous Recommendations (LIAR).

English Vocabulary Characteristics 2 years 5 weeks ago

A new lexical unit can develop in the language to denote an object or phenomenon which already has some lexical unit to denote it. In such cases we have transnomination, e.g. the word “slum” was first substituted by the word “ghetto” then by the word group “inner town”. A new lexical unit can be introduced to denote a new object or phenomenon. In this case we have “a proper neologism”, many of them are cases of new terminology.
Here we can point out several semantic groups when we analyze the group of neologisms connected with computerization, and here we can mention words used:

How to Write a Tease Lead | eHow.com 2 years 25 weeks ago

So you want to tease your reader into reading your article? A tease lead can contain a conundrum, ambiguity, puzzle or insinuation. Clever structural devices can be woven around your theme. It helps to keep the words and phrases crisp and uncluttered for more effectiveness.

Some English Words and their Change of Meaning 2 years 24 weeks ago

The gradual change in the significance of the words is the most common factor of the human language. We try to meet the continually occurring needs of expression by using words in temporary deviations from their ordinary senses. And in most of these deviations the new born sense gets the permanence and the primary sense dies out. There are several methods by which the meanings of the words have changed. The principal methods of the changes of meaning are—generalisation, specialisation, elevation, degeneration, polysemy, transference, euphemism, and others.

Homophones -- Words That Sound the Same 1 year 50 weeks ago

The English language can be a confusing one to learn. One reason is that some words sound the same but are spelled different.

Words that sound the same but are spelled differently are called homophones. Homophones are a type of homonym. Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings. The English language can be challenging with these tricky words to consider.