Words have meanings. Every time you speak or write, you pick words based on what you know of their meanings. The tricky part is that a word doesn't carry a single meaning around with it. In fact, a word standing alone is nearly empty until it is placed in a context. We use contexts - usually sentences - to give meanings to words.

Take, for example, the word "red". All by itself, red is a colour and nothing more. In each of the sentences below, the setting makes "red" heavy with meaning. Red becomes a loaded word.

"The teacher saw red when the student threw his books out of the window."
Meaning: The teacher became furious.
Link: Red stands for anger.

"Her enemies wore red and gold at her funeral."
Meaning: Her enemies celebrated her death.
Link: Red and gold are worn at Chinese celebrations.

"The abandoned bag in the MRT train was a red flag to passengers."
Meaning: The passengers saw the bag being left behind as a sign of danger.
Link: Red flags are often used to warn people of danger.

In each case, we link the words - "saw red", "wore red", "red flag" – to how we have seen them used before. The links give us clues that help us to guess what the speaker means.

The same thing happens when you talk about your thoughts and feelings. As you speak, your listeners hook on their meanings to your words. But, here is the catch: a word you use may land up getting loaded with meanings that you did not intend to have attached to it.

When that happens, your words can trip you, landing you in a mess. That is why it is so important to imagine how other people will digest the words you use. Then, you can select words wisely and use their power to say exactly what you really want to communicate.

- MARY GEORGE