Words are slippery little devils.
The way they twist and turn their meaning makes it hard to keep up sometimes.
They are open to nuances of context and, of course, are often misused or simply misunderstood.
Working in this industry, you have to have a good grasp of the language. And its use, grammar, syntax, etc, are vital tools of the trade.
That's not to say we get it right all the time.
But the English language really is a remarkable thing in the way it enables us to communicate so many complex ideas and emotions with deft touches of a pen or quick tapping on a keyboard.
But this complexity also causes its fair share of problems, as anyone who has heard or seen someone garble a common phrase, or use the wrong word, will attest.
How many times have you heard brought used when bought is meant? Or should of instead of should have?
I once worked on a paper where the words "stop the press" were uttered to stop what was thought to be a howler of a typo on the front page.
Anyone who has experience in newspapers will know those words are only uttered on the most serious of occasions.
One of the printers thought the phrase short shrift should have been short shift. It was with a rather stern tone the editor pointed out the correct use.
But, we certainly don't always get it right either.
Thankfully, we have readers who are kind enough to point out the error of our ways.
And often, what is printed takes on a whole new meaning in the eyes of the reader, especially headlines, it seems, which have extra prominence.
Which is why we need to take extreme care with words and perhaps explain why some people accuse media of sensationalism regarding headlines that accurately reflect the content.
It's always funny though how people may complain about a headline they perceive to be negative but there are no such issues with a bigger one, advising of new jobs for the region, for instance.
On Wednesday this week, however, the main headline was certainly correct in what it said, but was also insensitive to the subject.
That point has been made but it is a shame to detract from a story which was written sensitively and hoped to raise awareness of a serious road safety issue.
But, on that particular day the tone and message was out of kilter and the power of the words below was lost, all because of four weasel words.
Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz
As the crowd chanted, Seymour walked back into the Beehive with his MPs.