Honesty, Truthfulness, Sincerity …

Wordsmith / FRANK KRISHNER


During election time, there is a lot of talk about honesty. People say that many politicians in Bihar lack honesty. Some politicians make promises they do not mean to keep. Others try to hide their wealth from the income tax department. Honesty is a virtue that some people say has virtually disappeared from public life.

Honesty is acting or speaking truthfully. It’s the opposite of deceit and dishonesty. You show your honesty by not stealing, cheating, or telling lies. You do not try to hide information from people. A teacher relies on your honesty when she leaves the room during a test. Godavari talked about her experience of HIV with courage and honesty. If you are honest, you tell people what you really think, without hiding the truth.

Truthfulness means being open with people and not trying to hide anything from them. It means always telling the truth. A person is respected for truthfulness in his dealings with others.

Sincerity also means honesty. It is saying what you really feel or doing something that you really believe in. I promised in all sincerity to do my best.

Frankness means to talk in an honest and direct way, especially about subjects that are difficult to talk about. The doctor was very frank with me and told me I didn’t have long to live.

A person of honour is honest and fair. He is thoughtful and considerate of other people and always shows them respect. If someone is ‘held in honour’, he is greatly respected. To ‘uphold the honour’ of something means to defend its name and good reputation. Our cricket victory upheld the honour of the team. You give a person your ‘word of honour’ when you promise that you can be trusted to do [or not to do] something.

Integrity is a strong word that means honesty and trustworthiness. A person of integrity can always be trusted to do what is right and just. He or she would never try to deceive anyone or give someone a false impression.

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Learn-a-word

Study

We often hear eager young students saying “I read in class four”. This is wrong. The correct word is ‘study’. You read in a library.

STUDY: to learn about a subject by reading books, going to classes, and doing work that your teacher asks you to do. It’s difficult to study when there’s a party next door. I’ve been studying English for a year now. Hari’s in London, studying to be a doctor.
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wordscore: unscramble these words [they all have something in common]

EONDUTCAI SIUVERNITY CLEOLGE SHOCOL

[last week’s solution : Business, Company, Manager, Industry]