Homophones: access, assess
Today we are going to look at homophones access and assess, two words whose meanings and uses most of the time confuse speakers of English.
Access (pronounced akses) is both a verb and a noun.
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As a verb, access means to approach or enter (a place).
Eg:
We had no means to access the shop, as the doors were locked.
In computing, access means obtain or retrieve (computer data or a file).
Eg:
Information can be accessed from several files and displayed at the same time.
As a noun, access means the means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
Eg:
The staircase behind the building gives access to the top floor.
Synonyms for access as a noun are entrance, entry, way.
Assess (pronounced as as3s) is a verb and means:
- To evaluate or estimate the nature, ability or quality of a thing, person etc.
Eg:
The committee is to assess the relative importance of the issues. Synonyms for assess here are evaluate, judge, gauge, rate.
- To calculate or estimate the price or value of a thing, disaster, etc.
Eg:
The damage caused by the floods was assessed at GHc20 million.
Synonyms for assess here are value, calculate.
iii. To set the value of a tax, fine, etc for a person or property at a specified level.
Eg:
All unoccupied properties will be assessed at 50 per cent.
Now you can see that if you use access where you must use assess, the meaning of what you want to convey will be lost.
Imagine writing:
We have to access the character of the new employee.
Firefighters can't have assess to the burning market.
The insurance company accessed the insurance at GHc10,000.
(To be continued.)