HETERONYM: INVALID
“At the library, I tried to log in to the computer, but the system flashed ‘invalid password,’ and I had to try again. Frustrated, I double-checked my notes until it finally worked. Later in history class, we read about soldiers who returned from war injured and sometimes lived as an invalid, unable to walk or work as they once had. That afternoon, while filling out a form, my teacher explained that if you leave a section blank, it will be marked as invalid and not accepted.”
How many meanings did you find?
List of the different ways that this word can be used.
What are your thoughts:
Why do you think the narrator felt frustrated when the password showed as invalid?
How did reading about injured soldiers change the tone of the story?
Why is it important to complete every part of a form to avoid it becoming invalid?
SPEAK with P • I • E
P — Pronunciation
in-VA-lid → not correct or not acceptable
IN-va-lid → a person too sick or injured to work (older use)
I — Intonation
The password was in-VA-lid and needed to be fixed.
He lived as an IN-va-lid after the injury.
E — Expression
in-VA-lid (not correct) → official, strict, technical
IN-va-lid (disabled person) → serious, respectful, somber
