Wrong Choice of Word

Choice of colours in painting is like choice of words in writing. Both must show their end results reflecting the meanings intended.




Below is one of the two items of news under a common headline appearing in a popular national English daily:-.

Quote

In another incident, police are looking for a 23-year-old drug-addict who strangled his mother after she refused to give him money.

In the 9.30 am incident yesterday, the man turned violent and begun assaulting his 51-year-old mother during a commotion at their home in Kampung Pulau Serai, Dungun.

Supt Khairi said the suspect’s 57-year-old father lodged a report at the Dungun police station.

He said the victim was sent to the Dungun Hospital where she received outpatient treatment.

Unquote

Do you notice anything wrong between the two groups of words highlighted in bold?

"Strangled" means "killed by squeezing windpipe". In other words, the news says that his mother was killed but later in conclusion, she received outpatient treatment only. What a contradiction has that created?

It all boils down to the wrong choice of one word, and that section should have been "drug-addict who attempted to strangle his mother".

Further, the last word "begun" in the second paragraph of the news should have been "began".