Young Once and Young Ones

Let’s learn a new word today—homonym.

Well, it isn’t exactly a new word. It has been in the dictionary for ages, and many of you may already know what it means. But to those who haven’t heard of the word yet—and there are some, adults included—it is new. 

Homonym is a word that is spelled the same or sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. Examples are:

· bear-bare

· sight-site

· weak-week

· by-buy

· eight-ate

· once-ones 

* * *

Let’s focus on the last two. Once is used for saying that a particular situation existed at a time in the past, but it does not exist any longer. We refer to old people as young once because they are no longer young.

Ones refers to people or a group of people. We refer to young people your age as young ones.  

* * *

Young ones like you, together with your parents, are crowding bookstores and department stores these days. 

Yesterday, I wanted to buy myself a book, but when I entered the bookstore, I couldn’t squeeze myself in.   There were all kinds of children, or young ones, running around and busy choosing notebooks, pads, pens, pencils, bags and other school supplies in time for the opening of classes this month of June. 

* * *

Young ones go to pre-school and grade school. They are usually from ages three to 12. When they reach their teen years, they go to high school and college.

This was what I thought. But just now, I got the surprise of my life!

As I was surfing the internet, I came across a website called Oddity Central. It is a site that collects strange news and information.

* * *

Let me summarize what I read: Somewhere in Jihan, Shandong province in China, there is a 102-year-old woman who is attending school for the very first time in her life! 

The old woman’s name is Ma Xiuxian. She never had an opportunity to attend school as a child because she was busy working to earn for her poor family. She married young and had nine children, seven of which attended universities and got their degrees.

She and her husband had to make great sacrifices in order to support their children’s studies. Ma Xiuxian, therefore, never got the chance to go to school at all.

* * *

One day, she was interviewed by the local newspaper. The article on her was read by the officers of Weishan Road Elementary School, and they invited Ma Xiuxian to come and attend their classes.

Carrying her schoolbag and a large magnifying glass (for reading), this young once was applauded by her classmates, the young ones. Hurray, Ma Xiuxian is now studying with kids younger than her own grandchildren! She promised she will study very hard so she can do something good for her country. 

* * *

Aside from homonym, we learned something new today. No matter what age, anybody can still go to school if he wants to. Young once or young ones, we all should take going to school seriously. Our future depends largely on the lessons we learn in our classrooms from our teachers.

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