The alteration of meaning occurs because words are constantly used and what is intended by speakers is not exactly the same each time. If a different intention for a word is shared by the speech community and becomes established in usage then a semantic change has occurred.

We know that words change all the time and over time, a process language experts describe as “semantic shift,” semantics being the field of language concerned with meaning. There is some predictability in the way words change over time. For example, words can expand in meaning, that is, come to signify a larger group.

Change means to replace one thing for another or to become different. An example of change is someone getting five one dollar bills for a five dollar bill. An example of change is someone getting a new hair cut. An example of change is a girl becoming a woman.

The definition of a word is a letter or group of letters that has meaning when spoken or written. An example of a word is dog. An example of words are the seventeen sets of letters that are written to form this sentence.

A sentence is a grammatically complete idea. All sentences have a noun or pronoun component called the subject, and a verb part called the predicate.

A complete sentence must have, at minimum, three things: a subject, verb, and an object.

The subject and predicate make up the two basic structural parts of any complete sentence. In addition, there are other elements, contained within the subject or predicate, that add meaning or detail. These elements include the direct object, indirect object, and subject complement.

To check whether an indirect object exists in a sentence, you first need to find the verb and direct object. Example: Sue passed Ann the ball. Answer: The indirect object is Ann.