The Concept Of Medicalization: Shifting Ideas

The Concept Of Medicalization: Shifting Ideas Medicalization is term for the erroneous tendency by society-often perpetuated by health professionals to view effects of socioeconomic disadvantage as purely medical issues. It is the process by which human conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as medical conditions and problems, and thus come under the authority of doctors and other health professionals to study, diagnose, prevent or treat. The process of medicalization can be driven by new evidence or theories about conditions, or by developments in social attitudes or economic considerations, or by the development of new purported treatments. Medicalization is often claimed to bring benefits, but also costs, which may not always be clear. Medicalization is studied in terms of the role and power of professions, patients and corporations, and also for its implications for ordinary people whose self-identity and life-decisions may depend on the prevailing concepts of health and illness. Once a condition is classed a s medical, a medical tends to be used rather than a social model. Medicalization may also be termed pathologization (from pathology), or in some cases disease mongering. The term medicalization entered academic and medical publications in the 1970s, for example in the works of figures such as Peter Conrad and Thomas Szasz. They argued that the expansion of medical authority into domains of everyday existence was promoted by doctors and was a force of social control that was to be rejected in the name of liberation. This critique was embodied in now-classic works such as Conrads The discovery of hyperkinesis: notes on medicalization of deviance, published in 1973 (hyperkinesis was the term then used to describe what we might now call ADHD). Medicalization explains a situation which had been previously explained in a moral, religious or social terms now become defined as the subject of medical and scientific knowledge. Many years ago for example some children were deemed and regarded as problematic, misbehaving and unruly. Some adults were shy and men who were balding just wore hats to hide it. And that was that. Nevertheless, nowadays all these descriptions could and possibly would be attributed to a type of illness or disease and be given a diagnosis or medicine to treat it in some cases. Medicalization explains this. Likewise, medicalization has been applied to a whole variety of problems that have come to be defined as medial, ranging from childbirth and the menopause through to alcoholism and homosexuality (Gabe et al. 2006: 59). Furthermore, the term explains the process in where particular characteristics of every day life become medically explained, thus come under the authority of doctors and other health professionals to study, diagnose, prevent and or treat the problem. Originally, the concept of medicalisation was strongly associated with medical dominance, involving the extension of medicines jurisdiction over erstwhile normal life events and experiences. More recently, however, this view of a docile lay populace, in thrall to expansionist medicine, has been challenged. Thus, as we enter a post-modern era, with increased concerns over risk and a decline in the trust of expert authority, many sociologists argue that the modern day consumer of healthcare plays an active role in bringing about or resisting medicalisation. Such participation, however, can be problematic as healthcare consumers become increasingly aware of the risks and uncertainty surrounding many medical choices. The emergence of the modern day consumer not only raises questions about the notion of medicalisation as a uni-dimensional concept, but also requires consideration of the specific social contexts in which medicalisation occurs. In this paper, we describe how the concept of m edicalisation is presented in the literature, outlining different accounts of agency that shape the process. We suggest that some earlier accounts of medicalisation over-emphasized the medical professions imperialistic tendencies and often underplayed the benefits of medicine. With consideration of the social context in which medicalisation, or its converse, arises, we argue that medicalisation is a much more complex, ambiguous, and contested process than the medicalisation thesis of the 1970s implied. In particular, as we enter a post-modern era, conceptualizing medicalisation as a uni-dimensional, uniform process or as the result of medical dominance alone is clearly insufficient. Indeed, if, as Conrad and Schneider (1992) suggested, medicalisation was linked to the rise of rationalism and science (ie to modernity), and if we are experiencing the passing of modernity, we might expect to see a decrease in medicalisation. The idea of medicalization is perhaps related only indirectly to social constructionanism, in that it does not question the basis of medical knowledge as such, but challenges its application. Nettleton continues and states that is draws attention to the fact that medicine operates as a powerful institution of social control (Nettleton 2006: 25). It does this by claiming expertise in areas in life which previously were not regarded as medical problems or matters. This includes such life stages such as ageing, childbirth, alcohol consumption and childhood behaviour moreover, the availability of new pharmacological treatments and genetic testing intensifies these processesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ thus it constructs, or redefines, aspects of normal life as medical problems. (Conrad and Schneider 1990 as cited in Nettleton 2006: 25). Medicalization can occur on three different and particular levels according to Conrad and Schneider (1980). The first was explained as conceptually when a medical vocabulary is used to define a problem. In some instances, doctors do not have to be involved and an example if this is AA. The second was the institutional level, institutionally, when organizations adopt a medical approach to treating a problem in which they specialise and the third was at the level of doctor patient interaction when a problem is defined as a medical and medical treatment occurs (as cited in Gabe et al 2004:59). These examples all involve doctors and their treatments directly, not including alcoholism which has other figures to help people such as the AA. The third level was the interactional level and this was where the problem, social problem, becomes defined as medical and medicalization occurs as part of a doctor-patient interaction. Medicalization shows the shifting ideas about health and illness. Health and illness does not only include such things as influenza or the cold, but deviant behaviours. Deviant behaviours which were once merely described as criminal, immoral or naughty before have now been labelled with medical meanings. Conrad and Schneider five-staged sequential process of medicalizing deviant behaviour. Stage one involves the behaviour itself as being deviant. Chronic drunkenness was regarded merely as highly undesirable, before it was medically labelled as chronic drunkenness. The second stage occurs when the medical conception of a deviant behaviour is announced in a professional medical journey according to Conrad and Schneider. A prominent thinker in the idea of medicalization was Ivan Illich, who studied it profusely and was very influential, in fact being one of the earliest philosophers to use the term medicalization. Illichs appraisal of professional medicine and particularly his use of the term medicalization lead him to become very influential within the discipline and is quoted to have said that Modern medicine is a negation of health. It isnt organized to serve human health, but only itself, as an institution. It makes more people sick than it heals. Illich attributed medicalization to the increasing professionalization and bureaucratization of medical institutions associated with industrialization (Gabe et al 2004: 61). He supposed that due to the development of modern medicine, it created a reliance on medicine and doctors thus taking away peoples ability to look after themselves and engage in self care. In his book Limits to medicine: Medical nemesis (1975) Illich disputed that the medical profession in point of fact harms people in a process known as iatrogenesis. This can be elucidated as when there is an increase in illness and social problems as a direct result of medical intervention. Illich saw this occurring on three levels. The first was the clinical iatrogenesis. These involved serious side-effects which were are often worse than the original condition. The negative effects of the clinical intervention outweighed the positive and it also conveyed the dangers of modern medicine. There were negative side effects of medicine and drugs, which included poisoning people. In addition, infections which could be caught in the hospital such as MRSA and errors caused my medical negligence. The second level was the social iatrogenesis whereby the general public is made submissive and reliant on the medical profession to help them cope with their life in society. Furthermore all suffering is hospitalised and medicine undermines health indirectly because of its impact on social organisation of society. In the process people cease to give birth, for example, be sick or die at home And the third level is cultural iatrogenesis, which can also be referred to as the structural. This is where life processes such as aging and dying become medicalized which in the process creates a society which is not able to deal with natural life process thus becoming a culture of dependence. Moreover, people are dispossessed of their ability to cope with pain or bereavement for example as people rely on medicine and professionals. (Illick 1975) Sociologists such as Ehrenreich and English had argued that womens bodies were being medicalized. Menstruation and pregnancy had come to be seen as medical problems requiring interventions such as hysterectomies. Nettleton furthered this notion and discussed this in relation to childbirth. The Medicalization of childbirth is as a result of professional dominance. She stated that the control of pregnancy and childbirth has been taken over by a predominantly male medical profession. Medicine can thus be regarded as patriarchal and exercising an undue social control over womens lives. From conception to the birth of the baby, the women are closely monitored thus medical monitoring and intervention in pregnancy childbirth are now routine processes. Childbirth is classified as a medical problem therefore it becomes conceptualized in terms of clinical safety, and women are encouraged to have their babies in hospitals. This consequently results in women being dependent on medical care. Nevertheless recent studies and evidence have shown that it may actually be safer to have babies at home because there would have been less susceptible to infection and technocological interference (Oakley 1884, as cited in Nettleton 2006: 26) Medicalization combines phenomenological and Marxist approaches of health and illnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in that it considers definitions of illness to be products of social interactions or negotiations which are inherently unequal (Nettleton 2006: 26). Marxism discussed medicalization and linked it with oppression, arguing that medicine can disguise the underlying causes of disease which include poverty and social inequality. In the process they see health as an individual problem, rather than a societys problem. Medicalization is studied in terms of the role and power of professions, patients and corporations, and also for its implications for ordinary people whose self-identity and life-decisions may depend on the prevailing concepts of health and illness. Once a condition is classed as medical, a medical model of disability tends to be used rather than a social model. It constructs, or redefines, aspects of normal life as medical problems (Nettleton 2006: 26). Medicalization has been referred to as the processes by which social phenomena come to be perceived and treated as illnesses. It is the process in by issues and experiences that have previously been accounted for in religious, moral, or social contexts then become defined as the subject of scientific medical knowledge. The idea itself questions the belief that physical conditions themselves constitute an illness. It argues that the classification and identification of diseases is socially constructed and. It has been suggested that medicine is seen as being instilled with subjective assumptions of the society in which it developed. Moreover, it argues that the classification and identification of diseases is socially constructed and, along with the rest of science, is far from achieving the ideals of objectivity and neutrality. The medical thesis has much to recommendà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦including the creation of new understanding of the social processes involved in the development and response to medical diagnosis and treatment To understand the level of social power that the medical community exercises through medicalization, Conrad explains that physicians have medicalized social deviance. They accomplish this by claiming the medical basis of matters such as hyperactivity, madness, alcoholism and compulsive gambling [Conrad, p 107]. By medicalizing social matters, medical professionals have the power to legitimize negative social behavior, such as the case of suspected killers in judicial courts who claim temporary insanity and are, therefore, exonerated on medical basis [Conrad, p 111]. In extending this concept, the Endocrine Society may have medicalized social deviance in men who reduce their work motivation or become characteristically unpleasant because they are experiencing andropause. In effect, despondency in older men might become an indicator of male menopause rather than a possible indicator of social deviance. Physicians also play a direct and significant role in the medicalization of social experiences. In analyzing the doctor-patient interaction of medicalization, Kaw argues that medical professionals have medicalized racial features by encouraging cosmetic surgery among Asian American women, for example, in order to avoid the stereotypical physical features of small and slanty eyes that are often associated with passivity, dullness and lack of sociability [Kaw, p 75]. Kaw asserts that plastic surgeons use medical terms to problematize the shape of their eyes so as to define it as a medical condition [Kaw, p 81]. Their use of technical terms and expressions should be questioned, especially since the power of such language influences Asian American women to pursue cosmetic surgery, when it is not necessary [Kaw, p 82]. Analogously, the Endocrine Society medicalized testosterone deficiency by defining it as Andropause; this helped perpetuate the notion, among older individuals, that if the y lack sexual drive or sense depression and fatigue, they should seek medical attention because they are experiencing an acute medical condition rather than a stage in the physiological cycle. The role played by the health care structures in medicalizing conditions is enhanced by that of the pharmaceutical industry. In order to achieve implementation of a drug in the market, the medicalization of a problem is critical [Conrad, p 111]. Once a medical definition for male menopause was established, the pharmaceutical company further medicalized the problem by launching strong advertisement campaigns aimed at older men and physicians alike, so as to popularize the drug among the general public and medical community [Groopman, 2002]. In a Time magazine advertisement, the industry appealed to the emotions of older men by linking low sex drive to the decline of testosterone levels rather than to a life process [Groopman 2002]. In this manner, the pharmaceutical industries profit based ideology facilitates the medicalization of testosterone deficiency by popularizing conditions that may be exceedingly common among health product consumers. Medicalization also changes patients ideologies of biomedicine and leads them to believe that biomedicine must not only offer cure for illnesses, but also offer life enhancements. Similar to the way that impotence and hair loss was medicalized by promoting drugs like Viagra to enhance sexual performance, and solutions like Rogaine for hair re-growth, male menopause has been medicalized because it causes low sex drive among other general symptoms [Groopman, 2002]. As a consequence, older men will opt to not only seek but demand life enhancements achievable through medicine disregarding the fact that such treatments can be detrimental to health. In fact, Groopman states that known side effect of testosterone therapy include abnormal enlargement of the breasts, testicular shrinkage, congestive heart failure and enlargement of the prostate gland [Groopman, 2002]. Medicalizing a problem can be harmful and deadly, yet medical professionals perpetuate this dangerous behavior by medicalizing conditions that patients may seek to treat for their personal wellbeing It is important to realize that medicalization is not merely the result of medical imperialism but rather the interactive process that involves society and the health community; [Conrad, p 115]. It includes patients and doctors alike. Nonetheless, awareness of the mechanisms by which the medical community affects society is important because medicine pertains to all health consumers. Male menopause only serves as one of the many examples of life experiences that have become medicalized by the healthcare community. Concluding this essay, the concept of medicalization started with the medical dominance which involved the increase of medicines influence and labelling over things regarded as normal life events and experiences. However in recent time, this view of a submissive lay populace, in thrall to expansionist medicine, has been challenged. As a consequence, as we enter a post-modern era, with increased concerns over risk and a decline in the trust of expert authority, many sociologists argue that the modern day consumer of healthcare plays an active role in bringing about or resisting medicalization. Furthermore Such participationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦can be problematic as healthcare consumers become increasingly aware of the risks and uncertainty surrounding many medical choices. Moreover the emergence of the modern day consumer not only raises questions about the notion of medicalisation as a uni-dimensional concept, but also requires consideration of the specific social contexts in which medical isation occurs (Ballard and Elston 2005). In addition they suggest that as we enter a post-modern era, conceptualizing medicalisation as a uni-dimensional or as the result of medical dominance primarily is insufficient.

Cosmetology School

Every year thousands of people who have a passion for fashion, style and beauty and who enjoy making other people and themselves look amazing and feel appealing enroll in cosmetology schools. Cosmetology school is a place for creative, sociable, ambitious and constantly developing individuals. There are a lot of various directions in the program of a cosmetology school, so every person is free either to choose the subject he or she likes, or to take up several of them: nail technician, esthetician, hair styling, permanent make up specialist, massage therapist, etc.The sphere of cosmetology is multisided and very perspective and rewarding nowadays and there are a lot of reasons why attending a cosmetology school may be beneficial. The most important advantage of having a cosmetology school education is that you will hardly ever be unemployed (unless you will wish to). People would always like to look and feel beautiful, so you will always have enough opportunities to make them be and feel such.The only task you will always have to fulfill is to be always aware of the latest style and fashion trends and the newest techniques, and take any chance to cultivate your creativity and collect precious experience in your job. Another advantage of this career is that you are free to choose time and even place where you are eager to perform your skills.You may make weekends whatever days of week you want and you will never have to get up early in the morning(unless you have a yoga-class), because most of stylists prefer starting their working day in the afternoon, during the lunch break of their clients, or even in the evening, after normal business hours. And even if your working place is in the salon, it is likely that you can set the schedule convenient for you. People say: â€Å"If you want to succeed in business, the best way for you is to make your hobby your own business† – a cosmetologist career is the best example to reflect this view.Working with cl ients’ hair, nails or makeup may be extremely exciting. You meet many different people with different views as for style and fashion and all of them want you to bring their dreams to reality. During this process you practice not only as a cosmetologist, but also as psychologist. And the best reward is a grateful smile on the face of your client. It is also necessary to point out that if you are creative and skillful enough and enjoy trying new provocative styles, it is possible that you will be asked to style the hair and makeup of models and celebrities, or even well-known politicians.You will even have a possibility to work for big companies’ hair shows, such as Joico or Paul Mitchell, or for some prominent modeling agencies, theatres or magazines. You can make various astonishing acquaintances and may be you will be well-known among very important people. In a field of cosmetology your incomes depend on nothing else but type, amount and quality of your own work. The more clients you are eager to have a day the more money you may earn. By the way, if to work hard and make a number of personal clients, there is a possibility of expanding your career by becoming a salon manager or even by opening your own salon.I am hardworking and willful, confident of my abilities and skills, so I hope to open my own spa salon some day. I know that my skills and natural charm and sociability will help me to build a base of clients. Moreover I am planning to open my own blog or even a site, where I will give necessary advice on fashion, style, hair design and nail art and tell people about the newest style tendencies. Probably I will face a lot of competitors on my way, but I am not afraid of that. People like to have their own specialist whether in hair style, makeup or manicure, that’s why, they are searching for the â€Å"right† person, who would meet their needs.I am sociable and flexible enough to meet the needs of different kinds of people an d I am conscious that people will notice that. Attending a cosmetology school can let one build a fun, flexible and very rewarding career. This job allows flexible working hours, high incomes, guarantee of being employed, plenty of room for professional and personal growth, and acquaintance and experience of interaction with various people. It is necessary to keep up with changing style and fashion tendencies to succeed in this field.In order to keep the clients’ interest a stylist should always be in a process of self-improvement and self-education, as well as he should always find common language with clients. A cosmetology education provides a person with an opportunity of expanding his or her career by becoming a salon or spa manager or even an owner of such. Although it will take a lot of efforts to do this and there are a lot of competitors on the way, I am sure that some day my goal of owning a salon will be achieved. I believe that cosmetology school education will he lp me to take the first step to my dream and once I will be proud to call my job â€Å"my hobby†.

Comunication for Distance Learning

Hi Mom, This morning after I left your house, in my way to work I had a little car accident. I am okay mom, not to worry, nothing happened to me or the babies. This lady was taking on the phone, and of course she never saw my car. Now I understand why you are always telling me not to use my cell phone when driving. Thank god, RJ, Madison and Melanie are ok, just a little bit scare (yes mom they had seatbelt). I’m taking the day off to deal whit my insurance. Love you Write a formal letter of 100 to 200 words to the insurance company .Use salutations and sign-offs where appropriate. October 2, 2012 To: UNITED AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE P. O. BOX 60125 NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, 33160 From: Meghan Serra 4928 lane 8 ct Cape coral, Florida, 33891 Policy number: UHD 565635695326 Dear Sir or Madam: I am writing to inform you that I was involve in a car accident with another vehicle on September 28, 2012. I was driving on Skyline from east to west toward Pelican road. On this day I was dr iving my black 2005 Toyota, a red 2003 ford explorer rear ended my car in the back left.There was not damage to the other car and no one was injured at the moment of the accident, but I have some minor dents on my car . The other person involved in the accident claims, that she did not saw my car. I quickly call the police to proceed with the report. The report number is 251233, please let me know if more information is needed. Sincerely Meghan. Communicating for Distance Learning ( Part 2) Anthony It is really important to use inclusive language when communicating in class forum because this is the only way to connect with classmates and instructor.This is how we can get our point across and engage whit each other s. I also recommend avoiding language that is exclusive to one group, trying to use language that is inclusive, nonsexist, or gender neutral. I suggest you in the future when communicating either in a forum, email o text to follow two simple rules. First, you should never address an audience like you mention in your email â€Å"Hi guys â€Å", people can get really offended. Secondly when you said â€Å"I was surprised because she had a lot of good things to say â€Å"you sound really racist towards woman, that comment did not have anything to do with the topic .Three pointers for how to prevent these mistakes in the future you should always read what you write twice, check for spelling capitalization and proper use of grammar. Second keep in mind your audience; do not personalize your message. And last be professional and respectful of others opinions and beliefs. Communicating for Distance Learning (Part 3) Written tone is very important; this is the only representing that my classmates have of myself.Tone is present in all type of communication activities, the tone of the message is a reflection of me and it does affect how the reader will perceived my message. In my opinion I think is beneficial to Taylor each and every communication I write , and question the audience before you start the process of writing. Ask yourself, who will read my document? Or what is the purpose of my document? And who is my audience? Tailor your message to your audience to improve their comprehension and realize the different tone to use whit families and people in the work environment.

Articles in Grammar From A to The With An and Some Between

In English  grammar, an article is a type of determiner that precedes and provides context to a noun. A determiner  is a word or a group of words that specifies, identifies, or quantifies the  noun  or  noun phrase  that follows it: There are only two types of articles in English, definite or indefinite. The three main articles in English grammar are the, a, and an. This grammatical concept may sound simple, but there are some tricky rules related to using it correctly. Definite vs. Indefinite Articles The only  definite article  is the, which specifies a particular individual or thing in a particular  context. For example, in the title of a famous Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles, the first word of the sentence is a definite article because it refers to a specific case that the illustrious fictional detective tried to (and, of course, did) solve. By contrast,  Purdue Owl  notes the  indefinite  articles—a and an—signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to  any  member of a group, or something that cannot be identified specifically by the writer or speaker. An example of a sentence containing both the a and an indefinite articles was published in E.B. Whites classic childrens tale Charlottes Web. Mr. Arable fixed  a  small yard specially for Wilbur under  an  apple tree, and gave him  a  large wooden box full of straw, with  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹a  doorway cut in it so he could walk in and out as he pleased. This example uses both a, which is always used before a  consonant sound, and an, which is always used before a  vowel sound. Using A and An The key to knowing when to use a or an depends on the  sound at the beginning of the noun (or adjective) that is being modified, not whether the noun or adjective actually begins with a vowel or consonant, notes  study.com: If the noun (or adjective) that comes after the article begins with a vowel sound, the appropriate indefinite article to use is an. A  vowel sound  is a sound that is created by any vowel in the English language: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y if it makes an e or i sound. By contrast, if the noun or adjective that comes after the article begins with a consonant that actually sounds like a consonant, use a. The Complete English Grammar Rules presents some examples of when to use a or an, depending on the sound of the first letter of the noun the article is modifying. What an unusual discovery. - This is correct because unusual starts with a u that makes an uh sound.What a unique discovery. - This is correct because the adjective after the article begins with a u that sounds like the consonant sound yu.I bought a horse. - You use the a here because horse starts with an h that sounds like the consonant h.A historical event is worth recording. - Many folks think it should be an historic, but the article a is correct because the h is pronounced and sounds like the consonant h.An hour has passed. - In this case, you use an because the h in hour is silent, and the noun actually begins with the vowel sound ow. Note that in the first two sentences above, the article actually precedes the adjectives, unusual and unique, but the articles actually modify the noun, discovery in both sentences. Sometimes the article directly precedes an adjective that modifies the noun. When this occurs, look at the first letter of the adjective when determining whether to use a or an and then use the same rules as those discussed above to determine which article to use. Before Countable and Uncountable Nouns When dealing with articles, nouns can either be: Uncountable - You cannot count a specific number.Countable - The noun  does  indicate a specific number. When a noun is uncountable, it is preceded by an indefinite article—a or an.  Butte College  gives this example to illustrate both: I ate  an  apple yesterday.  The  apple was juicy and delicious. In the first sentence, apple is uncountable because youre not referring to a specific apple; whereas, in the second sentence, apple is a countable noun because you are referring to one specific apple. Another example would be: Would you like tea? or Would you like some tea.I would like the tea. In the first instance, tea is uncountable because youre not referring to a specific tea, but instead, just to some tea (an undefinable number or amount). In the second sentence,  by contrast, the speaker is referring to a specific cup or bottle of tea. When to Omit Articles As the first sentence in the previous example shows, you can sometimes omit the article particularly when the number or quantity is not known. Sometimes you would use the article in American English but not British English. For example: I have to go to the hospital. (American English)I have to go to hospital. (British English) Conversely, sometimes you omit the article in American English but not in British English, as in: I played rugby. (American English)I play the rugby. (British English) In these cases, the use, or omission, of the definite article depends on the type of English being spoken. Pronouns, Demonstratives, and Possessives You can also replace articles with  pronouns,  demonstratives, and  possessives. They all work in the same way as a demonstrative article—naming a specific thing: In  English grammar, a  pronoun  is a word that takes the place of a  noun,  noun phrase, or  noun clause. So, instead of the sentence: Give the book to me, you would replace the definite article, the, as well as the noun it modifies, book, with the pronoun, it, to yield the sentence: Give it to me.A demonstrative  is a  determiner  or a  pronoun  that points to a particular  noun  or to the noun it replaces. So, instead of saying: The movie is boring, you would replace the definite article, the, with the demonstrative this or that to yield: This movie  is boring or That movie is boring.A possessive pronoun is a  pronoun  that can take the place of a  noun phrase  to show ownership. Instead of saying: The tale is long and sad! you would replace the definite article, the, to yield a sentence, such as: Mine  is a long and sad tale! In the first sentence, the definite article, the, modifies the noun, tale. In the second sentence, the possessive pron oun, mine, also modifies the noun, tale. High-Ranking Words According to Ben Yagodas book When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It:  The Parts of Speech, for Better and/or Worse, the word the is the most commonly-used word in the English language. It occurs nearly 62,000 times in every million words written or uttered—or about once every 16 words. Meanwhile, a ranks as the fifth most commonly used word—and an ranks 34th. So take the time to learn these important words—as well as their replacements, such as pronouns, demonstratives, and possessives—correctly to boost your command of English grammar, and in the process, enlighten your friends, impress your teachers, and gain the admiration of your associates.