I stumbled on the content of the letter of termination of appointment of now erstwhile MD of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc online.
The letter reportedly read in part, "We hereby advise you that your services are no longer required ..."
The services of Ms X aren't required again, but why the expression, We hereby ADVISE you that your services are no longer required?
That's because 'advise' or 'to advise' can also mean to officially inform somebody about something. So, since Ms X is being officially informed of the termination of her employment, the writer's diction simply reflected that.
In fact, that was not the only instance in which the word was used in the letter. Another paragraph of the letter reads, "WPG Ltd is obligated to pay you three months salary in lieu of notice and hereby advise you that the due amounts have been credited to your account.
But why did the writer choose to use 'advise' instead of 'inform', which seems to be a more familiar word and simpler to relate with?
Well, I wouldn't know; but why limit yourselves when you have a repository of options to pick from.
Two, no two words have exactly the same meaning in English. I shall comment on this in a subsequent post. It is as a result that I am of the opinion that the writer made a choice between 'advise' and 'inform' because the former denotes official communication or information, while the latter simply connotes being informed. Hence, the choice of advise is apropos!
On a second thought, however, it's also important to understand that, when choosing from a variety of options, communication should be prioritised. You haven't communicated until the other person understands what you have said.
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