The Latin Root AG- ACT

Two army veterans met for the first time after superannuation
(or retirement from the army). They were in resplendent (or
splendid) uniform, having gathered for celebrating the
centenary of the formation of their regiment.

“Captain Banks, you old warhorse,” said one of them slapping

the other’s back, “do you recognise me?” .

“Of course, Sir! Major Edgar Allan Smith, 6 Guards Regiment,

King’s Cross, and Inter-Services Squash Champion for ten
long years,” said the other person.
“Banks, you do have sharp memory,” said Major Smith, “I
thought you might have some problem placing me after
all these years. But I had none whatsoever placing you.
Ask me why? You look as fit as ever, that’s why.”

“Sir, the reason for my seeming fit is because although I

have retired from active service, I have not become
inactive.”
“We have led such an active life during our services
career that retired life can become quite a pest; we were
always doing something and life now seems devoid of
activity” said Major Smith.

“Not really, Sir,” said Captain Banks, “I am as active as

ever. I am up as early as I used to be when in service. I
am doing something all the while. My son has set up a
factory for manufacturing carburettors. I have joined
him.”
“That’s capital, Banks! But you were in the artillery all through.
What do you know about carburettors?” asked Major Smith.

“I look after production and logistics while my son focuses on

sales,” said Captain Banks, “each Monday he draws up the
week’s agenda for me: a list of important things to do, if you know
what I mean. For example (1) Trial run of the Nissan Engine with
our carburetor on Tuesday (2) Dispatch of 1000 VC 125
carburetors to Volvo Motors on Wednesday, (3) interviews for
recruitment of three junior engineers on Thursday and so on.”
“It is not surprising that you have adjusted so well to civilian life.
You have been quite a versatile fellow all along,” said Major
Smith, “you could even act. I remember the time when you did
the part of a Japanese girl (kimono, eyelashes, rouge and all) in
the play MIKADO that we enacted at the time of Her Majesty’s
visit to our station at Snowden. You were such a good actor that
people thought we had actually brought in an actress to do the
part of the Japanese girl. It was only when you took off your wig
at the end of the show that everyone realized it was Captain
Banks,” said Major Smith.
“Oh, sir, you are flattering me, really,” said Captain Banks, “but
do tell me what you have been doing all these years. How’s
Madam and the children?”

“They are fine. My better half is agility personified, doing

something all the while. She is a schoolteacher in our village
where I have a farm. She walks three miles to school and legs it
back for lunch. She coaches dozens of children almost right after
lunch; no fees, mind you. We do not really need the money, you
know. My pension is enough for both bread and butter with jam
thrown in occasionally,” said Major Smith.
“Your son and daughter, Sir?” asked Captain Banks, “what are they doing?”

“Albert’s just been commissioned in the Navy. Sandra’s married. My son-in-

law has a cooking-gas agency,” said Major Smith.

“Does he run a plant for filling gas cylinders? That’s pretty hazardous, isn’t it?”
asked Captain Banks.

“Royal Gas runs the plant for filling cooking-gas cylinders. Eric is authorized to
do only the selling on behalf of Royal Gas,” said Major Smith.
“Oh, whom do we see here? Isn’t it Sergeant James Ward, the
daredevil who, many years into retirement, was assigned the task
of deactivating a time bomb placed by insurgents in one of our
busiest airports? James, can anyone forget how you downed the
reigning Inter-Services boxing champion in just the first round in
your maiden appearance at the tournament? I shall never forget
the subdued look on the poor fellow’s face. Being licked in Round
One by a rookie! Could anything be more ignominious?” said
Major Smith turning to a grey-haired veteran standing by his side.
“About the bomb that I was called to deactivate
even after I had retired from the Army,” said
Sergeant Ward, “I owe it to the army that trained
me in how to subdue live bombs. Could anyone
afford to take such risks without being properly
trained?”
We have heard Major Smith describe active life as a
stage in which they were always doing something.

We have heard Captain Banks say that agenda is a list of

important things to do

We have also heard Major Smith describe his wife as

“agility personified, doing something all the while” and an
agent is someone authorized to do something on behalf
of another person.
We saw that Major Smith’s son-in-law ran a cooking gas agency,
an establishment doing things such as selling Liquefied Petroleum
Gas, collecting connection charges, servicing the cooking ranges
and so on, on behalf of Royal Gas, the company that fills the
cylinders but assigns the selling part to numerous agencies all
over the country.

We have also seen that an actor is someone who does someone

else’s part in a play.

With this we have now come to realize that AG- and ACT- have
something to do with doing.
Since we know that the prefix RE- stands for BACK, we can now
clearly understand why when a girl slaps someone who has been
whistling at her when she passed by, the slap is her reaction or
what she does back.

This is also why when the people in a certain country react angrily
at the administration’s decision to double the income tax rates,
taking to the streets and engaging in pitched battles with the
police who are out to control the reaction, the people are doing
back or demonstrating against the government.