From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer
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Long words
From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer
Long words
- Now George Orwell was big on simplicity at a time when flowery language I guess was more fashionable than it is now. Famously he once said, "Never use a long word where a short one will do." Amateur writers habitually default to longer words when the shorter equivalence will basically do the job fine. And I'm not opposed to long words, but like Orwell, I get irritated when people assume that using longer words makes you more intelligent or more sophisticated. At the same time, don't be dogmatic about preferring shorter words either. Sometimes a longer word is better than a similar shorter one if it helps you to get your meaning across better, like a clarity reason. But there's still huge value in shorter words, even beyond their lack of pretentiousness. They're faster to read so they add pace to your writing. They aren't too heavy so they don't weigh your writing down. They're easier for readers to process and all other things being equal, a shorter word is generally preferable to a…
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Contents
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The beauty of simplicity1m 29s
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Fancy, flowery, and official language6m 16s
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Fancy, flowery, and official language: Exercises2m 24s
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Economical ("tight") writing1m 43s
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Economical ("tight") writing: Exercises5m 53s
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Redundant words51s
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Redundant words: Exercises1m 37s
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More implied words57s
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More implied words: Exercises1m 34s
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Long words3m 3s
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Long words: Exercises4m 56s
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Careless repetition3m 31s
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Careless repetition: Exercises8m 21s
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Rambling (saying too much)4m 48s
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Double negatives3m 35s
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Multiply entities2m 47s
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Overstretching thoughts9m 51s
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Unnecessary ceremony2m 53s
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Unnecessary ceremony: Exercises3m 39s
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Excessive punctuation4m 33s
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