From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer

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Long words

Long words

From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer

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Long words

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- 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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