Monday, February 19, 2007

Use a short word

Here are some commonly used long words. You can click on my comments to find the short words that mean the same:

1. as a consequence of
2. as of the date of
3. at the present time
4. costs the sum of
5. despite the fact that
6. due to the fact that
7. during which time
8. for the duration of
9. for the purpose of
10. give consideration to
11. in the majority of instances
12. in the neighbourhood of
13. in view of the fact that
14. is in accordance with
15. on numerous occasions
16. the question as to whether
17. with the minimum of delay
18. you are required to

The long words are from "old English". They are still used often in legal documents and business correspondence.
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2 comments:

Tan Kin Lian said...

You should try to find the short word on your own.

After that, you can compare with the answers below:

1. because
2. from
3. now
4. costs
5. though
6. because
7. while
8. during
9. for
10. consider
11. most
12. around
13. because
14. follows
15. often
16. whether
17. quickly
18. please

Often, the answer is found within the long phrase. Just one word will do.

February 19, 2007 9:10 AM
Keloth Prem said...

Personally, I think writers use long words to impress...to show that they have 'arrived' within a certain context.

It may be challenging to use short sentences, too. In school, pupils had to do summary writing and they tended to write more when 'less was best'.

Still, writing *short words and sentences lets readers grasp the message faster.

*The word 'short' here refers to its everyday, ordinary meaning.

February 20, 2007 12:16 AM

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