Cohesion and Clarity
12- 24
√ Use shorter words rather than long ones when possible. English is an extremely absorbent language that over time has added words from most of the world’s languages, especially Latin and German. The added words have tended to be longer than the original English words. As a result, the English language is full of word choices: for example, perform (added) versus do (original) . Technical English, however, favors shorter English words when there is a choice. Unfortunately, when English-speaking scientists first began publishing their work more than 100 years ago, they tended to sprinkle their writing with words from Latin and French — to show off their education and knowledge of languages. This practice evolved into a writing tradition that persists today. However, it is enough for you to know that you should choose shorter words when you have a choice. (Of course, there are many long technical words that you cannot avoid using.)
Here are some examples of words that can be made shorter:
assistance → help desire → want facilitate → help instituted → set up/started optimum → best
“Once you know the principles involved, … writing is easier.” — Mien-Chie Hung, PhD Molecular & Cellular Oncology
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