Winston Churchill said: “Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.”
He was right.
Short words are best because they don’t get in the reader’s way. They are familiar.
This makes them easy to understand and easy to spell.
They are also easier to pronounce
Most short words in modern English come from Anglo-Saxon, not Latin, roots.
They mainly describe real world objects and actions, not abstract concepts.
Short words get straight to the point.
Add short sentences (as you do) and your writing is fit for any reader. If only I could persuade my journalism students of this…
@freelance_unbound.
I think the hardest part of teaching journalism students must be un-teaching secondary school English. After six years of being told long words are a sign of learning, good journalism style must come as a shock.
[…] at just four words. Better still it uses short words, the whole headline is a mere 25 characters including […]