I have been a business writer for some time now. Most of my thoughts on writing have been influenced by "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser.

The crux of his work is, simplify, simplify, simplify. You don't need big words. You don't need to sound big. You just have to convey the message in as few words as possible.

When you do that, do you need a big vocab? Seems useless to me.

What do you think?

Personally I do not think using long words are what are important, but word variation definatly is. It is boring to read something where the same words are being repeated over and over again. Try and use a variation of words, but there is no point including technical words that no-one is going to be able to understand as the point of writing is to get a message across, and if no-one can understand it then there is no point.

Vocabulary is important. No matter how simplistic your ideas are, being too simple can ruin your work. It is vital to use simple sentences but equally important to convey them in decent words. The idea is not to use fancy words too many times in a row. Vary their usage.

Its a matter of degree. The vast majority of humans have a straight forward vocabulary when they talk. If you're too complicated, it stops the reader from the flow, but tossing in a few words every now and then, not in the dialogue put in the tag build up or the narrative doesn't hurt.

Ref Heathers comment, I totally agree. If you use "Talk" or "Walk" or "expression ten times on a page, it becomes boring. For example, instead of "expression on his face", there's nothing wrong with using "visage on his face" somewhere else. Use a Thesaurus. I maintain a list of 120 repetitive words (walk, talk, smile, look, etc). Once the MS is none, I do a global search and check the page count between the use of each word. If its too small, I go to my online Thesaurus and pick a different one.

In reference to Michael, that is quite specific, doing page counts and stuff. Just read through your work and if it sounds like you have said the same word too many time, then change a couple. I would not suggest using a theasuroas though if I am honest as they are not a direct translation, especially if you use an online translatiom. Like translating heart to aotic pump or something (on Friends :p). Just try and keep it varied so it reads better.
Heather

It isn't a matter of using big words or not, it is a matter of using words that convey the meaning you want in the best possible way. Even words that have literal definitions which are the same can have different connotations and denotations. For instance, if I were describing the good smell of a perfume, I wouldn't want to call that smell a "stench" as opposed to an "aroma". They mean the same thing, but stench makes it sound as if the smell is not a good one. It doesn't get my message across.

I personally think that everyday words are good for most stuff, but sometimes a bigger word just says it better.

a writer's basic set of tools is his/her vocabulary... and, just as a master carpenter would not use a saber saw to trim a delicate piece of woodwork, a master wordsmith would not use a ten dollar word where a two-bit one does a better job...

but they both will have ALL the tools of their trade and keep them handy, for when they ARE needed... the difference between masters of an art/craft and lesser lights is knowing when to use what... and how to use each one properly/effectively...

'nuff said?

More important that having a huge vocabulary is using the words in your vocabulary correctly. Nothing throws off the flow of a story more than a word used in a way that just isn't correct in the given context.

I can't easily give examples without going to posted writing and pointing at examples - I won't do that here, but you may see examples pointed out in the reviews. But it's not just the misuse of uncommon words. There are very common ones like using loose when you mean lose (to fail win, or to misplace something) or to when you mean too, to bare (uncover or make naked) instead of to bear (to carry or to endure something), etc.

Paul Brian's site, Common Errors in English (http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/), is an excellent reference on this type of usage error, and is a very entertaining site as well.

When I write papers for school I always have to make sure I have a lot of variation. I need to be able to know different words for the same thing. The teachers come down hard on use of the same word over and over. So I've learned that it's not size that matters with words it's variation, and the ability to make smaller words work in sentance. Writing is more about how it sounds then showing off what you can say. Sometimes though bigger words are needed to discribe what's going on. A lot of times bigger words have a bigger meaning, so instead of saying like "it was really painful" you'll say "It was excruciating" because that actually shows that it wasn't just a pinprick.

Assuming you want to reach as many people as possible with your work, then the simper you write the better. I'm not saying 'talk down', I'm saying don't try to be clever. Just write as if you're in conversation, except make it clearer, more concise and with correct grammar.

Anthony

Write simply without throwing in big words for the sake of big words. If there is a word that does the perfect job, but some people might not know, use it. It'll help their vocabulary also. You can use the occasional large word to sipmlify your work. You can present a concept powerfuly in one sentance that would otherwise take you a whole paragraph of tourtued reasoning to explain. If you do that make it so they can figure out what the word means by the context of the sentance.

@Heather,

There are a fair number of people who think using uncommon words is good. Should we use uncommon words?

I agree with you that word variation is important and so vocabulary takes its place. Which tools do you use if you want to use a variant? I try and use thesaurus. I am asking this questions just in case you know some good websites.

Variation seems to be the only reason why you would want good vocabulary.

Just to vary my question a little bit, [:)] do you think the need for your own (in-your-mind-not-in-thesaurus or computer) vocabulary has come down over years because most of our writing has shifted online (so you can use thesaurus in word processor or online) and two, most of the writing is for online audience and because of diminishing online attention span, people have shifted to easier and simpler words? That has reduced (not eliminated) the need for in-your-mind vocabulary.

Not at all. My own fascination with words has never abated over the years. If anything, it has grown. But then again, I was an adult before there was such a thing as a personal computer.

One secret about me, hitherto unknown by anyone on the forums, is that I love puns. The key to punning is a broad vocabulary and practice at collecting associated words from alternate definitions, quickly.

A good vocabulary need not be based on obscure, polysyllabic words like polysyllabic. The important thing is to know a wide range of common words, and to pay attention to not only the simple dictionary definitions, but also to the shades of meaning of the words in their natural contexts.

@Heather,

There are a fair number of people who think using uncommon words is good. Should we use uncommon words?

I agree with you that word variation is important and so vocabulary takes its place. Which tools do you use if you want to use a variant? I try and use thesaurus. I am asking this questions just in case you know some good websites.

Well, the choice is up to you really about using uncommon words, but personally I would try not to. If it is uncommon, then not many people are going to know what it means, so what is the point of using it. the point of writing is about painting the picture of what has happened, telling the reader a story. What is the point of telling an English speaking reader a story in French for example? They wouldn't understand it. So why do it with technical words that they are not going to understand either?

and I don't really use anything, just the words I know. I either replace the word with one I know, or re-phrase it so it uses different words. If I am writing in class I sometimes ask my teacher how I could re-phrase or say something.

So why do it with technical words that they are not going to understand either?

and I don't really use anything, just the words I know. I either replace the word with one I know, or re-phrase it so it uses different words.

Well said Heather. I totally agree with you.

Why compromise the integrity of the work for the sake of the ignorant masses?

One of the most basic of concepts that any writer has to understand is that if you want to write you need to know and love the language, be able to to play with words and structure to fit your mood and needs. Writing is a craft.

Not grasping that concept is like saying I want to paint but all these colors are confusing.

I almost would go the opposite direction to some of these responses. I definitely think knowing a language's vocabulary is essential - how else can you sound like a pompous, erudite, aloof writer? However, I would also say that what I hate about contemporary fiction the most is the dumbing down of the writing. I prefer big words - they don't scare me. I prefer complex sentences. I want all of that, which sadly seems to be edited out of most contemporary fiction. Perhaps that is why I stick with the classics more...

I am not saying write as if you are talking to your three year old sister or something, you want complex sentences (which actually have nothing to do with vocabulary but sentence length and structure) and you want words that suit the purpose best. All I am saying is that when people start purposlly start using complicated, techincal words that are not used often in ordinary conversations so are proably not going to be understood, it is just srrogant, as if I know more words that you so ha.

What's wrong with a little arrogance? :)

I'd rather read someone cocky enough to be snotty in his or her work than someone that has only a rudimentary understanding of the language.

Confidence and comfort with using a broader vocabulary is not snooty or arrogant, though.

Choosing a word merely bacause it sounds more impressive or educated is what comes across as arrogant. But choosing a word that better conveys the meaning is speaking or writing well.

The best words to round out a vocabulary are not the words that few people know. How does that communicate better? The best words are ones that people have heard and understand, but may not be the ones they hear every day. And those words only work better if the listener or reader receives a sharper, clearer impression of what the speaker or writer is trying to convey than a more mundane word choice.

A good vocabulary, in my opinion, is more about having a good internal thesaurus than a good internal dictionary. It's knowing the words well enough to not only know the literal meaning, but also the connotations, the nuances that cling to the word. For example, cute and hot are both words that a girl might use to say that a guy attracts her, but the differences in the connotations are profound.

Big vocab here and there is fine- it makes you seem smart. Just don't over do it. ;)

I don't see the fun in making your work resemble a dictionary. I mean, its not just clever or literate people who read, and readers don't want to be checking their Pocket Oxford every few pages just to keep up with the story.

Vocabulary, on the other hand, I feel can make or break a story. For instance, most of my work is full of what you might call "underworld" jargon. I try to explain whatever slang I use, without making it seem like a Wiki entry, but I've been told it adds a certain touch to the tale.

Anyway, I guess your really the only person who can decide whether your work needs a specific vocabulary or not. Besides, you can always try different styles and get feedback from them on here or similar sites.

Choosing a word merely bacause it sounds more impressive or educated is what comes across as arrogant. But choosing a word that better conveys the meaning is speaking or writing well. thats what I mean, you should pick the word which will convery the meaning the best way, not which sounds the more technical, or uses the longest word or something.

A good vocabulary, in my opinion, is more about having a good internal thesaurus than a good internal dictionary. It's knowing the words well enough to not only know the literal meaning, but also the connotations, the nuances that cling to the word. For example, cute and hot are both words that a girl might use to say that a guy attracts her, but the differences in the connotations are profound.

EXACTLY, cog. How do you always manage to nail it? I think I'm understanding the advice the OP read exactly differently than the OP did. I read that as don't use too many words, don't over complicate a sentence, use the most concise words you can. Pack as much wallop into a single word as you possibly can.

You need a HUGE vocabulary to do that.

If you want to say someone talks a lot, but never really says anything, you might say he is garrulous. If someone talks a lot and has beautiful language and everyone pauses to listen to him, he is loquacious. These two words are synonyms, if you read their textbook definition (talkative) but are very different when you take connotation into account.

So when it comes to writing with conciseness...

"John was very talkative, but he never seemed to say anything" becomes "John was garrulous"

The shorter your sentences are, the bigger a vocabulary you need. You have to pack as much into each word as you can, which means picking the word with the best meaning for what you're trying to get across.

"John was very talkative, but he never seemed to say anything" becomes "John was garrulous" The problem with the second sentence however, is that I do not understand it. Now I am basing my opinion here upon a guess, but I have a fairly wide vocabulary, and I did not understand it until you explained, and I think a lot of people would not either. Why use a word people are not going to understand??

If you have to look at a thesaurus to find a "better" word and you find one that sounds cool, don't use it. It's probably either too big or too confusing.

What I've found in what I consider well-written prose is the occasional word that's not entirely familiar to me, but placed so that it doesn't block my understanding o what I'm reading.

A few months ago, I was reading a novel by Patricia Cornwell, and her character was restless, and getting up to wander and think in the middle of the night. Cornwell wrote something about Kay's partner's tolerance of her "nightly peregrinations". I wasn't familiar with the word, but the context made it clear that it had to do with her restless need to get up and do things. I liked the sound of the word and looked it up, and now it's a part of my vocabulary. I don't know if I'll ever find a place in my own writing that needs that word, but I appreciate her use of it nevertheless. She could have written "nightly wanderings" instead, but I felt like I had received a small gift.

Knowing when to make the exception from the mundane is one of the things that distinguishes a great writer from a good one.

Everyone to their own. The way I see it, it depends on who your market is and the literary tradition you hail from or have developed. Your writing style depends on how varied your reading is, which, in turn, dictates how broad your vocabulary is, which, in turn, clarifies the market you target. No?

Also, writing in everyday conversational style simply doesn't work in fiction. From my experience of reading and writing, dialogue has to be 'extra-ordinary', as opposed to 'ordinary'. Ordinary takes too long to move things forward, as in; characters can't afford to stand around chit-chatting until something happens. That's real life, not fiction. Same goes for 'big' or out of context words or phases. Being varied is good, but going for big just because you think it's different or might make an impression isn't better than using what you're used to, which, in the end, will elucidate exactly what you're trying to articulate, or, to put it another way - will get your message across and keep the reader you're aiming for.:)

Well, the choice is up to you really about using uncommon words, but personally I would try not to. If it is uncommon, then not many people are going to know what it means, so what is the point of using it. the point of writing is about painting the picture of what has happened, telling the reader a story. What is the point of telling an English speaking reader a story in French for example? They wouldn't understand it. So why do it with technical words that they are not going to understand either?

and I don't really use anything, just the words I know. I either replace the word with one I know, or re-phrase it so it uses different words. If I am writing in class I sometimes ask my teacher how I could re-phrase or say something.

Just to play devil's advocate: Then why did literary gurus like Shakespeare write in such complicated words? If I read literary pieces, I can understand little, if I don't have a dictionary with me. I am reasonably sure a lot of people won't. Why did they write such pieces?

Keep in mind that Shaakespeare's plays are written in archaic English, so the words were nowhere nearly as difficult for the audiences than as they are for modern audiences.

Also, Shakespeare was master punster - his words very often were chosen for multiple meanings, both for dramatic and comic effect. Again, much of that double meaning is lost to a modern audience not familiar with the slang of Shakespeare's time.

Just to play devil's advocate: Then why did literary gurus like Shakespeare write in such complicated words? If I read literary pieces, I can understand little, if I don't have a dictionary with me. I am reasonably sure a lot of people won't. Why did they write such pieces? shakespesre didn't really use complicated words, he made them up as he went along in most of the cases, and now we see them as complicated words. Shakespeare's style if you will, was to sound poetic and different, and he acheived this by making many of his lines ryhme and have rhythm, and by making up, and using more complicated words.

shakespesre didn't really use complicated words, he made them up as he went along in most of the cases, and now we see them as complicated words. Shakespeare's style if you will, was to sound poetic and different, and he acheived this by making many of his lines ryhme and have rhythm, and by making up, and using more complicated words.

@Heather @Cogito and others,

You have been great. This forum is just lovely. I will stay around.

I think that vocabulary is important to a certain point. If someone just puts in big words with the sole purpose to sound "fancy", then I think that, as Cogito said, it comes across as arrogant. But if you want to use a huge vocabulary word to portray a particular meaning, and as long as you use it correctly in a way that the average reader would comprehend (using context clues helps), then I think that's fine. In my own writing, I try not to use too many big words, because being only thirteen years old, I might appear to be "trying too hard"...and it's fine with me to not use an excessive amount of big words, because I'm not even used to using huge vocabulary words anyways when I speak.

@Heather @Cogito and others,

You have been great. This forum is just lovely. I will stay around. I am glad to hear it, and thank you. :) I hope we have helped somehow and it would be great to see you continuing to post.
Heather