31 ways to complicate your writing

Want to confuse your readers or have them stumble over unfamiliar and complex terms? If you don’t want them to understand a word of your message, try using the phrases in the right column. After all, why choose simple words when complex words can make you sound smarter?

(Forgive the sarcasm, but years spent editing articles written by attorneys, whose writing is purposefully vague, and physicians, whose writing is full of jargon, has made me cross.)

Instead of:	Use:
after or later	subsequently
arms	upper extremities
aware	cognizant
count	enumerate
end	terminate
equal	commensurate
fix	remediate
harmful	deleterious
help or lead	facilitate
helpful	advantageous
improve	ameliorate
issue	promulgate
join	consolidate
learn	ascertain
legs	lower extremities
limits	parameters
must	incumbent upon
next to	adjacent
part	component
pay or payment	remuneration
quick	expeditious
read	peruse
send	disseminate
skills	proficiencies
so	consequently
start	implement
talk	dialogue
try	endeavor
use	utilize
use	leverage
wrong	erroneous

Does it ever seem like people go out of their way to use unclear language? PR Daily readers, which unfamiliar or complex terms make you cranky?

 

This article was originally published on Ragan Communication’s PR Daily.

 

 

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