While the vast number and variety of words in English allow you to express yourself in unique and interesting ways, it's easy to overuse the longer, more difficult ones. When you use too many "big" words, your speech may sound elegant at first, but it may also be difficult to follow. If your listeners are unfamiliar with some of the words you use--or if you don't use them quite correctly--you can lose your audience quickly. And once you've lost your audience, you're wasting your breath.
Most of the time, your message will be clearer--and more compelling or inspiring--if you use the simplest words to say what you mean. The list below provides some examples of simple words that often get ignored in favor of their more complex synonyms. See if you can match each complex word with its simpler cousin.
about
fast
try
equal
start
near
use
wrong
|
utilize
endeavor
commence
in proximity to
expeditious
commensurate
erroneous
regarding
|
Try again to match the remaining items.
