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Prose Parade
Grammar and writing basics


Simple and Simplistic

I know people use these two words interchangeably. Stop it! They mean two very different things.

Simple means not complicated or easy. The noun for simple is simplicity.

Simplistic means overly simple while ignoring the complications or complexities. The noun for simplistic is simplism.

See? They sound so much alike, but you can change the meaning of what you’re saying or writing so easily.

When I was surfing the TV once, I saw an informercial that was selling some fast cooking contraption, and the woman continually said using it was simplistic. To me that means it’s hard to use, but she wants us to ignore that part.

She was going for the big dollar word so she’d sound professional. Well, that’s my guess anyway, but instead of keeping it simple, she sounded ignorant. (I know that’s harsh, a not uncommon trait in me.)

Some good advice for novice writers is to keep it simple. Say what you have to say clearly, concisely and cogently.

Amen.

« True Facts or Real Facts – An Itty Bitty S »

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admin
Date:
April 1, 2009 um 2:34 pm
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2 Comments »

  1. Michael Imlay

    That explanation is sheer simplicity. Thanks for keeping us from becoming simpletons. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.) — MI

    #1 Comment vom 01. April 2009 um 3:49 pm

  2. admin

    You do manage to wring it out, don’t you.

    #2 Comment vom 02. April 2009 um 4:09 pm

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