But in writing, these same thoughts go stumbling over
long words and groping through involved phrases.
Proverbs are sentences that have lived because they express a
thought briefly in short, familiar words. Slang becomes popular
because of the wealth of meaning expressed in a few words, and many
of these sayings gradually work their way into respectability--
reluctantly admitted into the sanctuary of "literature" because of
their strength, clearness, adaptability.
While short words are necessary for force and vigor, it may be very
desirable at times to use longer and less familiar words to bring
out the finer shade of meaning. A subtle distinction cannot be
ignored simply because one word is shorter than another. "Donate"
and "give" are frequently used as synonyms, but "give" should not be
used because it is a short word when "donate" expresses the meaning
more accurately. As a usual thing, "home" is preferable to
"residence," but there are times when the longer word should be
used. "Declare" and "state," "thoroughfare" and "street"--there are
thousands of illustrations on this point, and while the short,
Anglo-Saxon word is always preferable, it should not be used when a
longer word expresses more accurately the thought which the writer
wishes to convey.
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