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Keep it simple: Key to impressive writing
The Times of India ^ | Tuesday, November 01, 2005 09:27:03 am | IANS

Posted on 11/01/2005 9:10:26 AM PST by CarrotAndStick

Though copy editors and popular writers have known it for long, an experiment by a psychologist establishes the key to impressive writing - keep it plain and simple.

Writers who use long words needlessly and choose complicated font styles in print are seen as less intelligent than those who employ basic vocabulary and plain text, according to new research from the Princeton University in New Jersey to be published in the next edition of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

In the study titled 'Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly', Daniel Oppenheimer based his findings on students' responses to writing samples for which the complexity of the font or vocabulary was systematically manipulated.

In a series of five experiments, he found that people tended to rate the intelligence of authors who wrote essays in simpler language, using an easy to read font, as higher than those who authored more complex works.

"It's important to point out that this research is not about problems with using long words but about using long words needlessly," Oppenheimer was quoted as saying.

"Anything that makes a text hard to read and understand, such as unnecessarily long words or complicated fonts, will lower readers' evaluations of the text and its author."

The samples of text included graduate school applications, sociology dissertation abstracts, and translations of a work of Descartes. Times New Roman and italicized Juice font were used in samples to further assess the effect of fluency on rating levels.

Interestingly, by making people aware that the source of low fluency was irrelevant to judgement, Oppenheimer found that they overcompensated and became biased in the opposite direction.

In a final experiment, he provided samples of text printed with normal and low printer toner levels. The low toner levels made the text harder to read, but readers were able to identify the toner as being responsible for the difficulty, and therefore didn't blame the authors.

"One thing seems certain: write as simply and plainly as possible and it's more likely you'll be thought of as intelligent," Oppenheimer said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: easy; education; font; grammar; india; keepitsimple; letter; note; psychology; simplicitywins; style; writing
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1 posted on 11/01/2005 9:10:27 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
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To: CarrotAndStick

Good.


2 posted on 11/01/2005 9:11:13 AM PST by Andy from Beaverton (I only vote Republican to stop the Democrats)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Brevity is the soul of wit............


3 posted on 11/01/2005 9:11:16 AM PST by Red Badger (Spies are the most important asset, because on them depends an army's ability to march. - SUN TZU)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Mr. Will, please pick up the white courtesy phone.


4 posted on 11/01/2005 9:12:31 AM PST by Crawdad (So the guy says to the doctor, "It hurts when I do this.")
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To: CarrotAndStick

"Short words are best and the old words, when short, are the best of all." -- Winston Churchill


5 posted on 11/01/2005 9:12:36 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves (Speaking several languages is an asset; keeping your mouth shut in one is priceless.)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Eschew obfuscation.


6 posted on 11/01/2005 9:14:19 AM PST by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: CarrotAndStick
'Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly'

Yea. Right.

7 posted on 11/01/2005 9:14:43 AM PST by manwiththehands
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To: CarrotAndStick
'Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly'

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's overly-excessive, verbose and redundant wordiness.

8 posted on 11/01/2005 9:15:37 AM PST by Maceman (Fake but accurate -- and now double-sourced)
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To: CarrotAndStick
Interestingly, by making people aware that the source of low fluency was irrelevant to judgement, Oppenheimer found that they overcompensated and became biased in the opposite direction.

"Physician, heal thyself." (The article author obviously missed the point of the article.)

9 posted on 11/01/2005 9:16:26 AM PST by talleyman (E=mc2 (before taxes))
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To: Andy from Beaverton
Good.

***********

LOL!

10 posted on 11/01/2005 9:16:43 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: CarrotAndStick
The importance of this article cannot be overemphasized and should thoroughly examined by all to further enhance the readability and comprehension on this forum. Therefore, I shall post my reply with the intentions of relocating this article to the top of the latest replies.
11 posted on 11/01/2005 9:18:35 AM PST by Flyer (The Internet, my dog and you ~ http://dahtcom.com/masoncam/)
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To: CarrotAndStick
Keep it simple: Key to impressive writing

Someone please clue the posters in the religion forum to this fact. Also, sticking to one font and one text color, with limited italics and underlining, is a good idea.

12 posted on 11/01/2005 9:19:17 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Still Thinking

gesundheit!


13 posted on 11/01/2005 9:19:25 AM PST by chilepepper (The map is not the territory -- Alfred Korzybski)
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To: trisham

Mr. Strunk, meet Mr. White.


14 posted on 11/01/2005 9:20:14 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: Maceman
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's overly-excessive, verbose and redundant wordiness."

One of my favorite lines from "Cheers" had Frasier Crane indignantly asking "Oh, so you're telling me I'm redundant? I repeat myself? I say the same things over and over?"

15 posted on 11/01/2005 9:20:25 AM PST by jim macomber (Author: "Bargained for Exchange", "Art & Part", "A Grave Breach" http://www.jamesmacomber.com)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Doh?


16 posted on 11/01/2005 9:21:00 AM PST by Quicksilver
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To: Flyer
The importance of this article cannot be overemphasized and should thoroughly examined by all to further enhance the readability and comprehension on this forum. Therefore, I shall post my reply with the intentions of relocating this article to the top of the latest replies.

Could you please elaborate?

17 posted on 11/01/2005 9:21:11 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Maceman

It's the language of the psuedo-intellectuals. They use a thousand words to say nothing.


18 posted on 11/01/2005 9:21:58 AM PST by CajunConservative
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To: Larry Lucido

I think he said he's gonna bump this puppy.


19 posted on 11/01/2005 9:22:18 AM PST by dirtboy (Drool overflowed my buffer...)
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To: Andy from Beaverton
Good.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant ;-)

20 posted on 11/01/2005 9:22:46 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest (read my posts on Today show bias at www.newsbusters.org)
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