There is an ocean of videos telling you to stop saying something or that if you want to sound more native, you should stop using certain words because they are too simple. But actually, I’d like to discuss why simpler words are your best friend and you shouldn’t hesitate to use them.
The story of haves and have-nots
First let me share with you a personal story when I used super simple words and I was praised for it. Mind you, I actually wanted to use fancier words at the time, but I didn’t have the knowledge I have today. Also, I was under some stress, and you know that when you are anxious, your brain doesn’t really cooperate.
So, I remember my first English writing class that I took in college. Back then I was thinking, “This is not an ESL school anymore; I’m in college now.” Just a side note here – when I moved to the US, I didn’t speak English and I went to an ESL school. But now I felt super anxious because I was in my first semester in college, and I was the only nonnative speaker in my class. No pressure, right?
The first day of class, the professor gave us a short paragraph to paraphrase. I was stressing out because this was our first assignment and I wanted to do well. I knew that in order to paraphrase something I needed to know many words and their synonyms. But my vocabulary at that time was still not as robust as I would have wanted.
To be honest, I can’t recall the whole text or the book it was taken from. But I remember getting super anxious because I didn’t know two key words. I knew that these words were important because they were mentioned several times in the text.
The whole paragraph was discussing the difference in quality of life between the haves and have-nots. I’d never seen or heard these words before. From the context I figured that haves must mean people who have something and I thought that the have-nots probably meant people who don’t have it. I didn’t know what this “something” was, but after reading the paragraph again, I realized that it wasn’t anything in particular. It was everything.
Rich and poor
So, I figured that the haves must be the rich and the have-nots must be the poor. Now that I had the meaning, I needed to come up with better synonyms than the rich and the poor. I thought that I couldn’t use such basic words in an English writing class. But time was passing fast. I had to hand in my paper in a minute and I still couldn’t come up with more sophisticated synonyms. Rich and poor were the only words that came to mind.
When I handed in my assignment, I was a little embarrassed that I had used these super simple words. I was worried that the professor would think that I didn’t belong in a college-level English class because my vocabulary was poor. But when the next day he asked me if he could read my paper to the class, I was stunned. He read my work with a certain dose of surprise in his voice. Then he was like “The rich and the poor are probably the best synonyms for haves and have-nots that I’ve seen.”
And then it just hit me that we often look for more complicated and multisyllabic terms in order to appear more educated. But the words we use in our everyday life are sometimes the most powerful. To be honest, I don’t know if I would have used the same words if I had to go back to that moment with the proficiency of the English language that I have now. Maybe I would be tempted to choose terms like “the wealthy” and the “impoverished” instead of the rich and the poor. But the truth is that my lack of knowledge then taught me that while everyone else used words I didn’t even know how to pronounce, it was my simple paper that appealed to the professor the most.
The power of simple words
Here are a few reasons why more common words are great:
1. Impact
Simple words are often more impactful than fancier words because, in my opinion, they often get into the listener’s heart and subconscious mind. I remember once helping one of my Iranian friends correct her essay. She had many mistakes and her vocabulary choice was super basic, but this was one of the best essays I’ve ever read. She was just telling her story, and not trying to impress anyone with fancy words. And the impact she had on the reader was mind-blowing.
2. Fall back
When you get nervous and forget fancier words, you can fall back on simpler words and not get stuck. For example, I know I have a way larger vocabulary inventory when I am relaxed and talk to someone, I feel comfortable with. But when the stakes are high and I’m nervous, I tend to forget many of the more complicated words, and I fall back into simpler words to communicate my message. And there is nothing wrong with that.
3. Focus on the meaning
As long as you communicate the meaning, you don’t have to sound like the National Public Radio. Actually, if you only use multisyllabic words, you might sound pretentious.
Don’t get me wrong. Knowing and using more sophisticated words is definitely an asset. The problem comes when sometimes people, in order to appear super intelligent, use only long and complicated words. But packing your speech or paper with fancy terms might have the opposite effect on your audience. You could lose your listeners or readers because they might find it hard to relate. Mix more polished words with more common ones. This way you won’t limit your audience.
How to choose the right words
So, what do you need to do to make sure that you are a strong communicator and that you choose the right words?
1. Know the meaning
First, if you choose to use more sophisticated words, make sure that you know their meaning. If you look up a fancy sounding word that you have never used before, make sure you know exactly how to use it. Dictionaries are good for finding definitions, but they might not be the best source if you are searching to find how to use words in context. Instead, you can use sites like Youglish and Skell. Thank God for today’s technology.
2. Tricky similarity to your native language
Another thing you might want to keep in mind is that certain words might sound very similar to some words from your native language. But they can be tricky because they might mean something totally different. For example, you might know that the Spanish word embarazada doesn’t mean embarrassed in English, but pregnant, although these two words sound almost the same. There are many similar examples, so don’t ever assume that you know a word just because it sounds similar to another word from your language.
3. Keep learning
In the example from my story that I mentioned above, I used simple words because my English vocabulary was limited at the time. But knowledge is power. Simple words could be very impactful, but don’t use this as an excuse not to study. Always keep learning. The more you know, the better choices you will make.
4. The power of choice
Choosing what words to use in a speech or a piece or writing is challenging even in our native language, let alone in a foreign one. When you are not sure what phrase to pick for a certain situation, ask yourself what you want your audience to feel. Fancier words might induce more respect while simpler words often go straight to the heart. Mix and match and do it by choice. Having a choice will make you more confident.
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