ELISA ENGLISH's Blog 英語園地

馬克吐溫  Mark Twain

An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I've dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down till the average is three and a half. . . . I never write metropolis for seven cents, because I can get the same money for city. I never write policeman, because I can get the same price for cop. . . . I never write valetudinarian at all, for not even hunger and wretchedness can humble me to the point where I will do a word like that for seven cents; I wouldn't do it for fifteen. – By Mark Twain

一個英文詞彙平均是四個半字。努力的,我將我的詞彙減至三個半.

我絕不為了七分錢而使用『metropolis』這個字，因為我可以用『city』這個字來代替而拿到同樣的錢.

我絕不用『policeman』這個字，因為我可以用『cop』這個字來代替而拿到同樣的錢.

我絕不用『valetudinarian』這個字，即使飢餓和悲慘都不能使我順服的為了七分錢而使用這個字, 就算是十五分錢, 我也不會寫.

Mark Twain stressed the importance of not using longer words as it is easier for the readers to understand.  Like I always said, short and sweet. 

Read Mark Twain’s speech: http://www.twainquotes.com/19060920.html