Single-syllable words can shock, jolt and pop
By Mim Harrison, author of Smart Words
“Samuel Clemens” meanders. “Mark Twain” stands up straight and takes charge.
John F. Kennedy said in two simple, single-syllable words what a lesser speaker might have spent a passage crafting:
“Ask not.”
The power of the single syllable is that its simplicity is deceptive. Short words help you write tightly and clearly. And because of their Anglo-Saxon origins, the words themselves are often charged with meaning.
So write in Ernest: Make like Hemingway and wake up the page with one-syllable wonders like: carp, daft, dearth, eke, fey, flout, limn.
And here’s one more reason to harness the power of one: Short words help you tweet and text more economically.
Need inspiration? Play with super-short words and more super-short words.
Cut Through the Clutter
How long is too long? What’s the right length for your piece? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words?
Find out at Rev Up Readability — our clear-writing workshop — online May 4-June 1.There, you’ll use a cool (free!) tool to analyze your message for 27 readability metrics. You’ll leave with quantifiable targets, tips and techniques for measurably boosting readability.
You’ll see your readability skyrocket in our practice sessions. Over the course of the class, our participants have increased reading ease by 200%, 360% — even 1,200%.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
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Source: Mim Harrison, Smart Words, Perigee Trade, 2008
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