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“Give me credit,” I said, “I ''am'' trying”. <br> | “Give me credit,” I said, “I ''am'' trying”. <br> | ||
“Well”, she replied, “I’ll give you that. You ''are'' trying.” | “Well”, she replied, “I’ll give you that. You ''are'' trying.” | ||
I smiled, | I smiled, flushing with unexpected compliment endorphins.<br> | ||
“''Very'' trying.” | “''Very'' trying.”}} | ||
“[[Endeavour]]” neatly illustrates the practical problem with plain English. It is a silly word: long; archaic; it conjures images of Captain Spaulding, in a pith helmet, slashing through jungle in the Congo on the hunt for Dr. Livingstone. Its alternative — “[[try]]” — is better in every way that a plain speaker cares about: shorter, more idiomatic, plainer, less fussy. | “[[Endeavour]]” neatly illustrates the practical problem with plain English. It is a silly word: long; archaic; it conjures images of Captain Spaulding, in a pith helmet, slashing through jungle in the Congo on the hunt for Dr. Livingstone. Its alternative — “[[try]]” — is better in every way that a plain speaker cares about: shorter, more idiomatic, plainer, less fussy. | ||
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{{egg}} | {{egg}} | ||