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Endeavour: Difference between revisions
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{{a|plainenglish|}}{{quote| | {{a|plainenglish|}}{{quote| | ||
“Give me credit,” I said, “I ''am'' trying”. <br> | “Give me credit,” I said, “I ''am'' trying”. <br> | ||
“Well, yes”, she replied, “I’ll give you that. You ''are'' trying.” <br> | |||
I smiled, | I smiled, flushed with the endorphins of an unexpected compliment.<br> | ||
“''Very'' trying.”}} | “''Very'' trying.”<br> | ||
“Oh, right.”}} | |||
“[[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, clearer, 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, clearer, less fussy. | ||