Effective Language Exercises

Effective Use of Language

Effective language is:

(1) concrete and specific, not vague and abstract;

(2) concise, not verbose;

(3) familiar, not obscure;

(4) precise and clear, not inaccurate or ambiguous;

(5) constructive, not destructive;

(6) appropriately formal.

1.      Concrete and Specific Language.

Task. Study the examples below. Which is more concrete and specific? What effect is created?

He is a bad roommate  – the most abstract
He is lazy and discourteous
He is untidy and unclean
He doesn't clean up his own messes
He leaves his dirty dishes on the kitchen counter – the most concreted and specific
Your relationship with John is unacceptable – the most abstract
You do not get along well with John
You and John have a lot of arguments
You and John insult each other too much
You and John call each other derogatory names – the most concrete
In my opinion concrete sentences characterize objects precisely and give examples of abstract notion. Why is he a bad roommate? Because he leaves his dirty dishes and doesn’t clean up his own messes. Also It seems to me that speaking precisely we express the thought completely and easier to understand but it sounds rather rude in these very cases. Better to say more vaguely.

2. Concise Language

Task. Shorten the sentences above to avoid wordiness.

 (1) Employees discussed that many of them will be forced to change jobs when there is a merger between the two companies.
(2) Before making a decision if the accused is guilty or not, the jury should be sure to carefully check all the  testimony in the case.

3. Familiar Language

Task. Consider the following examples. An assignment given to a class of business students by their philosophy professor.  Paraphrase it using familiar language.

"The presently assigned paper necessitates an eloquently articulated analysis of the Existentialist perspective as it pertains to contemporary living. You should adumbrate the points which represent the sine qua non /ˌsIni kwɑː ˈnɒn/ of your analysis."
This article requires an eloquently formulated analysis of the existentialist perspective in relation to modern life. You must sum up the points that represent the conditions of your analysis."

4. Precise and Clear Language

Task. Consider the following words. What numerical value would you assign to each of them? If something is "probable what percentage of the time does it occur?, etc.
(1) probable 50% (2) doubtful 30%  (3) certainly 99% (4) unlikely 15% (5) perhaps 70%
Consider the following example. The question "Is that Toyota an expensive car?" is best answered with a comparison: "Compared to that Honda, the Toyota is expensive. Compared to that Lexus, it is inexpensive."
Consider the adjectives below, mind their the potential ambiguity
Expensive hot intelligent good spicy – all ambiguous to certain extent
Consider the following example. Note the potential confusion or ambiguity in this phrase. What is meant here by the adjective “interesting”?
 He's an interesting individual. It is very ambiguous as interesting may have negative shade as “eccentric” or positive one as in “versatile”.


Task. Each of the following are actual headlines printed in newspapers. Notice  and explain their double meaning.

(1) Include your children when Baking Cookies (put them into the dough or welcome to take part in the process?)
(2) Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board ( by committee or a piece of metal ?)
(3) Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in Ten Years (is he sentenced for second time or die for second time?)

5. Constructive Language

Task. Consider the following examples. Constructive language phrases a potentially negative message in a positive way, whereas destructive language directs blame and criticism toward the reader, creating defensiveness. Change the use of language to make these examples more constructive.

(1) Student to instructor: "Your lectures made me a bit confused that I don't know what to do. I will probably have to shift to Dr. Johnstones class next term, though I actually don't want to but probably I’m just not good prepared to catch the       information”.

(2) Instructor to student: "I’m sorry I have never faced such a problem. Maybe you should really try Dr. Johnstones’ courses, as I heard he performs the material really well. But always feel free to come back and we’ll sort everything out.

6. Formality of Language.

Notice the difference in formality in the following.

Very Formal: Exceedingly large segments of the population are expressing their discontent with medical practitioners who appear more engrossed in amassing financial assets than in providing efficacious care to people with health disorders.

Formal: A large number of consumers are complaining about medical doctors who are apparently more interested in making money than in providing effective health care.

Informal: A lot of people are unhappy with their doctors who only seem to care about how much money they make, and not about giving their patients good care.

Task. Find synonyms to the following words. Notice the difference in formality between the two words in pairs. Either word might be equally appropriate, depending upon the reader and situation.

Formal	Neutral
Utilize	use
facilitate	help
impediment	difficulty
comprehend	understand
erroneous	wrong