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Things that annoy the HELL out of you.


Assume Nothing

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I'm not arguing against him, I'm arguing against you. If you want to present his argument, take the strongest points you agree with and tell me exactly what I'm doing wrong. A lot of the excerpt is just unfounded assertions.

 

I'd like you to point out specifically, which terms I use are considered pretentious. It would be pointless to argue if I don't even know what you're arguing and what I'm defending.

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According to Orwell, you shouldn't use big words unless absolutely necessary.

 

subsequently

magnitude

unambiguously

superfluous

perpetuated

incite

myriad

pseudo-intellectual

allegation

vitriolic

diatribe

 

In the last page or so, you've said all of those words. Some are a bit debatable, but they're more or less unnecessary. I'm sure you're smart enough to think of simpler words that convey the same meaning.

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I've explained before - many of them provide clarity. I don't see any of them as particularly obscure, except maybe vitriol/diatribe/myriad. Oh, and 'pseudo-intellectual' isn't much of a complex term, given that it simply means 'ingenuine intellectual', which was actually reiterated from the other users on this thread. I see nothing wrong with 'unambiguously', since that's merely an inverse of ambiguity, which is to make an unclear claim that's open to (poor) interpretation.

 

A lot of them provide clarity on the extent of the claim, or otherwise provide clarity on what precisely I'm referring to. If we take 'allege' as an example - if I had used the word 'claim' instead, it would be unclear whether I was referring to legitimate claims or a false claim. I don't think that was too complex for the standard reader.

 

We can argue about this all day, but I don't think they're exactly 'exotic' words as though they're not found elsewhere.

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Generally, I try to talk on Tip.It like I'd talk to my friends 'in real life', minus all the stuff that would get me banned. I mean, if you're not here to be at least "pally"... what are you here for? This isn't Debate Club, nor is it an interview for Oxbridge.

 

The words listed aren't words I'd usually use around friends anyway. Instead of "subsequently", I'd just say "after that".

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I've explained before - many of them provide clarity.

Actually, people are trying to tell you they don't :P. And 'to allege' is 'to claim without evidence'. Which means you can't say whether the claim is right or wrong - it's not the same as 'to falsely claim'.

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It's not so much that they're unheard of; I'm sure most high school grads know the majority of them. It's just that they don't offer as much clarity as you think they do. In most cases, a simpler word would have sufficed been fine.

 

And I'm not gonna argue whether or not allege, pseudo-intellectual, etc. are complex, since it's quite subjective. Just understand that some people think they are.

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I do think it depends on context. In a more formal post, I wouldn't say 'after that'. I don't think they're that complex and obscure either. I don't see what's wrong with a slightly bigger vocabulary for variation and clarity, so long as it's used correctly (I realise that I've misused several words in the past, which I've promptly addressed).

 

I do think they provide clarity, but perhaps not around this specific audience. I'll bare that in mind and try to limit myself to extremely 'small' words.

 

EDIT @Quyneax - Good find. That was a genuine mistake. I should look it up a little more. I blame bad wording/interpretation. To allege = to assert, typically without proof. I've got it now.

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I do think they provide clarity, but perhaps not around this specific audience.

What exactly do you think the aim of effective communication is, if not to target what you're saying to the people you're saying it to?

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Clearer to whom? If you're referring to graduates who know a majority of the terms well, then it definitely should. If you're referring to typical forum users, then maybe you're right, which is why I've stated that I'll bare it in mind.

 

EDIT @Gingy - It depends on who's doing the reading. I believe that most people who would engage in a dispute would know these terms well, and see how they do fit in context. If I'm receiving responses from those who don't understand these terms well, and post because of misinterpretation, that's not my fault.

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They don't make your writer any clearer, though.

As Orwell wrote:

(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

To put it simply, you overdo it. Using different words for clarity is fine, but your posts are filled with words that the average reader isn't used to seeing. It makes the point you're trying to convey less clear, and comes off as a bit pretentious, and that's when you aren't misusing words.

 

I'd give the Orwell essay a read, as well. It's filled with useful advice regardless of how hypocritical it sounds today.

 

Constructive criticism'd! :grin:

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I'd say that's a poor analogy.

 

On Tip.it, we're engaged in a debate, not delivering an essential work-based communication. Even if we grant that the analogy is valid, your terms aren't exactly clear considering the different ways you can interpret 'personal protective equipment' (which is no better than saying protective gear).

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I need examples of whats considered normal terms, and whats considered specialist (complex) terms. We've done the latter, so we need the former.

magnitude - level, strength, size, etc.

unambiguously - absolutely, certainly

superfluous - unnecessary, excessive

perpetuated - continued

incite - encourage, provoke

myriad - wealth, abundance

vitriolic - biting, bitter, harsh

diatribe - abuse, objection

 

Cbf looking at the context so I just listed some common synonyms.

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Even if we grant that the analogy is valid, your terms aren't exactly clear considering the different ways you can interpret 'personal protective equipment' (which is no better than saying protective gear).

Exactly!

 

Hence the use of fancy words has actually removed clarity, hasn't it?

 

:wall:

 

I give up...

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It's not what I consider to be an appropriate 'fancy word' to use, so by your example, of course it didn't provide clarity. You deliberately chose a more ambiguous, yet technical term to use. It might be an idea to quote an old post of mine instead.

 

I think I might want to explain the proximus genus thing later.

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I use specific terms to convey the magnitude unambiguously.

i lol'd

 

Without trying to attack you, Assume_Nothing, in my opinion you seem to be trying to live up to a reputation as some deep intellectual skeptic by using unnecessarily complicated words. It makes you look like you used a thesaurus for everything you write and it's quite silly.

 

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I've never intended for that to happen, so anything that is interpreted is not a true representation of my intentions. I'm always accused of using unnecessarily complicated words, yet no one has bothered to quote some of my older posts (or more recent) to point out which specific terms are unnecessary. I'm still waiting.

 

It's not disputable if you're not going to point out what we're disagreeing on. I may consider a post fine, when you would say its too complicated.

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I've never intended for that to happen, so anything that is interpreted is not a true representation of my intentions. I'm always accused of using unnecessarily complicated words, yet no one has bothered to quote some of my older posts (or more recent) to point out which specific term is unnecessary. I'm still waiting.

 

According to Orwell, you shouldn't use big words unless absolutely necessary.

 

subsequently

magnitude

unambiguously

superfluous

perpetuated

incite

myriad

pseudo-intellectual

allegation

vitriolic

diatribe

 

In the last page or so, you've said all of those words. Some are a bit debatable, but they're more or less unnecessary. I'm sure you're smart enough to think of simpler words that convey the same meaning.

 

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Please read the replies to that. Considering that you've taken it completely out of context by stripping out everything but the single term, there's little room for critique. The point is - 'is it unnecessary?' We could only know if its in context.

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I actually do agree with Assume Nothing on this. Those types of word add meaning and spice into writing, and can add intensity and meaning as well. I would hate to live in a world where people only use the same words over and over again; it would get so bland and boring.

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Three months banishment to 9gag is something i would never wish upon anybody, not even my worst enemy.

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>yet no one has bothered to quote some of my older posts (or more recent) to point out which specific terms are unnecessary.

 

 

 

>In the last page or so, you've said all of those words. Some are a bit debatable, but they're more or less unnecessary.

 

 

 

 

That's a specific list of words that you used that someone thought was unnecessary. I don't see how you can possibly say that nobody posted words that they felt were unnecessary.

 

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Honestly, it seems like you don't know what half of the big words you use mean. That only makes things worse.

 

 

I actually do agree with Assume Nothing on this. Those types of word add meaning and spice into writing, and can add intensity and meaning as well. I would hate to live in a world where people only use the same words over and over again; it would get so bland and boring.

 

Using a big word every once in a while to keep your writing interesting is one thing, but using them when you haven't used a better word yet is unnecessary.

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