Moderation

While sitting in the hall waiting for a class to vacate the room before my class began, I overheard Mrs. Vogel giving advice to her students. Whenever possible, she told them, use the smallest word available.

I have always remembered this, and adhere to this advice whenever possible. I think it is important because none of us knows all of the words in the world, and the smaller the word the more likely more people know what it means. Using vocabulary that includes more people makes communication work better and gives more people the opportunity to understand, learn, and be involved in whatever is going on.

I have also appreciated people who do this in areas which allow me to be a part of conversations about nuclear physics and music appreciation. I admit, though, that I am still stumped by, "How about those fifths?"