Compare and contrast - Essay Example

The core focus should be getting others to comprehend one’s ideas, feelings, and thoughts through the use of clear, simple, and precise words. Discussion Lederer love for English is demonstrated his praise for the marvelous richness. In the Case for Short Words, Lederer praises small words as he asserts that the quality of any writing is not gauged on the number of long words that writers use. Lederer asserts that well-chosen monosyllabic words can be equally effective since they are functional and carry a powerful punch.

Lederer argues that when people speak and write, there is no rule that stipulates that people have to utilize big words (Rosa and Eschholz 161). Lederer holds that small words illuminate on significant things; indeed, complex words at certain times appear strange to the eye and ear, as well as in the mind. Lederer uses figurative language in highlighting that short words are sharp like a blade to a knife. Studies have demonstrated that twenty words account for close to 25% of all spoken English words, and all twenty are monosyllable.

Lederers cites studies, which have demonstrated that the fifty most common words within written English are each comprised of a single syllable. Lederer notes that Orators and poets have appreciated the power of small words to make a straight point between two minds, which is demonstrated by the power carried by proverbs. In the essay on simplicity, Zinsser exposes what he cites as writers number one challenge-clutter. Zinsser views Americans as “strangling with unnecessary words, pompous frills, meaningless jargon, and circular constructions (Rosa and Eschholz 177).

Zinsser observes that Americans has a tendency to inflate and hence sound necessary, to the extent that when a sentence appears too simple, some people thinks there is something wrong with the sentence. Zinsser’s solution to this problem lies in writers knowing what they want to express and to think clearly as they start with their composition. Zinsser asserts that the writer’s self-discipline and hard work are critical components to attaining concise, simple prose. Clear thinking translates to clear writing and no one can exist devoid of the other (Rosa and Eschholz 178).

Zinsser cited studies, which have revealed that the reader is an elusive creature whose attention span only lasts about 30 seconds. Hence, the multiple forces competing for the reader’s attention may make it difficult for the reader to keep pace with the train of thought (Behrens 59). Hence, writers must at all times ask, what they are trying to express and evaluate the wiring to gauge whether they have said it. Lederer demonstrates this assertion in the example of few paragraphs written in short words.

Lederer also utilizes figurative language to deliver his point by outlining a list of words to use and nor to use. Lederer further reinforces his ideas through the use of famous authors’ texts (Rosa and Eschholz 162). Lederer utilizes two diverse skill levels of writers to demonstrate why it is alright to utilize short words. In his conclusion, Lederer speaks directly to the reader to inform them that if short words can be utilized by famous writers, then readers can as well use short words.

Zinsser asserts