The Five Task

Today is going to be a bit odd. My mom bet that I could not write a post using only small words. But there is a post topic in this game.

What do the words we use mean?

I'm not going to talk about what each word means, I'm going to talk about the group of words we use. The level of words we use. Why we use big words and when to use small words. So let us begin.

When I teach, in those rare times, I often find that young girls or boys tend to put a lot of big words in their work so that they sound smart. I too used to do this when I was young. But big words for big word's sake gets thick. It can weigh a paper down. And if you use a big word wrong, you just sound dumb.

Big words can also limit who reads your work. Some types find big words scary, or too hard to read. Light reads have been a part of our world for a long while. They don't take a lot of time, work, or will. And often they can be quite good.

So why use big words?

For one, often small words don't say what you want them to say. Big does not have a lot of oomph if you want to talk about a giant. Small does not mean a thing when you talk atoms. At times, you just need more.

They also do, at times, make you sound smart if you use them right. I can't show you some right now, but it is clear to me that this post will not sound like my other posts nor like other texts. If the type you want to read your work wants a smart voice, you need the words. If you don't have them, you can't fake it. But that can't be all, can it?

To end and be frank, big words are just plain fun to use. We learn so many in our lives, and to just let them fade in our minds seems sad, and a waste. I love big words which is why I use them so much. But maybe my mom is right. Maybe a shift in tone is in order.

Just a little one.

Now I pass the task on to you. Try to write some idea using only words under five...you know what I mean.