Today is International Plain Language Day!
Clear language. Better understanding. A more accessible Europe. (European Parliament).
Test yourself on this topic. Imagine that you’re writing an informal email to a colleague.
Write the everyday Germanic equivalents in English of the following words of French or Latin origin. You’ll see that the Germanic one is often shorter (phrasal verbs often come into this category). Example with verb “to request” or “to consult”: “to ask”
| 1. To commence |
| 2. To investigate |
| 3. To appear |
| 4. To establish |
| 5. To implement |
Answer key
| 1. To begin, to start, to set off, to set out |
| 2. To look into |
| 3. To come up, to show up, to look |
| 4. To set up |
| 5. To carry out, to put in place |
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Author: Carol Waites
Presentation/editing by Christina O’Shaughnessy
https://worldwidewriting.org/
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Carol Waites (PhD)
Email: carolswritingtips@gmail.com
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Carol’s memoir of her times at the United Nations, Behind the Flags, is available on Amazon and lulu.com
ISBN 9783952632703 Behind the Flags Amazon
9783952632727 Behind the Flags lulu.com
It is also available for sale at Payot, Pages & Sips, and in the UN bookshop at the Pregny entry in Geneva.