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« And don’t use the same word repeatedly — it’s boring. » This is dangerous advice, and not just because (as others have noted) it can add ambiguity. Finding
by mjw1007 7y ago
« And don’t use the same word repeatedly — it’s boring. »
This is dangerous advice, and not just because (as others have noted) it can add ambiguity.
Finding alternatives to the simplest word for a concept will often narrow the audience. For a simple example, if I decide I've written "Venus" too many times and substitute "the second planet", I'm unnecessarily making it more difficult for people who don't happen to know the order of the planets.
- herendin2 7y agoTheir guidance might sound clear, but in fact "Venus" is not the kind of repeated word they are talking about, because there's no unambiguous substitute for it. If you're referring to Venus, then please ignore that advice and say "Venus" every time, don't annoy your readers by calling it the second planet, Aphrodite, the planet of love, the evening star, and etc etc ... That is an example of the many severe issues with the advice in this article.