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English words derived from French are usually longer then similar words derived from Anglo-Saxon. Bad or insecure writers and speakers, especially when they are
by fsck--off 12y ago
English words derived from French are usually longer then similar words derived from Anglo-Saxon. Bad or insecure writers and speakers, especially when they are members of the middle class, will often assume that using words with many syllables will make them sound smarter and more eloquent.
The police officer would prefer the first sentence because it has more syllables, not because it has many words derived from French. He would likely say that he "utilized" his training, instead of "used", even though "use" and "utilize" both derive from French.
- vorg 12y agoFor talking to (or teaching) non-native English speakers in English, using the Norman-derived verbs can often be useful for avoiding 2-word phrasal verbs (and 3-word prepositional verbs). Many learners of English understand "put" but don't understand "put off", "put up", and "put up with", so saying "postpone", "accommodate", and "tolerate" can help with communication where the objective of the conversation (or lesson) is something else.