Questions
Answers to questions
Here are short answers to the questions that come up most often while writing. If an answer is not enough, look at the pages linked at the bottom — they go into more detail.
Almost any doubt about a word comes down to two questions: what does it mean, and who will read the text?
Words and meanings
What is the difference between "effective" and "efficient"?
Effective means producing the intended result: an effective method, an effective remedy. Efficient means achieving it without wasting time, money or effort: an efficient process, an efficient engine. A method can be effective but not efficient, and the other way round.
When do you write "complement" and when "compliment"?
"Complement" means to complete something or go well with it: the sauce complements the dish, a full complement of staff. "Compliment" means praise or to praise: to pay a compliment, to compliment someone on their work.
What if the dictionary gives several meanings?
Read them all, together with the examples. The meaning you need is usually clear from the context, and the labels will tell you where a word sounds informal or belongs to a specialist field.
How can I tell if a word is dated?
Look at the dictionary labels. If a word is marked as dated or archaic, it may sound deliberate in an everyday text; in a joke or a stylised piece that effect can be welcome.
Loanwords
Do loanwords spoil a language?
No. Languages have always borrowed from their neighbours, and many of those words have long stopped feeling foreign. Problems start when a new word is unclear to the reader or pushes out a precise, familiar one.
Which familiar words came from other languages?
For example, "café" and "ballet" came from French, "piano" from Italian, and "kindergarten" from German, where it literally means "children's garden".
What if there is no plain alternative?
Keep the loanword. If your reader may not know it, add a short explanation the first time it appears, and after that use it without comment.
How do I spell a recently borrowed word?
First check a current spelling dictionary, including whether it keeps accents or a hyphen. If the word is not listed yet, choose the most widely used spelling and stick to it throughout the text.
Writing and style
What is officialese?
It is the habit of carrying phrases from official documents into ordinary writing: "in order to", "utilise", "the aforementioned", long chains of nouns. In an everyday text they make a sentence heavy and cold.
Won't a plain text seem impolite?
No. Politeness comes from the greeting, a thank-you and a calm tone. A short, clear sentence is more respectful than a long one that has to be read twice.
When is a conversational style appropriate?
In messages to friends, in informal work chats and in live conversation. In an email to a stranger or in a notice, a neutral style is the safer choice.
How can I tell a sentence is too long?
Read it aloud. If you have to catch your breath halfway or have forgotten the beginning by the end, split it into two.
See also
- Reference
A glossary: loanword, calque, paronym, neologism, officialese, pleonasm and the kinds of dictionaries.
- Guides
How to rewrite a work message more clearly: preparation, steps with sample examples, mistakes and a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Collections
Reading paths: words from office emails, pairs people mix up, and words with an interesting history.
- Russian alternatives (in Russian)
A page at an old address on native Russian alternatives to common loanwords and when they fit better.
Sources
- Current general, spelling and etymological dictionaries of English
Explanations are given in general terms and reflect the material as of the date it was prepared. Language changes slowly, but it does change: if our advice differs from a current dictionary, go with the dictionary. For official documents, follow the style rules adopted where you work.