Today I used the words perspicacious and salutary in my monthly newsletter article. Do you know what they mean?
Test yourself: Answer the two multiple-choice questions below.
Perspicacious means (a) of a lesser quality, (b) clear-sighted, (3) extremely curious.
Salutary means (a) good for one's health, (b) remedial, (3) wholesome.
Are you certain of your answers?
The first answer should be "clear-sighted." Another definition of perspicacious is "having or showing penetrating mental discernment."
The second multiple-choice question was a trick. All three answers are correct definitions of salutary.
Can you guess why I used challenging words in a newsletter article on business writing?
It was to show the kinds of words not to use!
As I emphasize in business writing courses, if people are not sure about the meanings of the words you use, you will lose them. Here is the related tip from the article:
Avoid using big words to impress readers. Use the simple aware rather than cognizant, extra rather than superfluous, and unique rather than inimitable. When you use words that are more complex than necessary, you lose readers. Remember that people read your messages for content, not for vocabulary enrichment.
You can subscribe free to my monthly newsletter, Better Writing at Work.
Would you like to challenge us with a multiple-choice vocabulary question? Feel free!
Lynn
Syntax Training
