People don't start using big words.

[Clovis]

That the general public doesn't understand only to show how intelligent you are . I understand them, but I have been asked by guest what they mean .
Or give an explanation.

 

[COLGeek]

What exactly are you referring to?

 

[Clovis]

Just something a guest here looking in asked me about. No big deal. I suppose he could have just used his Siri. And it wasn't a put down.
Ok your intelligent, most folks on here are. If I offended anyone you have my apology. I wasn't aware this site accepted guest reading, some sites don't.

 

[COLGeek]

Just something a guest here asked me about. No big deal.

Understood. Was just looking for a clarification.

This forum caters to some heady topics. "Big words" will be part of the discussion landscape.

However, complex things can be broken down , simplified, into understandable "chunks". When that occurs, people learn and become accustomed to the original "big words".

 

[Clovis]

Great, maybe now he learned some things. I only know him from over on Facebook. And that's where he asked me that at. The conversation started over there about the Space. com main page. Because I was posting about some of the news reports haveing to do with the Perseverance rover.

 

[Catastrophe]

OK, we are not all hyperpolysyllabicsesquipedalianistic, but sometimes the only word that (accurately) fits the context is more than 5 letters. Some long words are easily understandable, like interplanetary. Astronomical is not that short either. One can guess at astrobiological. Can we have some examples, please, if only that we might (if possible) avoid them?.

Seriously, I believe that punctuation is much more important in making things understandable. A word can be looked up in a dictionary (I do it all the time - sometimes just put the word in Google) but a long sentence can be made much more understandable, just by adding a few commas. Even using brackets, - or dashes -, or italics, or underlining; these can all make the reader stop and digest that phrase, without running into the next phrase - and then having to stop to make sense of that jumble of words - all these opportunities, I believe, make sentences (especially long ones) that much easier to understand. Don't you agree?


Cat

 

[Clovis]

We can always use acronyms, that would really mess them up lol.

 

[Catastrophe]

Clovis - perish the thought. Well, ttfn Cat

 

[Clovis]

Clovis - perish the thought. Well, ttfn Cat

Catastrophe, so very British of you old chap.

 

[Clovis]

Myself and my girlfriend went to England once, rented a car in London to drive through the countryside. It took me awhile to get the hang of driving on the wrong side.

 

[Catastrophe]

Myself and my girlfriend went to England once, rented a car in London to drive through the countryside. It took me awhile to get the hang of driving on the wrong side.

I have driven quite a bit Stateside, including from SF to LA which was very pleasant. Mostly I spent 3-6 weeks at a time in Canada - about 10 miles from the US border, so I drove a lot there. Actually never crossed the border there.

 

[Clovis]

I know some folks in a motorcycle club who went into Canada and ran into
Dudley Doright. No trouble just checking things out. No problems at the border either . I didn't have any problems in England either .

 

[Catastrophe]

I know some folks in a motorcycle club who went into Canada and ran into
Dudley Doright. No trouble just checking things out. No problems at the border either .

I was in a place called Valleyfield, south of Montreal. I learned how to speak Canadian English (or American). You put a little finger in each side of your mouth, pull them apart, and speak French as usual.

I never knew this:
Learnt and learned are both used as the past participle and past tense of the verb to learn. Learned is the generally accepted spelling in the United States and Canada, while the rest of the English-speaking world seems to prefer learnt.

 

[Clovis]

I was in a place called Valleyfield, south of Montreal. I learned how to speak Canadian English (or American). You put a little finger in each side of your mouth, pull them apart, and speak French as usual.

I never knew this:
Learnt and learned are both used as the past participle and past tense of the verb to learn. Learned is the generally accepted spelling in the United States and Canada, while the rest of the English-speaking world seems to prefer learnt.

Interesting. Never been to Australia, but Ive heard it sounds like Larned.
But we all know what they means . English is still used at most airports.

 

[Helio]

I never knew this:
Learnt and learned are both used as the past participle and past tense of the verb to learn. Learned is the generally accepted spelling in the United States and Canada, while the rest of the English-speaking world seems to prefer learnt.

Yep, I have rarely even seen the use of "learnt", except with folks from the UK. This is often assumed, erroneously, to be an improper use of "learned".

When I was a senior, a freshman was assigned as my new roommate. He asked me what I would be able to say once I soon achieved my goal of my engineering degree. Knowing he had a long row to hoe, I told him, "I'll be able to say that they learnt me good!" [Sorry Cat. ; it did crack him up.]

As for grandiloquence, a good friend told me that they liked to say "eschew obfuscation" to add a twist to its meaning (avoiding confusion).

Sometimes big words help, but when they don't "eschew obfuscation", then they do more harm than good in disrupting the conveyance of information.

 

[Clovis]

This forum is the most Civil I have ever seen. Dealing with Space I thought it would be. I go way back to dial up and windows 98. Ive seen forums come and go. No politics no religion here .

 

[Clovis]

Actually, the best forum I've ever been on.

 

[sam85geo]

I was stuck on "ttfn". Being from New York I was suspicious that there was a kind of vernacular, scatological, rudely obscene, cringe worthy meaning which I could incorporate into the expletive laden speech which characteristically befuddles American and especially New York conversations. So..... I took the "plunge" and looked up "ttfn", and discovered that it was actually a civilized, polite expression worthy of adoption. Now the realization is upon me that one can not underestimate American, and New York perceptions. An enjoyable thread folks, thanks.

 

[Clovis]

It doesn't mean anything bad. Only a fairwell.

 

[Clovis]

I didn't intend this post to go on this long. It's over let it go.

 

[Wolfshadw]

@Clovis
Do you wish the thread closed?

Wolfshadw
Moderator

 

[Clovis]

@Clovis
Do you wish the thread closed?

Wolfshadw
Moderator

Wolf , I feel like it would be a good idea

 

[Catastrophe]

Well, if the thread is being closed Ta Ta For Now!

sam85geo Really! As if I would! Cat

 

[Helio]

It doesn't mean anything bad. Only a fairwell.

I’m guessing... “ta, ta for now”?

 

[Helio]

Well, if the thread is being closed Ta Ta For Now!

sam85geo Really! As if I would! Cat

Okay,