ビジネスの場では、形式を重んじる表現をしてしまいがちですが、単純明快な表現の方が相手に伝わり易いものです。是非 The English Farm のホームワークサービスなどで "specific" な文章作成に挑戦してください。
Specific language is far stronger than general language. Specifics transport the reader or listener and give them a clear image, while general language forces the reader or listener to do the work of imagining what is meant. Let's look more deeply into this.
Great authors agree that specifics are vital. E. B. White, the well-known author of Charlotte's Web and a popular English style guide, The Elements of Style, says, "Use definite, specific, concrete language."
He uses some great examples. Compare these sentences.
- Bad: "A period of unfavorable weather set in."
- Good: "It rained every day for a week."
What is unfavorable weather? What is a period of time? The reader has no idea what exactly those mean. But if we say, "rained every day", you can imagine exactly what that's like. In fact, you are probably imagining it now.
So instead of saying, "I was really tired last night," say, "I got home at 1 AM, walked to my bed, and passed out in my work clothes."
Instead of "my boss is smart," try "my boss has so much knowledge about our industry. If you ask her a question about it, 90% of the time, she'll answer it faster than Google can—and she'll be right."
You can also find an excellent example of how to add detail to your language in Kahu's Don't say NATURE, describe it instead.
In meetings and speaking tests like the G.B.C., make sure you back up your general language with specifics.
Try writing about that now. Go to The English Farm's homepage, click the "Do homework" button and write about an interesting topic, such as changes in technology in your lifetime.
Remember, get specific.
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pass out [verb]—this can mean collapse or faint, but in this case, it is a casual, but natural way to say "fall asleep".
