“But do not, as a writer, show off your extensive vocabulary. It is never better, wherever you are writing, to prefer the less familiar word – “wordy” is always better than “prolix”. Nobody is impressed by the use of a word they do not understand or would not use in everyday speech. The danger of talking down to the audience – assuming vocabulary as well as knowledge – is that it insults readers, makes them feel inadequate. And that turns them off and, worse, turns them away.”
