Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I'm Lauren Smyth, and last week I made an episode on the longest word in the English language--which, if we're ignoring technical words, is antidisestablishmentarianism. Now I want you to think for a second: What could this word possibly mean?
It starts with a double negative, anti and dis. So you're against the lack of something. Establishment means you're against the lack of an establishment, and "ism" means this is some kind of political or moral philosophy. So far, so good. This is a great way to figure out what a word means if you haven't seen it before, but that's not the point. The point is, why use such a long, vague word? "Antidisestablishmentarianism" means "in favor of the Church of England." The double negative cancels out and becomes a positive, and this is just all terribly confusing. It's almost always better to use short words. If no short word exists, use several short words to explain a complex concept. Long words don't make you sound smart--they just confuse your listener.
That's your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.