WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: RERUN: The Conciseness of Concision

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

Learn more on today's rerun episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds at a time. I'm Lauren Smith, and my grammar lessons are renowned for their concision. Hold on, you say, is that even a word? Isn't the proper term conciseness? Interestingly, both words are correct, but they have slightly different connotations. Concision is a more technical term for a writing style that's clippy and to the point. Conciseness is a more casual term to describe the same thing. Since conciseness is actually less concise than concision, I personally prefer concision.

This word pair is a good example of the importance of connotation. The dictionary has concisness and concision as exactly the same and makes no distinction between the level of formality. Every writer should pay attention to these subtle differences, because they can make or break the tone of a piece. That's your Grammar Minute. For more grammar tips and tricks, visit www.gramurminit.com. Thank you.