Delivery is everything. Or not.

You may have noticed that I like to write all fancy-like for my blog sometimes.

It amuses me to use, correctly, what Pidomon calls five-dollar words when I'm talking about something prosaic like my cat's litter box. That's probably why my blog, like Phydeaux's, is rated at a "Genius" reading level by...well, by someone who in fact lists no credentials whatsoever, but who does know how to set up a website that ostensibly evaluates the reading level of a blog.

Oh! And while we're on the subject, I don't think I've mentioned FreeRice.com. It's a straight-up vocabulary game. See the word, pick the meaning. Get it right and you (again, ostensibly) have just donated ten grains of rice to the hungry through the United Nations World Food Program. (Advertising pays for the rice.) Get it wrong and it drops your level by one and gives you a new word. Get three right in a row and go up a level. According to the FAQ "There are 50 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 48."

*Cough*Level49*Cough*

But I'm not here to talk about big words. I'm here to say something else entirely, and it is this:

When function is more important than form, I in fact pride myself on being able to write in a simple, straightforward manner, getting straight to the point and paring down the nonessentials to avoid confusion. Like this:

I consider myself an effective communicator.

It has, however, come to my attention that my communication skills are necessarily limited by the reading comprehension of my interlocutors; indeed, by their very willingness to read each of my words, preferably in order.

It's surprising how many people don't seem to do that, even when it is their own time or money that is at stake.