| Looking at it from a different angle, I don’t like the more wordy suggestions. > convict…person who is/was incarcerated > senile…person suffering from senility Before I hit send I try to make my writing clear, concise, and full of meaning. I do it in the hope that the folks on the other end read and understand me. Swapping one term for a slightly longer one won’t be a breaking point, but sentences like: > I went to visit the incarcerated person suffering from senility build up cruft that you don’t get with something shorter. > I went to visit the senile convict. Maybe they should punctuate the article as Orwell did in his rules for writing: > Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous |