: Re: Should a non-native writer try to use complex English words? I am a non-native English user and whenever I write something is it better that I use simple words or some rare and seldomly used

@Pierce369

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It is purely a matter of style. If you are comfortable with more complex terms and some of the lesser used idioms, try it. Have someone read it and if you wrote smoothly then it will succeed.

Joseph Conrad was a non native speaker and wrote one of the great pieces of modern English literature.

William Blake chose to use simple words and conveyed complicated ideas, yet preserved the sense of innocence of his poetry.

There are times when the idiomatic is the correct choice, but this will depend on your target audience.

Using rare words is fine if there is a legitimate need for the word. If you have a character from a particular place, his speech will differ from someone from another part of the country. Dialects and idioms are local and will be recognized as such by well read readers.

I have a character in a book I am working on use a local word that means dupe or fool, but neither of those words seemed right in that instance; so I used the idiomatic ‘hornswaggle’. If a reader is uncertain of its meaning having come from a different region, context is there to indicate meaning.

Have a good reason for the terms you choose and the reader will understand as long as the context exists.

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