In the last post we highlighted the differences between nor and or to exemplify how precision in language can produce more effective writing. In this post we stay on that same train by looking at another pair of words that many less effective writers often interchage erroneously --- practical and practicable.
Practical and practicable are both adjectives with related meanings, so from a structural viewpoint, they often could be used interchangeably. But the differences in their definitions make one word more appropriate for a given context than the other.
Practical is used to describe something concerned with practice rather than theory or something that is likely to be effective in real circumstances or someone who is realistic in approach. On the other hand, practicable means able to be done or put into practice successfully. These meanings are very much related but also significantly different. The more effective writer will consider those differences when selecting between practical and practicable.
For example, we could say
Practical and practicable are both adjectives with related meanings, so from a structural viewpoint, they often could be used interchangeably. But the differences in their definitions make one word more appropriate for a given context than the other.
Practical is used to describe something concerned with practice rather than theory or something that is likely to be effective in real circumstances or someone who is realistic in approach. On the other hand, practicable means able to be done or put into practice successfully. These meanings are very much related but also significantly different. The more effective writer will consider those differences when selecting between practical and practicable.
For example, we could say
The investigation report concludes with a practical proposal for preventing future failures.
This sentence says that the proposal is based in practice rather than theory. That implies that the proposal is actually doable, but that meaning is in the connotation (or associated meaning) of practical and not the denotation (or direct meaning). A writer who wants to communicate that meaning directly through denotation should use practicable, as in this sentence:
The investigation report concludes with a practicable proposal for preventing future failures.
Using practicable means that the proposal is doable. The proposal could be based in practice or theory; practicable does not distinguish there the way that practical does.
Be practical with practicable. Precision of language can provide that extra level of professionalism which will reflect back on you and your brand in the minds of your audience. So give proper attention to precision in your language when you write. That in turn will yield a more effective presentation of you and your brand.
Be practical with practicable. Precision of language can provide that extra level of professionalism which will reflect back on you and your brand in the minds of your audience. So give proper attention to precision in your language when you write. That in turn will yield a more effective presentation of you and your brand.
RSS Feed
