Hitting the right ‘register’ – the appropriate level of language for a particular situation – is also important. You might complain to your friends about the fuzz or old Bill, but if you come up before the magistrate for speeding, you would be wise to refer to these people as police officers.
Information about register is often indicated in dictionaries, by means of the labels formal, informal, slang, old-fashioned, obsolete. Also included are regional labels (U.S., Aust.) and usage labels (literary, poetic, humorous).
It is not that one word is simple better than another. It is more a matter of picking the one that suits the occasion. You do not put on climbing boots to go dancing. Few people, if any, speak to their boss, their drinking companions, their wife, and their children in exactly the same way – and there is no reason why they shoud.
Mixing registers will produce curious-sounding results. How incongruous it would sound if the boss told a subordinate at work: ‘kindly endeavour to get cracking’. Not that incongruity necessary means that a construction is wrong.You can achieve humorous and satirical effects by such means.
But if you are not in control of the effects you are trying to create, the attempt may well backfire on you.
Think before choosing a word. Ask yourself: ‘Is this the right time and place?’ If it is not, choose a different word.
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