Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27378
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27378
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There really is no way to indicate that you are using a term in a non-technical sense if you use it in a context in which the technical sense would normally be inferred. The best approach to avoiding ambiguity in these cases is to approach the entire descriptions differently. Don't just substitute a synonym for the problematic word, rewrite the entire sentence or paragraph to avoid summing up the idea in one word at all. Write out in more precise and detailed terms the idea that you wanted to convey by that single word. So, for instance, in the example you gave, say "arrange things so they are able to get on with their lives".

Words are placeholders for complex ideas which can always be more precisely stated using more words. The use of the placeholders speeds communication when they are use in context where there meaning is clear. But sometimes they are ambiguous, and their intended meaning cannot reliably be made clear. In these cases the only safe course is to drop back to the longer phrase, sentence, or even paragraph that expresses the idea that the word stands for.

Original score: 3