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
> 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