The temptation to show off dogs us at every turn. We writers are often tempted to show off. But if we want to communicate clearly, we must resist. Not Paying Attention to Syntax and Semantics Syntax, or word order, often matters a great deal in English. John is easy to please.
Fruit flies like a banana.
That's where testing comes in. It's the best way to ensure clarity. Mary, claimed John, ate the last cookie. But if we want to communicate clearly, we must resist. But if we want to communicate, clearly we must resist.