Recently my friend went through one of my articles and commented: "I find too many simple sentences in the article.  It is good to use complex sentences.  Even most of the words that you have used in the article are quite simple.  I don't find any 'sophisticated' word in the article.  Those who read may get an impression that you are not proficient in English.  You should use some highsounding words and phrases..." 

I tried to convince him by explaining the importance of plain English and why it should be used in newspaper articles, but he was not convinced.

Do we teachers of English teach 'plain English"?  Should we promote plain English. I would like to read your views on the topic.

Albert P'Rayan