购买 / 居住 / 前往【gòumǎi / jūzhù / qiánwǎng】

Written Chinese replaces many one-syllable verbs with two-syllable ones that mean the same thing. 购买 is 买, 居住 is 住, 前往 is 去. You meet them in notices, announcements, news and forms; in conversation they sound stiff.

Other common pairs:

• 抵达 – 到, arrive
• 返回 – 回, return
• 阅读 – 读 / 看, read
• 观看 – 看, watch
• 询问 – 问, ask
• 告知 – 告诉, inform
• 驾驶 – 开, drive

Two syllables want two syllables

A formal verb tends to take a two-syllable object, and a one-syllable verb a short everyday one. 购买书 sounds lopsided; 购买图书 or 买书 sounds right.

• × 购买书 → 购买图书 / 买书
• × 观看球 → 观看比赛 / 看球

居住 needs 在

住 can take a place directly in speech: 我住北京. 居住 takes 在 before the place, or ends the clause.

• × 他居住北京 → 他居住在北京

Don't mix registers

A formal verb in a casual sentence sounds like a joke. 前往 and 购买 belong with 请, 乘客, 本 and other written words, not with 吧 or 我妈.

• × 我明天前往超市购买牛奶 → 我明天去超市买牛奶