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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
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edited by Lizzie Bruce
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Title
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1 -Plain English
1 +Simple sentences
Parent
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1 -Clear language.WebHome
1 +Plain English.WebHome
Content
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1 -{{children/}}
1 +(% class="box" %)
2 +(((
3 +Following this helps:
2 2  
5 +* **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
6 +* **people who are stressed** – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things
7 +* **people who are multi-tasking** – if you're holding a baby or a running business your attention's divided
8 +* **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences carry less cognitive load
9 +* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
10 +* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
11 +)))
12 +
13 +==
14 +Guidelines ==
15 +
16 +
17 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H1.MakeyouraveragesentenceA015wordslong." %)
18 +[[1. Make your average sentence 15 words long.>>1. Make your average sentence 15 words long.||anchor="#1"]]
19 +
20 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.A0Avoidcomplexsentencestructures." %)
21 +[[2. Avoid complex sentence structures.>>2. Avoid complex sentence structures.||anchor="#2"]]
22 +
23 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
24 +[[Usability evidence>>Usability evidence||anchor="#UESS"]]
25 +
26 +
27 +----
28 +
29 +== ==
30 +
31 +=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
32 +
33 +The maximum sentence length for a good level of comprehension is 25 words. Split long sentences up into 2 or 3, or use bullet points.
34 +
35 +Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
36 +
37 +
38 +=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
39 +
40 +They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
41 +
42 +
43 +Complexity depends on:
44 +
45 +* number of clauses in a sentence, the more clauses the more complex it is
46 +* distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning
47 +
48 +
49 +Example:
50 +\\(% class="mark" %)"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 
51 +"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
52 +
53 +
54 +----
55 +
56 +== {{id name="#UESS"/}}Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
57 +
58 +Oxford Guide to plain English
59 +
60 +Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
61 +
62 +Author Ann Wylie
63 +
64 +[[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
65 +
66 +[['Sentence length: why 25 words is our limit'>>url:https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2014/08/04/sentence-length-why-25-words-is-our-limit/]], Inside GOV.UK, UK Government blog, 2014
67 +
68 +[['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017
69 +
70 +[['The role of word difficulty and sentence length in text comprehension'>>url:https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a114935.pdf]], T. M. Duffy and P. K. U'Ren, 1982
71 +
72 +[['The Influence of Semantics and Syntax on What Readers Remember'>>url:https://www.hcde.washington.edu/files/people/docs/Isakson_Spyridakis_Sem_Syn.pdf]], C. S. Isakson and J. H. Spyridakis, 1999
73 +
74 +[['How the brain attunes to sentence processing: Relating behavior, structure, and function'>>url:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819595/]], A. Fengler, L. Meyer, A. D. Friederici, National Center for Biotechnology Information
75 +
76 +[['Functional Analysis of Clause Complex in the Language of News Websites Texts: A Comparative Study of Two Articles'>>url:http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0616/ijsrp-p5445.pdf]], F. M. S. Eid, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 6, June 2016
77 +
78 +[[Reading Level>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Understanding SC 3.1.5, WCAG, 2008
79 +
80 +[['Readability Assessment of Internet-Based Consumer Health Information'>>url:http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/53/10/1310/tab-pdf]], T. M. Walsh and T. A. Volsko in Respiratory Care October 2008, 53 (10) 1310-1315
81 +
82 +[['The research basis of plain language techniques: Implications for establishing standards'>>url:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Schriver/publication/285927928_The_research_basis_of_plain_language_techniques_Implications_for_establishing_standards/links/5664c50208ae192bbf90aa85/The-research-basis-of-plain-language-techniques-Implications-for-establishing-standards.pdf]], Karen Schriver, PhD, Dr. A. L. Cheek, M. Mercer, Center for Plain Language, November 20, 2008, Mexico City
83 +
84 +[['Readability Levels of Health-Based Websites: From Content to Comprehension'>>url:https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ851863.pdf]], M. Schutten, A. McFarland, PhD, International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 2009, 12:99-107
85 +
86 +[['Writing smaller'>>url:http://clarity-international.net/journals/63.pdf]], Clarity Journal no. 63, 2010
87 +
88 +[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/aaf9e928/files/uploaded/PLCstyleguide25July2012.pdf]], 2012
89 +
90 +[['Shorter Lines Facilitate Reading in Those Who Struggle'>>url:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071161]], Matthew H. Schneps , Jenny M. Thomson, Gerhard Sonnert, Marc Pomplun, Chen Chen, Amanda Heffner-Wong, 2013
91 +
92 +[['Towards a better measure of readability: Explanation of empirical performance results'>>url:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00437956.1989.11435805]], Leslie A. Olsen & Rod Johnson, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015
93 +
94 +[['What is plain language?'>>url:https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/]], Plain Language Association International, 2015
95 +
96 +[[Text complexity, ATOS, and Lexile® Measures>>url:https://www.renaissance.com/products/practice/accelerated-reader-360/atos-and-text-complexity/]], Renaissance Learning, 2016
97 +
98 +[['Understanding Plain English summaries. A comparison of two approaches to improve the quality of Plain English summaries in research reports.'>>url:https://researchinvolvement.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40900-017-0064-0]] 2017
99 +
100 +[['How to use Yoast SEO: The readability analysis?'>>url:https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-readability-analysis/]] Edwin Toonen, Yoast, 2018
101 +
102 +[[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
103 +
104 +
105 +----
106 +
107 +(% class="box" %)
108 +(((
109 +See also:
110 +
111 +* [[Plain English>>doc:Plain English.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]]
112 +* [[Specialist terms>>doc:Plain English.Specialist terms.WebHome]]
113 +* [[Law, medicine, money>>doc:Plain English.Medical.WebHome]]
114 +* [[Words to avoid>>doc:Plain English.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
115 +)))