Skip to Content

Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 1.8 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/06 20:38
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version Icon 2.33 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/08 22:02
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Icon Page properties
Title
... ... @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
1 -Clear language
1 +Simple sentences
Parent
... ... @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
1 -Main.WebHome
1 +Plain English.WebHome
Content
... ... @@ -1,16 +1,101 @@
1 -== Plain English ==
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 +)))
3 3  
13 +==
14 +Guidelines ==
4 4  
5 -== Short sentence length ==
16 +* [[Simple sentences>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Plain%20English%2C%20simple%20sentences/#ssl]]
6 6  
18 +----
7 7  
20 +==
21 +Simple sentences ==
8 8  
9 -== Simple sentence structure ==
23 +=== 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
10 10  
25 +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.
11 11  
27 +Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
12 12  
13 -{{children/}}
14 14  
30 +=== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
15 15  
32 +They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
16 16  
34 +
35 +Complexity depends on:
36 +
37 +* number of clauses in a sentence, the more clauses the more complex it is
38 +* distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning
39 +
40 +
41 +>Example:"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 
42 +>"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
43 +
44 +
45 +== Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
46 +
47 +Oxford Guide to plain English
48 +
49 +Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
50 +
51 +Author Ann Wylie
52 +
53 +[[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
54 +
55 +[['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
56 +
57 +[['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017
58 +
59 +[['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
60 +
61 +[['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
62 +
63 +[['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
64 +
65 +[['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
66 +
67 +[[Reading Level>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Understanding SC 3.1.5, WCAG, 2008
68 +
69 +[['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
70 +
71 +[['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
72 +
73 +[['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
74 +
75 +[['Writing smaller'>>url:http://clarity-international.net/journals/63.pdf]], Clarity Journal no. 63, 2010
76 +
77 +[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/aaf9e928/files/uploaded/PLCstyleguide25July2012.pdf]], 2012
78 +
79 +[['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
80 +
81 +[['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
82 +
83 +[['What is plain language?'>>url:https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/]], Plain Language Association International, 2015
84 +
85 +[[Text complexity, ATOS, and Lexile® Measures>>url:https://www.renaissance.com/products/practice/accelerated-reader-360/atos-and-text-complexity/]], Renaissance Learning, 2016
86 +
87 +[['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
88 +
89 +[['How to use Yoast SEO: The readability analysis?'>>url:https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-readability-analysis/]] Edwin Toonen, Yoast, 2018
90 +
91 +[[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
92 +
93 +
94 +----
95 +
96 +See also:
97 +
98 +* Plain English
99 +* [[Specialist terms>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Plain%20English%2C%20simple%20sentences/#st]]
100 +* [[Law, medicine, money>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Medical/]]
101 +* [[Words to avoid>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Words%20to%20avoid/]]