Changes for page Simple sentences

Summary

• Page properties (3 modified, 0 added, 0 removed)

Details

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 +1,115 @@
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 ==
6	6
	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"]]
7	7
	20	+(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.A0Avoidcomplexsentencestructures." %)
	21	+[[2. Avoid complex sentence structures.>>2. Avoid complex sentence structures.||anchor="#2"]]
8	8
9		-== Simple sentence structure ==
	23	+(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
	24	+[[Usability evidence>>Usability evidence||anchor="#UESS"]]
	25	+
10	10
	27	+----
11	11
	29	+== ==
12	12
13		-{{children/}}
	31	+=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
14	14
	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.
15	15
	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.
16	16
	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	+)))