Changes for page Simple sentences
Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version 2.12
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 11:52
on 2019/03/07 11:52
Change comment:
There is no comment for this version
To version 2.15
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 12:52
on 2019/03/07 12:52
Change comment:
There is no comment for this version
Summary
-
Page properties (1 modified, 0 added, 0 removed)
Details
- Page properties
-
- Content
-
... ... @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ 3 3 4 4 * **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly 5 5 * **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences need less cognition 6 -* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller field of focus6 +* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field 7 7 * **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly 8 8 9 9 ... ... @@ -12,10 +12,8 @@ 12 12 13 13 [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]] 14 14 15 -[[Sentence length>>Sentencelength||anchor="ssl"]]15 +[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]] 16 16 17 -Sentence structure 18 - 19 19 Specialist terms 20 20 21 21 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %) ... ... @@ -22,10 +22,6 @@ 22 22 Words to avoid 23 23 24 24 25 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 26 -Our guidelines come out of conversations held on Slack about clear language usability evidence. Clear language helps in all areas. It opens it up to the widest possible audience. 27 - 28 - 29 29 == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English == 30 30 31 31 Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges. ... ... @@ -81,13 +81,84 @@ 81 81 [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018 82 82 83 83 84 -== {{id name="ssl"/}}S hortsentencelength==78 +== {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences == 85 85 86 86 81 +=== 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. === 87 87 88 - ==Simplesentencestructure==83 +The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words. 89 89 85 +You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users. 90 90 87 + 88 +== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. == 89 + 90 +They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences. 91 + 92 + 93 +Complexity depends on: 94 + 95 +* number of clauses in a sentence, the more clauses the more complex it is 96 +* distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning 97 + 98 + 99 +Example: 100 + 101 +"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 102 +"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand 103 + 104 + 105 +== Usability evidence for simple sentences == 106 + 107 +"People with some learning disabilities read letter for letter – they do not bounce around like other users. They also cannot fully understand a sentence if it’s too long. People with moderate learning disabilities can understand sentences of 5 to 8 words without difficulty. By using common words we can help all users understand sentences of around 25 words." GOV.UK 108 + 109 +The Oxford Guide to Plain English recommends 15–20 words per sentence. It also says: "…if you regularly exceed 40 words, you’ll certainly weary and deter your readers." 110 + 111 +Jyoti Sanyal, author of 'Indlish' said: "Based on several studies, press associations in the USA have laid down a readability table. Their survey shows readers find sentences of 8 words or less very easy to read; 11 words, easy; 14 words fairly easy; 17 words standard; 21 words fairly difficult; 25 words difficult and 29 words or more, very difficult." 112 + 113 +Author Ann Wylie said: "When the average sentence length in a piece was fewer than 8 words long, readers understood 100% of the story. At 14 words, they could comprehend more than 90% of the information. But move up to 43-word sentences and comprehension dropped below 10 percent." 114 + 115 +[[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website 116 + 117 +[['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 118 + 119 +[['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017 120 + 121 +[['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 122 + 123 +[['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 124 + 125 +[['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 126 + 127 +[['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 128 + 129 +[[Reading Level>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Understanding SC 3.1.5, WCAG, 2008 130 + 131 +[['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 132 + 133 +[['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 134 + 135 +[['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, 12:99-107 136 + 137 +[['Writing smaller'>>url:http://clarity-international.net/journals/63.pdf]], Clarity Journal no. 63, 2010 138 + 139 +[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/aaf9e928/files/uploaded/PLCstyleguide25July2012.pdf]], 2012 140 + 141 +[['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 142 + 143 +[['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 144 + 145 +[['What is plain language?'>>url:https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/]], Plain Language Association International, 2015 146 + 147 +[[Text complexity, ATOS, and Lexile® Measures>>url:https://www.renaissance.com/products/practice/accelerated-reader-360/atos-and-text-complexity/]], Renaissance Learning, 2016 148 + 149 +[['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 150 + 151 +[['How to use Yoast SEO: The readability analysis?'>>url:https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-readability-analysis/]] Edwin Toonen, Yoast, 2018 152 + 153 +[[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated 154 + 155 + 91 91 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 92 92 Here's some sector specific guidance: 93 93