Skip to Content

Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.15 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 12:52
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version Icon 2.12 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 11:52
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Icon 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 visual field
6 +* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller field of focus
7 7  * **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
8 8  
9 9  
... ... @@ -12,8 +12,10 @@
12 12  
13 13  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
14 14  
15 -[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
15 +[[Sentence length>>Sentence length||anchor="ssl"]]
16 16  
17 +Sentence structure
18 +
17 17  Specialist terms
18 18  
19 19  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
... ... @@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
20 20  Words to avoid
21 21  
22 22  
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 +
23 23  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
24 24  
25 25  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
... ... @@ -75,84 +75,13 @@
75 75  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
76 76  
77 77  
78 -== {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
84 +== {{id name="ssl"/}}Short sentence length ==
79 79  
80 80  
81 -=== 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
82 82  
83 -The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
88 +== Simple sentence structure ==
84 84  
85 -You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
86 86  
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 -
156 156  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
157 157  Here's some sector specific guidance:
158 158