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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.17 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:14
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To version Icon 2.22 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 14:17
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7 7  * **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
8 8  
9 9  
10 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
11 +== ==
10 10  
11 11  == Guidelines ==
12 12  
13 13  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
14 14  
15 -[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
17 +[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
16 16  
17 -[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
19 +[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
18 18  
19 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
20 -Words to avoid
21 +[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
21 21  
22 22  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
23 -Medicine, money and law
24 +[[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
24 24  
25 25  
27 +----
28 +
29 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
30 +== ==
31 +
26 26  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
27 27  
28 28  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
... ... @@ -78,17 +78,21 @@
78 78  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
79 79  
80 80  
81 -== {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
87 +----
82 82  
89 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
90 +== ==
83 83  
92 +== {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
93 +
84 84  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
85 85  
86 -The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
96 +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.
87 87  
88 -You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
98 +Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
89 89  
90 90  
91 -== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ==
101 +=== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
92 92  
93 93  They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
94 94  
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105 105  
106 106  == Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
107 107  
108 -"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
118 +Oxford Guide to plain English
109 109  
110 -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."
120 +Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
111 111  
112 -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."
122 +Author Ann Wylie
113 113  
114 -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."
115 -
116 116  [[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
117 117  
118 118  [['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
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154 154  [[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
155 155  
156 156  
157 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
165 +----
158 158  
159 159  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
168 +== ==
169 +
170 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
171 +
172 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
160 160  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
161 161  
162 162  
163 -=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
176 +=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
164 164  
165 165  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
166 166  
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204 204  
205 205  [['The Facets of the General Public as Audience'>>url:https://www.dropbox.com/s/2u2cybl7c57u0tr/AudienceIssues.pdf?dl=0]] Cheryl Stephens and Mariah Stufflebeam, 2017
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208 -We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
209 209  
210 -
211 211  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
212 -Here's some sector specific guidance for medicine, money and law.
222 +We generated the [[original sentence about a specialist architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com.
213 213  
214 -{{children/}}
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226 +Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
216 216  
228 +
229 +And here's our list of jargon [[words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]!