Skip to Content

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
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version Icon 2.23 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 17:55
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Icon Page properties
Content
... ... @@ -5,24 +5,28 @@
5 5  * **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences need less cognition
6 6  * **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 8  
10 +== ==
9 9  
10 -
11 11  == Guidelines ==
12 12  
13 13  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
14 14  
15 -[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
16 +[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
16 16  
17 -[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
18 +[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
18 18  
19 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
20 -Words to avoid
20 +[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
21 21  
22 22  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
23 -Medicine, money and law
23 +[[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
24 24  
25 25  
26 +----
27 +
28 +== ==
29 +
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.
... ... @@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
59 59  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
60 60  
61 61  
62 -== Usability evidence for plain English ==
66 +== Usability evidence: plain English ==
63 63  
64 64  [[Guideline 3.1 Readable: Make text content readable and understandable.>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2008.
65 65  
... ... @@ -78,17 +78,20 @@
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 ==
85 +----
82 82  
87 +== ==
83 83  
89 +== {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
90 +
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.
93 +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.
95 +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. ==
98 +=== 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  
... ... @@ -103,16 +103,14 @@
103 103  >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
104 104  
105 105  
106 -== Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
113 +== Usability evidence: 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
115 +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."
117 +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."
119 +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
... ... @@ -154,13 +154,17 @@
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 ==
162 +----
158 158  
164 +== ==
165 +
166 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
167 +
159 159  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
160 160  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
161 161  
162 162  
163 -=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
172 +=== 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  
... ... @@ -182,13 +182,14 @@
182 182  
183 183  >Example:
184 184  >
185 ->"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence.
194 +>"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence (source [[yourdictionary.com>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]]).
186 186  >
187 187  >"It is a [[Palladian style>>url:http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/style-guide-palladianism/]] stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – with link to a definition.
197 +>
188 188  > "It is a Palladian style stone building and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving. Palladian style architecture features include columns, symmetry and decorative arches." – with explanatory definition.
189 189  
190 190  
191 -== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
201 +== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
192 192  
193 193  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
194 194  
... ... @@ -203,14 +203,12 @@
203 203  [['Technical Writing Need Not Be Abstruse—Use Plain Language for Maximum Impact'>>url:https://digital.gov/2015/10/23/technical-writing-need-not-be-abstruse-use-plain-language-for-maximum-impact/#]], Colleen Blessing, 2015
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
216 +
206 206  
207 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
208 -We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
218 +----
209 209  
210 -
211 211  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
212 -Here's some sector specific guidance for medicine, money and law.
213 -
214 -{{children/}}
215 -
221 +Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
216 216  
223 +
224 +And here's our list of jargon [[words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]!