Skip to Content

Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.18 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:22
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version Icon 2.21 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 14:15
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

Details

Icon Page properties
Content
... ... @@ -11,9 +11,9 @@
11 11  
12 12  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
13 13  
14 -[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
14 +[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
15 15  
16 -[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
16 +[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
17 17  
18 18  [[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
19 19  
... ... @@ -20,8 +20,12 @@
20 20  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
21 21  [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
22 22  
23 +
23 23  ----
24 24  
26 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
27 +== ==
28 +
25 25  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
26 26  
27 27  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
... ... @@ -76,19 +76,22 @@
76 76  
77 77  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
78 78  
83 +
79 79  ----
80 80  
86 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
87 +== ==
88 +
81 81  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
82 82  
83 -
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  
... ... @@ -105,14 +105,12 @@
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
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
... ... @@ -153,15 +153,19 @@
153 153  
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  
161 +
156 156  ----
157 157  
158 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
164 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
165 +== ==
159 159  
167 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
168 +
160 160  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
161 161  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
162 162  
163 163  
164 -=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
173 +=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
165 165  
166 166  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
167 167  
... ... @@ -205,8 +205,9 @@
205 205  
206 206  [['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
207 207  
217 +
208 208  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
209 -We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
219 +We generated the [[original sentence about a specialist architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com.
210 210  
211 211  
212 212  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)