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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
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edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:22
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To version Icon 2.24 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 18:05
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... ... @@ -2,18 +2,22 @@
2 2  This helps:
3 3  
4 4  * **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
5 -* **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences need less cognition
5 +* **people who are stressed** – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things
6 +* **people who are multi-tasking** – if you're holding a baby or a running business your attention's divided
7 +* **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences carry less cognitive load
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
10 +
8 8  
12 +== ==
9 9  
10 10  == Guidelines ==
11 11  
12 12  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
13 13  
14 -[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
18 +[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
15 15  
16 -[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
20 +[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
17 17  
18 18  [[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
19 19  
... ... @@ -20,8 +20,11 @@
20 20  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
21 21  [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
22 22  
27 +
23 23  ----
24 24  
30 +== ==
31 +
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.
... ... @@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
58 58  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
59 59  
60 60  
61 -== Usability evidence for plain English ==
68 +== Usability evidence: plain English ==
62 62  
63 63  [[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.
64 64  
... ... @@ -76,19 +76,21 @@
76 76  
77 77  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
78 78  
86 +
79 79  ----
80 80  
89 +== ==
90 +
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.
95 +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.
97 +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. ==
100 +=== 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 ==
115 +== 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
117 +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."
119 +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."
121 +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 +153,18 @@
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  
163 +
156 156  ----
157 157  
158 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
166 +== ==
159 159  
168 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
169 +
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. ===
174 +=== 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  
... ... @@ -183,13 +183,14 @@
183 183  
184 184  >Example:
185 185  >
186 ->"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence.
196 +>"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]]).
187 187  >
188 188  >"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.
199 +>
189 189  > "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.
190 190  
191 191  
192 -== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
203 +== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
193 193  
194 194  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
195 195  
... ... @@ -204,11 +204,10 @@
204 204  [['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
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
218 +
207 207  
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.
220 +----
210 210  
211 -
212 212  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
213 213  Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
214 214