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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.19 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:25
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To version Icon 2.26 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/08 20:44
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

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Title
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1 -Clear language
1 +Language use
Content
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1 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
2 -This helps:
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2 +(((
3 +Writing about people: being inclusive
4 +)))
3 3  
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
6 -* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
7 -* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
6 +(% class="box" %)
7 +(((
8 +Audience labels: I, you, we, they
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8 8  
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12 +(((
13 +Plain English, simple sentences, specialist terms
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9 9  
10 -== Guidelines ==
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17 +(((
18 +Specialist terms
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11 11  
12 -[[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
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22 +(((
23 +Law, medicine and money
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13 13  
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27 +(((
28 +Words to avoid
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30 +
14 14  [[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
15 15  
16 16  [[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
17 17  
18 -[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
35 +[[Law, medicine, money>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
19 19  
20 20  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
21 21  [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
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23 23  
24 24  ----
25 25  
43 +== ==
44 +
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.
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59 59  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
60 60  
61 61  
62 -== Usability evidence for plain English ==
81 +== 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  
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80 80  
81 81  ----
82 82  
102 +== ==
103 +
83 83  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
84 84  
85 -
86 86  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
87 87  
88 -The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
108 +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.
89 89  
90 -You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
110 +Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
91 91  
92 92  
93 93  === 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
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105 105  >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
106 106  
107 107  
108 -== Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
128 +== Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
109 109  
110 -"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
130 +Oxford Guide to plain English
111 111  
112 -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."
132 +Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
113 113  
114 -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."
134 +Author Ann Wylie
115 115  
116 -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."
117 -
118 118  [[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
119 119  
120 120  [['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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158 158  
159 159  ----
160 160  
161 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
179 +== ==
162 162  
181 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
182 +
163 163  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
164 164  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
165 165  
166 166  
167 -=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
187 +=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
168 168  
169 169  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
170 170  
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186 186  
187 187  >Example:
188 188  >
189 ->"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence.
209 +>"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]]).
190 190  >
191 191  >"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.
212 +>
192 192  > "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.
193 193  
194 194  
195 -== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
216 +== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
196 196  
197 197  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
198 198  
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207 207  [['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
208 208  
209 209  [['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
231 +
210 210  
211 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
212 -We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
233 +----
213 213  
214 -
215 215  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
216 216  Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
217 217