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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.2 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 11:04
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To version Icon 2.9 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 11:50
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

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1 -== Plain English ==
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2 +Clear language is helpful for:
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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 field of focus
7 +* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
8 +
9 +
10 +== Guidelines ==
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12 +[[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
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14 +[[Sentence length>>Sentence length||anchor="ssl"]]
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16 +Sentence structure
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18 +Specialist terms
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21 +Words to avoid
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25 +Our guidelines come out of conversations held on Slack about clear language usability evidence. Clear language helps in all areas. It opens it up to the widest possible audience.
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28 +== {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
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3 3  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
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5 5  WCAG states that "using the clearest and simplest language appropriate is highly desirable."
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7 7  The United Nations recommends plain language for communications.
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10 -=== 1. Choose easy and short words not formal and long ones. ===
37 +=== 1. Choose easy and short words not formal, long ones. ===
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12 12  Use ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’, ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’, and ‘about’ instead of ‘approximately’.
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33 33  
34 34  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
35 35  
36 -== Short sentence length ==
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64 +== Usability evidence for plain English ==
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66 +[[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.
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68 +[['Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities'>>url:http://templatelab.com/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/]], page 4 Article 2, Definitions, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2018.
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70 +[['Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/plain-language-experts/]], H. Loranger, Nielsen Norman Group, 2017
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72 +[['The Public Speaks: An Empirical Study of Legal Communication'>>url:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1843415]], C. R. Trudeau in 14 Scribes J. Leg. Writing 121 2012
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74 +[['Strengthening plain language'>>url:http://www.iplfederation.org/]], International Plain Language Federation. Undated.
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76 +[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://www.clearest.co.uk/plain-language-commission-style-guide]], Plain Language Commission, 2011
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78 +[['The principles of readability'>>url:http://www.impact-information.com/impactinfo/readability02.pdf]], Impact Information, William H. DuBay, 2004
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80 +[[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
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82 +
83 +== {{id name="ssl"/}}Short sentence length ==
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40 40  == Simple sentence structure ==
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91 +Here's some sector specific guidance:
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94 +Legal
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97 +Medical
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100 +Financial
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44 44  {{children/}}
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