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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.20 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:30
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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 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  
... ... @@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
23 23  
24 24  ----
25 25  
26 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
27 27  == ==
28 28  
29 29  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
... ... @@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
62 62  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
63 63  
64 64  
65 -== Usability evidence for plain English ==
68 +== Usability evidence: plain English ==
66 66  
67 67  [[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.
68 68  
... ... @@ -83,17 +83,15 @@
83 83  
84 84  ----
85 85  
86 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
87 87  == ==
88 88  
89 89  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
90 90  
91 -
92 92  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
93 93  
94 -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.
95 95  
96 -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.
97 97  
98 98  
99 99  === 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
... ... @@ -111,16 +111,14 @@
111 111  >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
112 112  
113 113  
114 -== Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
115 +== Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
115 115  
116 -"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
117 117  
118 -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'
119 119  
120 -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
121 121  
122 -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."
123 -
124 124  [[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
125 125  
126 126  [['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
... ... @@ -164,7 +164,6 @@
164 164  
165 165  ----
166 166  
167 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
168 168  == ==
169 169  
170 170  == {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
... ... @@ -195,13 +195,14 @@
195 195  
196 196  >Example:
197 197  >
198 ->"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]]).
199 199  >
200 200  >"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 +>
201 201  > "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.
202 202  
203 203  
204 -== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
203 +== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
205 205  
206 206  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
207 207  
... ... @@ -216,13 +216,11 @@
216 216  [['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
217 217  
218 218  [['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 +
219 219  
220 +----
220 220  
221 221  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
222 -We generated the [[original sentence about a specialist architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com.
223 -
224 -
225 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
226 226  Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
227 227  
228 228