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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.22 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 14:17
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To version Icon 2.17 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:14
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7 7  * **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
8 8  
9 9  
10 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
11 -== ==
12 12  
13 13  == Guidelines ==
14 14  
15 15  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
16 16  
17 -[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
15 +[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
18 18  
19 -[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
17 +[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
20 20  
21 -[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
22 -
23 23  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
24 -[[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
20 +Words to avoid
25 25  
26 -
27 -----
28 -
29 29  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
30 -== ==
23 +Medicine, money and law
31 31  
25 +
32 32  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
33 33  
34 34  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
... ... @@ -84,21 +84,17 @@
84 84  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
85 85  
86 86  
87 -----
88 -
89 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
90 -== ==
91 -
92 92  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
93 93  
83 +
94 94  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
95 95  
96 -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.
86 +The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
97 97  
98 -Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
88 +You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
99 99  
100 100  
101 -=== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
91 +== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ==
102 102  
103 103  They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
104 104  
... ... @@ -115,12 +115,14 @@
115 115  
116 116  == Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
117 117  
118 -Oxford Guide to plain English
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
119 119  
120 -Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
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."
121 121  
122 -Author Ann Wylie
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."
123 123  
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 +
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
... ... @@ -162,18 +162,13 @@
162 162  [[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
163 163  
164 164  
165 -----
157 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
166 166  
167 167  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
168 -== ==
169 -
170 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
171 -
172 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
173 173  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
174 174  
175 175  
176 -=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
163 +=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
177 177  
178 178  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
179 179  
... ... @@ -217,13 +217,13 @@
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
219 219  
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.
208 +We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
223 223  
224 224  
225 225  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
226 -Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
227 -
212 +Here's some sector specific guidance for medicine, money and law.
228 228  
229 -And here's our list of jargon [[words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]!
214 +{{children/}}
215 +
216 +