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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version Icon 2.28 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/08 20:48
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To version Icon 2.19 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:25
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Title
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1 -Language use
1 +Clear language
Content
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2 -(((
3 -Writing about people: being inclusive
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2 +This helps:
5 5  
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7 -(((
8 -Audience labels: I, you, we, they
9 -)))
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
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12 -(((
13 -== [[Plain English, simple sentences >>doc:.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]] ==
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15 15  
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17 -(((
18 -Specialist terms
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10 +== Guidelines ==
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22 -(((
23 -Law, medicine and money
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12 +[[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
25 25  
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27 -(((
28 -Words to avoid
29 -)))
30 -
31 31  [[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
32 32  
33 33  [[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
34 34  
35 -[[Law, medicine, money>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
18 +[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
36 36  
37 37  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
38 38  [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
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40 40  
41 41  ----
42 42  
43 -== ==
44 -
45 45  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
46 46  
47 47  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
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78 78  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
79 79  
80 80  
81 -== Usability evidence: plain English ==
62 +== Usability evidence for plain English ==
82 82  
83 83  [[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.
84 84  
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99 99  
100 100  ----
101 101  
102 -== ==
103 -
104 104  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
105 105  
85 +
106 106  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
107 107  
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.
88 +The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
109 109  
110 -Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
90 +You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
111 111  
112 112  
113 113  === 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
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125 125  >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
126 126  
127 127  
128 -== Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
108 +== Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
129 129  
130 -Oxford Guide to plain English
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
131 131  
132 -Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
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."
133 133  
134 -Author Ann Wylie
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."
135 135  
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 +
136 136  [[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
137 137  
138 138  [['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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176 176  
177 177  ----
178 178  
179 -== ==
161 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
180 180  
181 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
182 -
183 183  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
184 184  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
185 185  
186 186  
187 -=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
167 +=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
188 188  
189 189  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
190 190  
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206 206  
207 207  >Example:
208 208  >
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]]).
189 +>"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence.
210 210  >
211 211  >"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 ->
213 213  > "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.
214 214  
215 215  
216 -== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
195 +== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
217 217  
218 218  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
219 219  
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228 228  [['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
229 229  
230 230  [['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 -
232 232  
233 -----
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.
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214 +
235 235  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
236 236  Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
237 237