Changes for page Simple sentences
Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version 2.29
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/08 20:49
on 2019/03/08 20:49
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To version 2.18
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:22
on 2019/03/07 13:22
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Summary
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... ... @@ -1,47 +1,27 @@ 1 -(% class="box" %) 2 -((( 3 -Writing about people: being inclusive 4 -))) 1 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 2 +This helps: 5 5 6 - (%class="box"%)7 - (((8 - Audiencelabels:I,you,we,they9 - )))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 10 10 11 -(% class="box" %) 12 -((( 13 -== [[Plain English, specialist terms >>doc:.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]] == 14 -))) 15 15 16 -(% class="box" %) 17 -((( 18 -Simple sentences 19 -))) 10 +== Guidelines == 20 20 21 -(% class="box" %) 22 -((( 23 -Law, medicine and money 24 -))) 12 +[[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]] 25 25 26 -(% class="box" %) 27 -((( 28 -Words to avoid 29 -))) 14 +[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]] 30 30 31 -[[S impleentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]16 +[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]] 32 32 33 -[[ Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]18 +[[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]] 34 34 35 -[[Law, medicine, money>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]] 36 - 37 37 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 38 38 [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]] 39 39 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. ... ... @@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ 78 78 What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else. 79 79 80 80 81 -== Usability evidence :plain English ==61 +== 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 ... ... @@ -96,21 +96,19 @@ 96 96 97 97 [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018 98 98 99 - 100 100 ---- 101 101 102 -== == 103 - 104 104 == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences == 105 105 83 + 106 106 === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. === 107 107 108 -The maximum sentence length foragoodlevelof 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. 109 109 110 - Oxford Guideto plainEnglish, GOV.UK andlinguistsagree 15 wordsentencesarefine butabove40words ishard 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. 111 111 112 112 113 -== =2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===91 +== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. == 114 114 115 115 They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences. 116 116 ... ... @@ -125,14 +125,16 @@ 125 125 >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand 126 126 127 127 128 -== Usability evidence :simple sentences ==106 +== Usability evidence for simple sentences == 129 129 130 - OxfordGuide to plainEnglish108 +"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 - JyotiSanyal'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." 133 133 134 - Author AnnWylie112 +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." 135 135 114 +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 + 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 ... ... @@ -173,18 +173,15 @@ 173 173 174 174 [[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated 175 175 176 - 177 177 ---- 178 178 179 -== == 158 +== {{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 specialistterms:anybody can access your content. ===164 +=== 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 ... ... @@ -206,14 +206,13 @@ 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]]).186 +>"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 ==192 +== 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 ... ... @@ -228,10 +228,11 @@ 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 ----- 208 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 209 +We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations. 234 234 211 + 235 235 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 236 236 Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]. 237 237