Changes for page Simple sentences
Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
From version 2.33
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/08 22:02
on 2019/03/08 22:02
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To version 2.38
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/16 00:26
on 2019/03/16 00:26
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... ... @@ -4,31 +4,50 @@ 4 4 5 5 * **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly 6 6 * **people who are stressed** – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things 7 -* **people who are multi-tasking** – if you're holding a baby orrunning business yourattention's divided8 -* **cognitive impairments** – easy tounderstand wordsandsentences carry less cognitive load9 -* **visual impairments** – short andsimple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field10 -* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understandwhat you read quickly7 +* **people who are multi-tasking** – if you're distracted it's hard to comprehend convoluted structures 8 +* **cognitive impairments** – shorter, non-complex sentences carry less cognitive load 9 +* **visual impairments** – short, simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field 10 +* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can absorb what you read quickly 11 11 ))) 12 12 13 13 == 14 14 Guidelines == 15 15 16 - * [[Simple sentences>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Plain%20English%2C%20simple%20sentences/#ssl]]16 +Short, simple sentences are better on the web than long, protracted prose with complex syntax. WCAG says: "using the clearest and simplest language appropriate is highly desirable." 17 17 18 + 19 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H1.MakeyouraveragesentenceA015wordslong." %) 20 +[[1. Make your average sentence 15 words long.>>doc:||anchor="#1"]] 21 + 22 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.A0Avoidcomplexsentencestructures." %) 23 +[[2. Avoid complex sentence structures.>>doc:||anchor="#2"]] 24 + 25 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %) 26 +[[Usability evidence>>doc:||anchor="#UESS"]] 27 + 28 + 18 18 ---- 19 19 20 -== 21 -Simple sentences == 31 +== == 22 22 23 -=== 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. === 33 +=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. === 24 24 25 25 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. 26 26 27 -Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.37 +Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree: 28 28 39 +* 15 word sentences are more likely to be comprehensible 40 +* 25 words is a good maximum sentence length limit 41 +* above 40 words sentences are hard to comprehend easily 42 + 29 29 30 - === 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===44 +Example: 31 31 46 +(% class="mark" %)This sentence is about 15 words long and is easy to understand. (%%) 47 + 48 + 49 +=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Avoid complex sentence structures. === 50 + 32 32 They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences. 33 33 34 34 ... ... @@ -38,12 +38,15 @@ 38 38 * distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning 39 39 40 40 41 ->Example:"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 42 ->"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand 60 +Example: 61 +\\(% class="mark" %)"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 62 +"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand 43 43 44 44 45 - == Usability evidence: simple sentences ==65 +---- 46 46 67 +== {{id name="#UESS"/}}Usability evidence: simple sentences == 68 + 47 47 Oxford Guide to plain English 48 48 49 49 Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish' ... ... @@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ 56 56 57 57 [['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017 58 58 59 -[['The role of word difficulty and sentence length in text comprehension'>> url:https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a114935.pdf]], T. M. Duffy and P. K. U'Ren, 198281 +[['The role of word difficulty and sentence length in text comprehension'>>https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED215330]], T. M. Duffy and P. K. U'Ren, 1982 60 60 61 61 [['The Influence of Semantics and Syntax on What Readers Remember'>>url:https://www.hcde.washington.edu/files/people/docs/Isakson_Spyridakis_Sem_Syn.pdf]], C. S. Isakson and J. H. Spyridakis, 1999 62 62 ... ... @@ -93,9 +93,12 @@ 93 93 94 94 ---- 95 95 118 +(% class="box" %) 119 +((( 96 96 See also: 97 97 98 -* Plain English 99 -* [[Specialist terms>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Plain%20English%2C%20simple%20sentences/#st]] 100 -* [[Law, medicine, money>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Medical/]] 101 -* [[Words to avoid>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Plain%20English/Words%20to%20avoid/]] 122 +* [[Plain English>>doc:Plain English.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]] 123 +* [[Specialist terms>>doc:Plain English.Specialist terms.WebHome]] 124 +* [[Law, medicine, money>>doc:Plain English.Medical.WebHome]] 125 +* [[Words to avoid>>doc:Plain English.Words to avoid.WebHome]] 126 +)))