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Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
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edited by Lizzie Bruce
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2 -(((
3 -Following this helps:
4 -
5 -* **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
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 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 -)))
12 -
13 -==
14 -Guidelines ==
15 -
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." The United Nations recommends plain language for communications.
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 -
29 -----
30 -
31 -== ==
32 -
33 -=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
34 -
35 -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.
36 -
37 -Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree:
38 -
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 -
43 -
44 -Example:
45 -
46 -(% class="mark" %)This sentence is about 15 words long and is easy to understand.
47 -
48 -=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
49 -
50 -They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
51 -
52 -
53 -Complexity depends on:
54 -
55 -* number of clauses in a sentence, the more clauses the more complex it is
56 -* distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning
57 -
58 -
59 -Example:
60 -\\(% class="mark" %)"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand 
61 -"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
62 -
63 -
64 -----
65 -
66 -== {{id name="#UESS"/}}Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
67 -
68 -Oxford Guide to plain English
69 -
70 -Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
71 -
72 -Author Ann Wylie
73 -
74 -[[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
75 -
76 -[['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
77 -
78 -[['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017
79 -
80 -[['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, 1982
81 -
82 -[['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
83 -
84 -[['How the brain attunes to sentence processing: Relating behavior, structure, and function'>>url:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819595/]], A. Fengler, L. Meyer, A. D. Friederici, National Center for Biotechnology Information
85 -
86 -[['Functional Analysis of Clause Complex in the Language of News Websites Texts: A Comparative Study of Two Articles'>>url:http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0616/ijsrp-p5445.pdf]], F. M. S. Eid, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 6, June 2016
87 -
88 -[[Reading Level>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Understanding SC 3.1.5, WCAG, 2008
89 -
90 -[['Readability Assessment of Internet-Based Consumer Health Information'>>url:http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/53/10/1310/tab-pdf]], T. M. Walsh and T. A. Volsko in Respiratory Care October 2008, 53 (10) 1310-1315
91 -
92 -[['The research basis of plain language techniques: Implications for establishing standards'>>url:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Schriver/publication/285927928_The_research_basis_of_plain_language_techniques_Implications_for_establishing_standards/links/5664c50208ae192bbf90aa85/The-research-basis-of-plain-language-techniques-Implications-for-establishing-standards.pdf]], Karen Schriver, PhD, Dr. A. L. Cheek, M. Mercer, Center for Plain Language, November 20, 2008, Mexico City
93 -
94 -[['Readability Levels of Health-Based Websites: From Content to Comprehension'>>url:https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ851863.pdf]], M. Schutten, A. McFarland, PhD, International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 2009, 12:99-107
95 -
96 -[['Writing smaller'>>url:http://clarity-international.net/journals/63.pdf]], Clarity Journal no. 63, 2010
97 -
98 -[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/aaf9e928/files/uploaded/PLCstyleguide25July2012.pdf]], 2012
99 -
100 -[['Shorter Lines Facilitate Reading in Those Who Struggle'>>url:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071161]], Matthew H. Schneps , Jenny M. Thomson, Gerhard Sonnert, Marc Pomplun, Chen Chen, Amanda Heffner-Wong, 2013
101 -
102 -[['Towards a better measure of readability: Explanation of empirical performance results'>>url:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00437956.1989.11435805]], Leslie A. Olsen & Rod Johnson, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015
103 -
104 -[['What is plain language?'>>url:https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/]], Plain Language Association International, 2015
105 -
106 -[[Text complexity, ATOS, and Lexile® Measures>>url:https://www.renaissance.com/products/practice/accelerated-reader-360/atos-and-text-complexity/]], Renaissance Learning, 2016
107 -
108 -[['Understanding Plain English summaries. A comparison of two approaches to improve the quality of Plain English summaries in research reports.'>>url:https://researchinvolvement.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40900-017-0064-0]] 2017
109 -
110 -[['How to use Yoast SEO: The readability analysis?'>>url:https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-readability-analysis/]] Edwin Toonen, Yoast, 2018
111 -
112 -[[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
113 -
114 -
115 -----
116 -
117 -(% class="box" %)
118 -(((
119 -See also:
120 -
121 -* [[Plain English>>doc:Plain English.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]]
122 -* [[Specialist terms>>doc:Plain English.Specialist terms.WebHome]]
123 -* [[Law, medicine, money>>doc:Plain English.Medical.WebHome]]
124 -* [[Words to avoid>>doc:Plain English.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
125 -)))
1 +Please go to [[readabilityguidelines.co.uk/clear-language/simple-sentences>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.co.uk/clear-language/simple-sentences/]].
Icon XWiki.XWikiComments[0]
Author
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1 +Chris in Oslo
Comment
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1 +It's my experience that when you say to people "X should be on average Y long", they hear "X should be at least Y long". They get hung up on the number and think they have to reach it. I could absolutely imagine that people who are not experienced (usually exactly the ones who want clear and explicit guidance) will see this and make sentences *longer* because theirs is only 10 words. TL;DR: I don't think is bad advice, but I do think people are bad at averaging and bad at understanding that X limit does not mean "write X much" :)
Date
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1 +2019-05-03 15:47:13.0
Icon XWiki.XWikiComments[1]
Author
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1 +Chris in Oslo again
Comment
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1 +I'm trying to think about how I would write guidelines in a way that would mitigate what I wrote above. My experience has been that people remember the number much better than the precise thing you were trying to convey with the number (which is why we have truthy-but-wrong memes like "you only use 10% of your brain.) I guess I'm missing something above that says "Make sentences as short as possible by introducing one idea at a time" or similar?
Date
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1 +2019-05-03 15:53:50.0
Icon XWiki.XWikiComments[2]
Author
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1 +xwiki:XWiki.LizzieBruce
Comment
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1 +Ah, good point Chris. Will revisit this guidance wording! Thanks for the suggested alternative.
Date
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1 +2019-05-21 10:25:03.0