Changes for page Simple sentences

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1		-Please go to [[readabilityguidelines.co.uk/clear-language/simple-sentences>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.co.uk/clear-language/simple-sentences/]].
	1	+(% class="box" %)
	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 holding a baby or a running business your attention's divided
	8	+* **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences carry less cognitive load
	9	+* **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
	10	+* **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
	11	+)))
	12	+
	13	+==
	14	+Guidelines ==
	15	+
	16	+
	17	+(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H1.MakeyouraveragesentenceA015wordslong." %)
	18	+[[1. Make your average sentence 15 words long.>>1. Make your average sentence 15 words long.||anchor="#1"]]
	19	+
	20	+(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.A0Avoidcomplexsentencestructures." %)
	21	+[[2. Avoid complex sentence structures.>>2. Avoid complex sentence structures.||anchor="#2"]]
	22	+
	23	+(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
	24	+[[Usability evidence>>Usability evidence||anchor="#UESS"]]
	25	+
	26	+
	27	+----
	28	+
	29	+== ==
	30	+
	31	+=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
	32	+
	33	+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.
	34	+
	35	+Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
	36	+
	37	+
	38	+=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
	39	+
	40	+They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
	41	+
	42	+
	43	+Complexity depends on:
	44	+
	45	+* number of clauses in a sentence, the more clauses the more complex it is
	46	+* distribution of associated words across the sentence – how easily can the brain 'parse a phrase': recognise, connect and comprehend words that together convey meaning
	47	+
	48	+
	49	+Example:
	50	+\\(% class="mark" %)"The red fox jumped over the gate." – easier to understand
	51	+"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
	52	+
	53	+
	54	+----
	55	+
	56	+== {{id name="#UESS"/}}Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
	57	+
	58	+Oxford Guide to plain English
	59	+
	60	+Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
	61	+
	62	+Author Ann Wylie
	63	+
	64	+[[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
	65	+
	66	+[['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
	67	+
	68	+[['Content design'>>url:https://contentdesign.london/book/]], Sarah Richards, 2017
	69	+
	70	+[['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
	71	+
	72	+[['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
	73	+
	74	+[['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
	75	+
	76	+[['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
	77	+
	78	+[[Reading Level>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Understanding SC 3.1.5, WCAG, 2008
	79	+
	80	+[['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
	81	+
	82	+[['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
	83	+
	84	+[['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
	85	+
	86	+[['Writing smaller'>>url:http://clarity-international.net/journals/63.pdf]], Clarity Journal no. 63, 2010
	87	+
	88	+[[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/aaf9e928/files/uploaded/PLCstyleguide25July2012.pdf]], 2012
	89	+
	90	+[['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
	91	+
	92	+[['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
	93	+
	94	+[['What is plain language?'>>url:https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/]], Plain Language Association International, 2015
	95	+
	96	+[[Text complexity, ATOS, and Lexile® Measures>>url:https://www.renaissance.com/products/practice/accelerated-reader-360/atos-and-text-complexity/]], Renaissance Learning, 2016
	97	+
	98	+[['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
	99	+
	100	+[['How to use Yoast SEO: The readability analysis?'>>url:https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-readability-analysis/]] Edwin Toonen, Yoast, 2018
	101	+
	102	+[[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
	103	+
	104	+
	105	+----
	106	+
	107	+(% class="box" %)
	108	+(((
	109	+See also:
	110	+
	111	+* [[Plain English>>doc:Plain English.Plain English, simple sentences.WebHome]]
	112	+* [[Specialist terms>>doc:Plain English.Specialist terms.WebHome]]
	113	+* [[Law, medicine, money>>doc:Plain English.Medical.WebHome]]
	114	+* [[Words to avoid>>doc:Plain English.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
	115	+)))

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