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Plain written language – top tips
Stop and think before you write
– Make a note of the points you want to make in a logical order.
Imagine
you are talking to your reader – say "you" and "we".
Write in a tone and style that suits the reader. Be sincere and personal, but don’t
patronise.
Get to the point quickly -
The beginning must be of interest to your readers and give them the incentive to continue.
Be understood - Obscure, Latin, foreign
and legal words won’t impress readers or help your writing style. Everyday language
is more likely to help people understand your ideas or message.
Don’t
use jargon unless your readers will understand it - Avoid technical words.
Explain any technical terms you have to use.
Keep your sentence length down
– don’t use more than 15-20 words. Try to stick to one main idea in a sentence.
Be punchy.
Be direct – for example, say "we
will do it" and not "it will be done by us".
Be clear – Don’t waffle or stray
from the main point or message. Make sure the words or phrases you use are not vague.
Promote the right image
– Design helpful leaflets and forms.
Read and check
everything you write - is the grammar correct? Does it read clearly? Will the
reader understand?
 | Think about what you want to achieve with the letter, leaflet or form.
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| Gather all the information you need and make a short note of the key points you want to
make.
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| Plan the document so that what you say will be in the order your readers will find
clearest to understand.
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| You could do this by asking yourself the following questions: |
| Who and what is the information for? |
| What reasonable amount of information do I need to give? |
| Where and when do the readers need to know it? |
| What do I need from them in return? |
| Am I informing, persuading or both? |
| Are there additional messages I need to give? |
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| Try to picture your reader and put yourself in your reader’s shoes.
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| Think, from the reader’s point of view, about the reaction that you might get to
your letter, leaflet or form.
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| Is the style you are intending to use appropriate?
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| Be direct and friendly. For example, use ‘I’, ‘we’ and
‘you’.
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| Avoid patronising or insincere phrases in a letter.
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| Avoid phrases in documents that may worry the reader, such as ‘Your benefits may
well be stopped if this form is not returned’.
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| Be specific if the reader is affected by how they respond.
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| It can help if you ask yourself the following questions: |
| In what capacity are you writing? |
| What is your relationship with the reader? |
| Do they already know about the subject? |
| Where do they live? |
| What is their background? |
| Are they young or old? |
| Will they have difficulty understanding a complex message? |
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| The first few sentences of a leaflet, letter or form should be the
essence of the document, covering who, what, why, where, when and how. They need to
interest your readers enough for them to want to continue.
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| Think carefully about the title of your document. It is the key for
getting the right readers in; and to the sense in which readers will understand it. For
example, if you are writing a leaflet about a government scheme, your main heading and
introduction should be about the scheme and its benefits, not the Act of Parliament behind
it. |
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| Use words that most people will know. Some people feel that using
complicated words gives their written work an air of authority, and makes them appear
knowledgeable and sophisticated. Usually it has the opposite affect. Using obscure words
and phrases or foreign ones, which confuse or annoy some of your readers. They will be a
barrier to understanding.
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| Avoid using legal language if you can. Complex and technical expressions may be
unavoidable on legal documents, where every contingency has to be covered. But in everyday
work – like forms and leaflets – they may make things harder for your readers.
Lawyers use such language in a technical way, often because they need to cover every
contingency. But try not to copy this style in everyday work and in designing forms and
leaflets. They are often misunderstood and make writing stiff.
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| Avoid words like these:
Herein
Henceforth
Undertake
Hereinbefore
Aforementioned
Whereas
Thereof
Disclose
Deem
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They rarely add anything. They will make you seem pompous.
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Don’t use
jargon unless your readers will understand it
| If you are writing to colleagues or specialists then jargon is sometimes convenient. But
even then, ask yourself whether everyday language wouldn’t do just as well.
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| A good rule to follow is that it is only acceptable to use jargon when you are certain
that all your readers will understand it.
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| Try not to use jargon in leaflets or forms designed for the public. If you have to
use such terms, explain what they mean plainly.
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| Think about using familiar words whenever possible. They are surprisingly
good at describing complicated systems and procedures. Most people will be impressed by
what you say, not by the complex way you say it. |
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| If you keep most of your sentences short, you stand a better chance of being understood
by your readers. You will probably make fewer grammatical errors.
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| If sentences are too long, the meaning becomes jumbled and obscure. Readers have
difficulty in understanding long sentences. They often lose the thread halfway through and
are tempted to give up.
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| An average sentence should be no more than 15 to 20 words.
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| If you find you have written a sentence that is too long, go back over it and break it
into smaller ones. Cut out unnecessary words and phrases.
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| Make only one main point in a sentence, with perhaps one or two related points. But make
sure you do not include too many qualifications to one point. |
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Be direct
| Use commands when writing instructions – with ‘please’ and
‘thank you’ if you think they are needed.
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| Here are some examples:
 | ‘The form should be returned’. Instead say, ‘Please return the
form
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| ‘The leaflet that is enclosed provides background information’. Instead
say, ‘The enclosed leaflet gives background information
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| ‘Ensure that all the documents relating to your application are enclosed’. Instead
say, ‘Enclose all documents relating to your application’.
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| Using indirect language may deprive the reader of information. For example ‘Your
application will be processed’ does not tell the reader who will be dealing with the
application. If the reader were told ‘Staff at the following address will deal with
your application’, they would have a fuller picture.
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| Indirect language can also sound impersonal and pompous. For example: |
‘I assure you that I will deal with your application’ is better than ‘Be
assured that your application will be dealt with’.
| But there are exceptions: |
For example, it is acceptable to be indirect where the result is more important than
the action or doer: ‘ The form will be used to set up a database’.
| Or, where the doer is obvious, unknown or irrelevant: ‘The vehicle must be at
least three years old’.
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| Do not pad out your writing with words and phrases that add nothing to your meaning.
Some people, often from habit, use phrases such as ‘as a consequence of’ and
‘with reference to’, with no thought as to whether they are needed. Where they
are, there may often be a shorter phrase that means the same:
| At a later date |
later |
| At this point in time |
now |
| In advance of |
before |
| In order to |
to |
| In relation to |
about, in, with, towards, to |
| In terms of |
about, in, at, by, for |
| In the majority of |
most |
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| Do not use vague or ambiguous phrases. For example, do not say ‘Completing this
form incorrectly may mean that you lose your benefit’. Be specific. Say exactly what
will happen if particular sections of the form are incomplete, or if wrong information is
given.
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| Don’t say the same thing twice over. For example, don’t say ‘We must co-operate
together on this project’. ‘Together’ adds nothing to the meaning that
‘co-operate’ carries.
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| Avoid repeating the same word if you can. For example: |
‘The baseline figure on which our calculations are based, will take into account
your income, based on your last salary statement.’
| This sounds repetitive and inelegant. If you find you have repeated the same word twice
in a sentence, try finding another way of expressing your meaning. For example: |
‘The starting figure on which our calculations are made, include your income as
shown in your last salary statement’.
| Don’t overuse qualifying words. |
Qualifying words, such as ‘definitely’, ‘absolutely’,
‘completely’, ‘really’, and ‘very’, are used to give
emphasis. But if they are overused, they fail to do so.
For example:
‘It is absolutely clear that we are already finding it extremely difficult to
maintain very limited services on a drastically reduced budget’, could be more
readable, with the meaning clearer, if it were written as:
‘It is clear that we are already finding it difficult to maintain limited services
on a reduced budget’.
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Promote the right image
| All leaflets and forms should be helpful, polite and as friendly as the subject allows.
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| From the reader’s point of view every leaflet and form you put out, and every
letter you write, will help determine the public’s view of your organisation.
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| Try to use a corporate logo that immediately identifies the source of the leaflet or
form.
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| Forms should be designed to get the information the organisation needs to carry out its
service most effectively.
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| You can do this by:
| not cramming too many questions into one form or too much information
into a leaflet;
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| making sure the form is clearly sign-posted. Direct the reader through
the questions and point them to relevant parts of an accompanying leaflet;
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| using clear headings so that readers can find the information they need.
But don’t use CAPITALS. These can seem unfriendly. Use bold, rather than underlining,
to emphasise headings – it is easier to read; and
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| giving a telephone number and e-mail address where the reader can get
advice about completing the form. |
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Read
and check everything that you write.
| Check that the grammar is correct. Most word processing systems now have a grammar
check. The Plain English Campaign also has a useful guidance on grammar at www.plainenglish.co.uk.
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| Make sure that the document reads clearly.
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| Ask yourself if the reader will understand it.
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| Delete anything that you can do without. There will almost always be sentences, even
paragraphs, that complicate matters more than clarify them.
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| It often helps to get another person to read the draft and comment. If this is not
possible, take a break from reading it and come back to the document later. |
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