cb - a quick guide to plain english

A Quick Guide to Plain English I

A Quick Guide toPlain English

A Chillibreeze Publication

A Quick Guide to Plain English i

A note of appreciation

Our thanks go out to Rasna Baruah for her valuable contribution in helping to put this guide together.

Editorial team Suneethi Rao, Vice President, Quality Assurance, Chillibreeze Vidhu Panicker, Sr. Manager, Project Management Unit, Chillibreeze

© 2011 Chillibreeze owns the copyright to A Quick Guide to Plain English. You are welcome to download the guide from our site or save it electronically for your own use. You may not pass on copies in any form to others or publish parts of the guide without our permission. Doing so will lead to legal action.

A Quick Guide to Plain English ii

ContentsA Note from Chillibreeze ..........................................................................1

What is Plain English? ..............................................................................2

An Overview• ............................................................................................2

Objective of Plain English Writing• ............................................................2

How Do I Write Plain English?• ..................................................................2

Why Plain English? ..................................................................................3

Why Write in Plain English?• .....................................................................3

How to Write Plain English ......................................................................5

Say No to Clichés and Stock Phrases• ........................................................5

Avoid Nominalization• ...............................................................................7

Shorten your Sentences• ...........................................................................9

Be Precise with Vocabulary• ....................................................................10

Use Grammar Well• .................................................................................12

Punctuate Properly • ...............................................................................13

Design and Formatting in Plain English Writing • ....................................15

Appendix ..............................................................................................17

History of the Plain English Movement• .................................................17

A Quick Guide to Plain English 1

A Note from Chillibreeze

If we all wrote in plain English, how much easier – and efficient – life would be. – Margaret Thatcher

Welcome to the Chillibreeze plain English initiative. Since you’re here, you’re probably an advocate of plain language already! Or perhaps you’d like to know more about the writing style that has inspired a global movement.

Around the world, the Plain English Movement is creating waves – and with good reason too. Government and non-government agencies actively support the movement and are working to convert all their documents to plain English.

Chillibreeze believes in the value-add that plain English brings and we want to do our bit to take it forward. Join us as we explore the what, why and how of plain English writing.


What is Plain English?An OverviewPlain English (PE) or Plain Language (PL) is a writing style that aims at clarity and simplicity, so whatever you communicate is understood by your audience the first time they read it.

Plain English is direct, easy to understand and free from affectation. The Plain English Movement stresses the need to do away with jargon and complicated words and write short, effective sentences.

Advocates of plain English believe that words or expressions that do not communicate information are dead weight. When we eliminate such words, our writing becomes strong and vigorous.

Objective of Plain English WritingFor communication to be effective, you need to keep it plain and simple. The plain English writing movement aims to help you understand information easily. When plain language is used, you avoid misunderstanding anything you read – banking, legal or insurance documents, for instance. This saves the time, money and effort you would spend on making sense of obscure or overly formal writing.

How Do I Write Plain English?Now that’s a million dollar question! There are well-defined writing techniques to help plain English writers and editors. But plain English is not just a simplified writing style. It is more than short sentences, familiar words and jargon-free text. Plain English is a style of writing that considers readers and their level of understanding, and the message to be conveyed. Writing from your readers’ point of view helps you decide what to include and how best to organize your content. The result is a clear and logical presentation of information, which your audience understands at the first reading.

Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style. – Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)

See Appendix for a history of the Plain English Movement


Why Plain English?

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. – C.S. Lewis

Why Write in Plain English?Effective communication is important in any walk of life. After all, what’s the point if the other person doesn’t get what you are saying?

Writing in plain English can help you in many ways.

Plain English improves the readability of all you communicatePeople often use complicated words and phrases to sound authoritative. We also assume that formal language and jargon communicate technical information better. In the process, we lose sight of our larger goal – making sense to our reader.

Plain English stresses clarity in thought, structure, language and layout. It also emphasizes the need to understand your target audience. As a writer or editor, you will find that using plain English makes your content precise and clear. Studies show that communicating in plain English increases a reader’s understanding by 30–60%, and sometimes by as much as 90%!

It saves you time and money British studies show that businesses lose up to £6 billion a year because of errors in content or unsuitably written information. A steep price to pay indeed!

For readers, understanding long, complicated documents is time consuming and frustrating. Write in plain English and you’ll spend less work hours clearing doubts and explaining details.

Writing in plain English also reduces document length, which means less to read and less to print. That’s more money in the bank!


It builds trust in your word Unfamiliar words, stock phrases and jargon can alienate your readers. Notice how official documents habitually use the passive voice and are full of ‘doublespeak’? This is often a ploy to reduce accountability. The result? An unhappy reader who may not understand or believe what you say.

Plain language adopts a direct approach and encourages you to write in the active voice. This improves your chances of connecting with a potential client and making the right impression. It’s plain English to the rescue again!

Michael Shanks makes a valid observation: (Plain English)… is not just a question of getting some belly laughs at the expense of the bureaucracy…it goes deeper than that. Gobbledygook may indicate a failure to think clearly, a contempt for one’s clients, or more probably a mixture of both.

Catch our next section for some techniques on how to write plain English.


How to Write Plain EnglishSay No to Clichés and Stock Phrases

Clichés are the enemy of taste. – William Zinnser (On Writing Well)

Clichés and stock phrases slip into our writing without our noticing them. Newspaper reports are full of them. Keep a close watch on your choice of words when you write your next piece – you’ll find that many expressions that pop into your head effortlessly are clichés.

Although you use clichés to add color to your writing, you may well lose the attention of your readers and that will defeat the whole purpose of writing. Overused phrases can make your writing banal and uninspiring.

Quoting John Lister on clichés, the Plain English Campaign website has this to say: When readers or listeners come across these tired expressions, they start tuning out and completely miss the message – assuming there is one.

Plain English avoids clichés whenever possible, using words that carry information instead.

Some stock phrases and how you can avoid them:

Reinventing the wheel – Why not say you don’t want to do something that’s been done already?

Team up with – Why not just join an organization or initiative, or perhaps work with someone?

Take ownership of – Commonly used in business writing, this jaded phrase can be replaced by take responsibility for.

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/


Other well worn clichés and phrases that have lost their novelty:all in a day’s work• ballpark figure• count your blessings• cute as a button• pushing the envelope• thinking outside the box• this day and age•

Of course, this list is just a drop in the ocean!


Avoid NominalizationNominalization is using adjectives or verbs as nouns. Nominalizations can include words ending in -ance, -ence, -ment, -ent, -ancy, -ency, -ion, -tion, and -ing: advancement, failure, facilitation, occurrence and completion are some examples.

Avoiding nominalizations is one of the key rules of plain English writing.

Nominalizations are not wrong but overusing them makes your writing dull and heavy. Since they merely name actions, they are like passive verbs.

UK freelance writer Nick Daws says on his blog: Nominalization is common in scientific, academic and bureaucratic writing, perhaps because it makes the text sound more official and “objective”. It is not ungrammatical, but high levels of nominalization can make any book or article sound flat and dull.

Government documents are rife with nominalizations and passive forms. Phrases such as plans are under implementation, applications are under consideration, and matters are under discussion are common occurrences.

Nominalizations are often seen in people’s writing. We use them almost unconsciously – to sound formal – but the result is often lifeless or complicated writing.

Plain English is about avoiding nominalization and using the verb forms of the words wherever possible. Learn to spot nominalizations. Begin by deleting them or converting the more obvious ones into verbs. Your writing will soon become more dynamic and less abstract.

http://www.mywritingblog.com/2010/05/nominalization-and-why-you-should.html


Passive forms with nominalizations Plain English with verb forms

The execution of the contract was done by a team. A team executed the contract.

The two parties have undertaken negotiation of the final rates.

The two parties will negotiate the final rates.

We made an agreement to share the profits. We agreed to share the profits.


Shorten your SentencesDon’t you hate reading long sentences that never seem to end? Well, plain English writing addresses the issue, advocating short sentences. When you read a sentence that’s long and complicated, you can lose sight of the author’s intended meaning. When you write a long-winded sentence, you are certain to lose your audience’s attention!

Don’t pack all your information into one sentence – break it up into smaller parts instead. An average sentence should not have more than 15 to 20 words. No, you don’t have to start counting words – only ensure you make each one count!

Ask yourself if you can replace a comma with a full stop. If shortening a sentence is impossible, you could try to arrange the information in a bulleted list. Breaking content up into smaller chunks makes it easy to read as well as understand.

Sentences become long when you pack too much information into them. • Try to break up the sentence. Short sentences make information easier to process.use more words than necessary. • For example, writing on account of the fact that instead of because.use stock phrases that are dull and distracting. • Try to replace the phrase or eliminate it altogether.use the word • also to tag on another thought. Just write another sentence.

Writing short sentences does not imply using only six or seven words every time. A series of such sentences will make your writing abrupt and choppy. The best way is to vary the pace without swinging from one extreme to the other.

Ernest Hemingway was famous for his minimalist style of writing. One of the best-known examples of his writing skill was his response to a challenge to write a story in six words.

He wrote: For sale: baby shoes, never used.

That’s English, plain, simple and compelling!


Be Precise with Vocabulary

It is the effect of the information that matters, not the effect of the words. After all, this is an information society, not a word society. –Don Watson

By now you know plain English means clear and effective English. Plain English seeks to eliminate confusing writing styles and introduce clarity to all forms of communication.

One way to do this is to follow George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing. His rules appear simple but are not always easy to implement. Of the five rules, we will look at just two here.

Never use a long word where a short one will do – unless 1. used skillfully, long words can sound pretentious and artificial. In fact, some of your readers may not understand them at all.If it’s possible to cut a word out, always do so –if a word 2. does not add meaning to a sentence, it only dilutes its effect. Cut it out!

Here are some common examples of long phrases with their shorter substitutes.

Long phrases Shorter substitutes

in the majority of instances mostly

came to an end ended

for the purpose of for

due to the fact that due to

made an attempt at tried

undertook to consider considered


Keeping your text jargon-free is another way to achieve clarity. For example, trendy expressions such as ‘downtime’ and ‘touch base’ are not understood by all. Besides, when the expressions are no longer trendy, your writing will become dated. Business writing, financial reports, IT manuals and medical documents are infamous for using jargon and an inflated vocabulary. These typically leave the lay reader befuddled. Use jargon only when you clearly know who your readers are – for example, colleagues who write/speak the same way.

Writing in plain English means avoiding difficult words when something simple would work just as well. Don’t ‘ponder’ instead of thinking or ‘prevaricate’ instead of stalling! Overloading your sentences with pompous words is not going to impress your readers. No client is going to do business with you if they don’t understand what you’re saying. If your audience asks, “But what does your product actually do?” you’ve surely missed a branding opportunity!

Anatole France says, “The finest words in the world are only vain sounds if you can’t understand them.”

So it’s best to follow the primary rule of plain English – pay attention to your choice of words and always keep your audience in mind.


Use Grammar WellPlain English focuses not only on writing correctly but also in a way that engages the reader.

Here we look at two aspects of grammar that make a difference to plain English writing.

Personal PronounsPublic documentation rarely includes words such as ‘you’ and ‘I’.

‘Papers must be submitted on Friday’ is more common than ‘You must submit your papers on Friday’.

Plain English supports the use of ‘you’ and other personal pronouns since they add clarity and make the instructions sound more human and direct. The use of ‘you’ in the sentence also spells out who is responsible for the task, so there is no room for doubt.

Personal pronouns help your readers relate better to your communication and appreciate the relevance of the information more easily. With personal pronouns you tend to use everyday language and avoid using abstract expressions. You also express your ideas in shorter sentences. That’s a plain English goal achieved!

Active and Passive VoiceFrequent use of the passive voice makes writing impersonal and uninteresting. Government writing is a prime example. Besides, with the passive voice it is never clear who is responsible for what!

Plain English advocates the active voice since it is easier to understand. The active voice follows our thought process and we tend to understand it faster than we do the passive voice.


Punctuate Properly Did your grammar teacher tell you that accurate punctuation lies at the heart of all good writing? She was right!

Incorrect or shoddy punctuation can undo all your good work. Correct punctuation gives shape to your writing and makes it more interesting.

Plain English stresses conciseness for clarity. Short sentences require less punctuation – and that translates to fewer errors!

Here are a few pointers about the most common elements of punctuation.

Notice how the comma changes the meaning of these two statements:

Corporate earnings in December grew at 2.2% below the • expected rate of 4%. Corporate earnings in December grew at 2.2%, below the • expected rate of 4%.

Here, the parts of the sentence on either side of the semicolon can stand independently and each idea is clear:

Corporate earnings in December grew at 2.2%; frankly, I’d expected better numbers.

An apostrophe is mainly used for two purposes:

To shorten words: • can’t, don’t, it’s.To show possession:•

Susan’s idea was accepted ෮ .The children’s parents came to take them home ෮ .

Plain English does not forbid contractions altogether since you are expected to write as you would speak – but with correct grammar of course!

A colon is used in bulleted lists. Plain English writing encourages the use of bulleted lists to share large chunks of information. Bulleted lists present such information neatly and in an easy-to-read way.


These are just a few pointers to better punctuation while writing in plain English. Don’t miss our complete course for more details and practice lessons!


Design and Formatting in Plain English Writing No matter how insightful and fascinating the content, few readers will be interested in what you have to say if your presentation is poor. Text clumped together without proper breaks and spacing is sure to put off your reader.

The goal of plain English is to present information in a way that is easy to read, understand and absorb. Visually appealing presentation is an important guideline in plain English writing. When presented in an attractive way, your content is sure to draw and retain your readers’ attention.

Here is a list of key features that you should keep in mind while formatting and designing your document:

Spacing1. – Sufficient use of white space, between lines and between paragraphs, is very important for comfortable reading.Type style and size2. – Use a typeface and font size that is clear and easy on the eyes. Don’t use more than three different fonts in a single document.Bold type and capital letters3. – Use bold print and capital letters when necessary, but don’t overdo it.Headings4. – Be consistent when you use styles for headings and subheadings. Leave sufficient space before and after headings.Table of Contents5. – Add a table of contents if your document is long. A short introduction will do for shorter documents. Bullets and tables6. – Use bullets and tables to display complex information clearly.Design7. – Use design elements to attract your readers and to help them find their way around the content.Colors8. – Use colors smartly. Too many colors will distract readers and their focus will shift away from the content. Ensure that the font color shows up clearly against the background.


With this section, we come to the end of our quick guide to plain English. We’re sure you’d like to know more, though.

Watch the Chillibreeze website for our plain English offerings and more techniques and examples to help you become a plain English writer or editor.

Till then, keep it plain!

http://www.chillibreeze.com


Appendix History of the Plain English MovementThe Plain English Movement is not just a passing trend. Down the ages, many established writers have campaigned for plain and simple writing. They tried to rein in the elaborate classical style of writing and excessive use of French and Latin words and phrases.

In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in the language spoken by the common man instead of the language of the law or church. Two centuries later, William Shakespeare’s writing was different from the ornate prose taught at school. In Richard III he wrote, “An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.” Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens and George Orwell are among the writers who encouraged a simple, direct writing style.

The Plain English Movement as we know it picked up pace in the 20th century with support from people like Martin Cutts and Chrissie Maher. They tore up obscure official documents in Parliament Square, London, and established the ‘Golden Bull’ award to poke fun at absurdly complicated or confusing English.

William D. Lutz, John Walton, Bryan Garner, Cheryl Stephens and Warren Buffet are champions of the movement, encouraging its use in law, business and public policy.

People in public life have been loyal supporters of the Plain English Movement as well. In 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote a memo called ‘Brevity’, which required civil servants to write short, clear jargon-free reports. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron have all been supporters of the Plain English Campaign in the UK. In the US, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and, most recently, Barack Obama introduced laws to support the use of plain English in government documents.

The plain language movement has made its mark in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa as well. Government departments of all four nations are actively involved in converting all documentation written in complex bureaucratic language to plain English.

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