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Readability and Plain LanguageLecture 4.3

University of Alberta

ALES 204

Nancy Bray

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Housekeeping

Mid-term exam

Practice exam

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Lecture Outline

1.How you say it matters

2.What is readability?

3.How to write in plain language?

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1. How you say it matters

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Unplain language

BonesScene from Season 1, Episode 8

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How you say it matters

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Success story #1

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Source: Kimble, J. (2012). Writing for dollars, writing to please: The case for plain language in business, government, and law Durham, N.C: Carolina Academic Press.

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Success story #2

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Alan Siegel: Let’s simply legal jargonTED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/alan_siegel_let_s_simplify_legal_jargon.html

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2. What is readability

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Readability

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Readability movement

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Decrease in sentence length

Professor L. A. Sherman, in his Analytics of Literature, Boston, 1892.

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Average sentence length today

Miscellaneous: government 25

Learned and scientific 24

Press: reports 21

Humour 18

Romance fiction 14

Science/detective fiction 13Source: Cutts, M. (2009). Oxford guide to plain English. Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

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Readability movement

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Example #1

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Example #2

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Readability measures Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

formula

Flesch Reading Ease Score

Can check the score of your documents with MS Word or http://www.readability-score.com/

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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula

Tests word length and sentence length

Result = number of years of education required to understand a text

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Readability statistics

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Example

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Flesch Reading Ease Score

Also tests word and sentence length

Higher score = more understandable

Reader’s Digest has a score of 65

Time a score of 52

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How to increase readability

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Recommendations

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3. What is plain language?

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Plain language

“The writing and setting out of essential information in a way that gives a cooperative, motivated person a good chance of understanding it at first reading, and in the same sense that the writer meant it to be understood.” -- Oxford Guide to Plain Language

Also called plain English

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Plain language movement

1960s U.S. consumer groups ridicule language in government documents and forms

1978 New York State passes law requiring leases and consumer contracts to be clearer

1978 President Carter required regulations to be written in plain language

1998President Clinton required all documents about

government services to be written in plain language

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Four main features of plain language

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Example #1: Common words

Before

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a half hour or more of moderate physical activity on most days, preferably every day. The activity can include brisk walking, calisthenics, home care, gardening, moderate sports exercise, and dancing.

After

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Example #2: Pronouns

Before:

A performance system will allow for the development of new and innovative training techniques and methodologies and allow companies added flexibility in tailoring their training to the specific job duties of their employees.

After:

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Example #3: Pronouns

Before:

Copies of tax returns must be provided.

Loan applications will be reviewed to ensure that procedures have been followed.

After:

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Example #4: Active voice

Before:

Consumer messages have been developed to educate the public about the Key Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and will be used in materials targeted for consumers separate from this publication.

After:

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Exercise #5: Short sentences

Before

A performance system will allow for the development of new and innovative training techniques and methodologies and allow companies added flexibility in tailoring their training to the specific job duties of their employees.

After

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Limitations of plain language

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Take away

Know why plain language is important

Know the benefits of plain language

Know what readability is

Know how readability is measured

Know how to improve readability

Know what plain language is

Know the four elements of plain language 35

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Photo Credits

books by Arslan paper by Hacklock words by ninasaurusrex newspapers by leww_pics air force recruits by Nina_Haghighi grade 9 by Boston Public Library the reader by grewlike reading ease by sapheron Green Eggs and Ham cover the reader by murphyeppoon the reader by adwriter reading newspaper by KC Toh reading by applejan veteran by KennethMoyle ge by Eric Leslie china airlines by Roberto Verzo