The Basics of Plain Language © 2005 William H. DuBay

Plain language is language that is easy for the audience to understand.

Plain-Language Samples Before: A thorough inspection of your forest home or summer cottage and the surrounding property for obvious fire hazards is the first step in fire protection. After: You can protect your forest home or summer cottage by first inspecting your land and building for fire hazards. Before: Prior to completing the application, the applicants should determine if the proposed corporate name is available. After: Before you complete the application, find out if another company is using the name you have chosen.

Why you need plain language If your organization is not using plain language, you are not operating effectively. You are wasting money.

Benefits Increased audience size. Increased audience size. Greater customer satisfaction. Greater customer satisfaction. Reduced costs of training, document production, and support. Reduced costs of training, document production, and support.

Readability is the ease of reading. It is the most prominent feature of plain language.

Plain Language is not only clear, direct, and well written. It also matches the reading level of the audience.

Greater readability results in greater: Comprehension Retention Reading Speed Perseverance

Adult Literacy Studies Literacy surveys have shown that the average reader in the U.S. is an adult of limited reading ability.

Level 3

Effects of Low Literacy Those with low reading levels die earlier, spend more time in hospitals and jails, and have lower earning levels. Their children are less likely to attend college.

Literacy and Health Problems caused by low reading ability add an additional $73 billion yearly to health- care costs. Good readers are more able to take responsibility for their own health.

Literacy and Power Knowledge is key to establishing and maintaining power relationships. Furthermore, literacy is the key to knowledge. Highly literate persons possess large bodies of knowledge and information- processing skills.

Adults have the same reading ability as children of the same reading level.

Other Literacy Facts Large numbers graduate from high school reading at the 8 th -grade level. A quarter of the population does not graduate from high school. Large numbers graduate from high school reading at the 8 th -grade level. A quarter of the population does not graduate from high school. The average adult in the U.S. reads at the 7 th -grade level. The average adult in the U.S. reads at the 7 th -grade level. The most popular books and publications are written at the 7 th - grade level. The most popular books and publications are written at the 7 th - grade level.

Literacy Changes Lives

Readability of Popular Periodicals PeriodicalGrade Level% of Readers Boston Globe1218% Los Angeles Times1218% Atlantic Monthly1120% Atlanta Constitution1120% Cleveland Plain Dealer 1120% San Jose Mercury News 1120% New Yorker1025% New York Times1025% Washington Post1025% USA Today1025% Harpers930% Time930% Reader's Digest930%

Popular Authors John Grisham Tom Clancy Michael Crichton Clive Cussler Mary Renault Frank McCourt Arthur Golden Abraham Lincoln All wrote at the 7 th -grade level

Romance Novels Romance fiction generated $1.63 billion in sales in There were 2,169 romance titles released in Romance fiction comprises 18% of all books sold (not including children’s books). Romance fiction comprises 53.3% of all popular paperback fiction sold in North America. Romance fiction comprises 34.6% of all popular fiction sold.

“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words, and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; and don’t let the fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. “When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.” —Mark Twain, in a letter to a 12- year-old boy.

"Now," says Ben Rogers, "what's the line of business of this Gang?" "Nothing only robbery and murder," Tom said. "But who are we going to rob? -- houses, or cattle, or -- " "Stuff! Stealing cattle and such things ain't robbery; it's burglary," says Tom Sawyer. "We ain't burglars. That ain't no sort of style. We are highwaymen. We stop stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money." "Must we always kill the people?" "Oh, certainly. It's best. Some authorities think different, but mostly it's considered best to kill them -- except some that you bring to the cave here, and keep them till they're ransomed." "Ransomed? What's that?" “I don't know. But that's what they do. I've seen it in books; and so of course that's what we've got to do." Huckleberry Finn

Closing the Literacy Gap The purpose of Plain Language is to close the literacy gap between the reading level of the text and the reading ability of the audience.

Readability The ease of reading depends on two sources, the text and the reader.

What Makes a Text Readable Content 33.64% Style 30.71% Design 19.84% Organization 15.82% —William S. Gray and Bernice E. Leary, What Makes a Book Readable, 1935

The Reader Variables  Prior Knowledge  Reading Ability  Interest  Motivation

Matching Text with Readers Greater readability can compensate for lower levels of prior knowledge, reading skill, interest, or motivation.

The readability formulas predict the level of reading skill required to read a text.

The variables used by the formulas are the first causes of reading difficulty: vocabulary and sentence length.

Rudolf Flesch Rudolf Flesch caused a revolution in journalism and business writing in 1948 with his book The Art of Plain Talk and his Reading Ease readability formula.

Flesch Publication Scores

The Microsoft Word Flesch- Kincaid grade level is defective. It only goes to the 12 th Grade.

Dale-Chall Formula 1948 Edgar Dale and Jeanne Chall created most accurate of all formulas. To measure word difficulty, it counts the words not on a list of 3,000 words familiar to 80% of fourth graders. Edgar Dale Jeanne Chall

Robert Gunning’s Fog Formula Count 100 words Grade Level =.4 X (average sentence length + hard words) Where: Hard words = number of words of more than two syllables Robert Gunning

Fry Readability Graph Ed Fry

The popular readability formulas are 80 percent reliable and provide a good rough estimate of reading difficulty.

Don’t Write to the Formula! The word-and-sentence variables are tightly related to other factors of style, organization, tone, approach, and design.

Design Design must match the reading level and the reading habits of the audience.

Apply a tone and design appropriate for the reading level.

Organization Clear organization is especially important with: Younger readers Younger readers Adults of lower reading skills Adults of lower reading skills Those unfamiliar with the subject Those unfamiliar with the subject

“An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.” –William Shakespeare