 How To Write Well:
Section 2 - How People Write
Contents: How People Write | Talk to your reader | Shorter sentences
How People Write:
Many people write:
too much; bureaucratically, and obscurely.
It is easy to say that we should all use plain English, but what are the benefits? Using plain English will:
Plain English is not patronising or over-simple language and it is not about hair-splitting grammar. It does not mean you lose any part of the message, even in legal or highly technical documents. It is merely the most efficient method of written communication.
Talk to your reader:
Whenever you need to write something, think carefully about who the reader is. Then ask yourself the following questions.
How much does the reader already know about this subject? What information do I actually need to give? What information do I need to get? What tone should I use? Am I giving instructions or advice?
Perhaps the best advice on writing plain English is to imagine you are talking to your reader face to face.
You may find this difficult with long reports, but it is vital in helping you to say exactly what you mean, without waffle and without drifting into a bureaucratic style.
If possible, call your reader 'you'. Only use jargon if your reader will definitely understand it. Finally, don't be pompous. Be open. Be honest. Your reader is human too!
Shorter sentences:
Informative writing should have an average sentence length of 15 to 20 words. This is short enough to be clear and long enough to make the text flow well. (The average sentence length of the main body of this guide is 15 words.)
Be punchy. Mix short sentences (like the last one) with longer ones (like this), aiming for one main point, plus perhaps one other related point, in each sentence.
We tend not to use short sentences enough. We need to vary the length in order to make our writing livelier.
For example, you have the short sentence 'This is an important document and you should read it carefully' in the middle of longer sentences. This is fine. But how much sharper it would be as two sentences:
'This is an important document. You should read it carefully'.
Remember: if you have two different things to say that are fairly short, don't be frightened to use two sentences.
Comments and feedback on this guide are most welcome.
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