WRITING IN “PLAIN ENGLISH”MC 207

Dr. Snyder

By:

Kate Anderson, Christine Annelli, Scott Boland, Lindsay Gondek, Purvi Shah

TO START…

What do you think “Plain English” is?

How many of you feel that you can write in “Plain English”?

WHAT IS “PLAIN ENGLISH”?

The use of plain, direct language to express a clear, concise meaningKeep it simple Includes language & layoutDoes not mean deleting important

information or using slang

THE “PLAIN ENGLISH” MOVEMENT

“The premise behind the plain English movement is that legal documents ought to be plainer--and more comprehensible--to the average person” (Tiersma).

Origin 1970s—1990s

PROCESS OF WRITING IN “PLAIN ENGLISH”

Know your audience Organization

Give the “big picture” 3 Important Steps:

Pre-writingWritingRevising

(The Plain English Handbook).

DIRECT VS. INDIRECT PATTERN

AUDIENCE

(Guffey).

COMPOSING EFFECTIVE SENTENCES

Achieve Variety With 4 Sentence TypesSimple SentenceCompound SentenceComplex SentenceCompound-complex sentence

Control Sentence LengthOnly make sentence long enough to get

your point across

COMMON PROBLEMS THAT HINDER "PLAIN ENGLISH" WRITING

Lengthy sentencesPassive voice instead of activeSuperfluous words/phrasesLegal jargon (gobbledygook)Too many defined termsUnreadable layoutScarcity of personal pronouns

(The Plain English Handbook).

TIPS FOR “PLAIN ENGLISH” WRITING

Keep sentences short (Guffey).

Write positively Use common, familiar words Use the natural word order of

speakers: subject-verb-object Keep the sentence structure parallel

(The Plain English Handbook).

EVALUATING YOUR “PLAIN ENGLISH”

ACTIVITY

Form team groupsConvert these GOBBLEDYGOOK

sentences to “Plain English”Best sentences get sweet

rewards!

ACTIVITY

1. The culinary area is an operational mess led by the depreciation of the beloved java and it might well soon be terminated.

2. We have been closely monitoring your perplexing situation and it is fairly obvious that your operational skills are lagging far behind.

3. You have to ascertain your client and then conceptualize and encompass his thoughts into the stipulations of the contract.

ACTIVITY ANSWERS

1. Please keep the kitchen neat and clean or I’m banning coffee from the building.

2. You need to do your job better or I will fire you.

3. Put what your client wants into the contract.

REVIEW Know your audience Organization Give big picture

Keep it short, simple & direct 3 steps of writing process Grammar, mechanics

WORKS CITED

"A Plain English Handbook." August 1998. Ed. Office of Investor Education and Assistance - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions. January 2010 <http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf>.

Guffey, Mary Ellen. Essentials of Business Communication. 8th Edition. Southwestern Cengage Learning, 2010. 42 - 43, 59.

Plain English Campaign. 2010. January 2010 <http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/>.

Tiersma, Peter. "The Plain English Movement." LanguageandLaw.org. January 2010 <http://www.languageandlaw.org/PLAINENGLISH.HTM>.