How To Write Plain English

The purpose of writing is to communicate information i.e. transferring your ideas to someone else clearly. Plain English could also be called "understandable and uncomplicated English" or "user-friendly English".

Ten Tips For Clearer Writing

Have you ever read an email or memo you did not understand? Have you had to read and read again the same paragraph to grasp its meaning? Do you worry that others may not be able to understand what your writing is about?

The purpose of any piece of writing is to communicate information to your readers. Here are 10 top tips to make your writing clearer and more understandable:

1. Plan your writing for your readers

2. Put the most important information at the beginning

3. Use short, understandable modern words instead of long, complicated old ones

4. Use short sentences

5. Get rid of unnecessary words, information and sentences

6. Avoid using jargon and technical terms

7. Don't use clichés such as "Please be advised that"

8. Use active verbs instead of the passive voice

9. Format information in lists and use bullet points

10. Insert tables and graphs into text rather than writing lengthy descriptions.

Also know your target audience. Who is going to read your writing and why? Do you know what is important to them?

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