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What makes writing more readable?

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Re: What makes writing more readable?

#31

Post by dangerlibrary »

the_af wrote: post #26

It's interesting that the article itself isn't written in plain language, using idioms such as "posing a barrier" and many others which, according to a strict application of these rules, should be removed in favor of plainer forms [EDIT: as others have pointed out, I completely missed that you can switch the whole article to simple style. How embarrassing!] I agree with some simplifications, e.g. "profoundly deaf" is…

It seems like maybe you missed the "swap for the plain language version" gimmick of the overall article.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#33

Post by JackFr »

the_af wrote: post #26

It's interesting that the article itself isn't written in plain language, using idioms such as "posing a barrier" and many others which, according to a strict application of these rules, should be removed in favor of plainer forms [EDIT: as others have pointed out, I completely missed that you can switch the whole article to simple style. How embarrassing!] I agree with some simplifications, e.g. "profoundly deaf" is…

> "profoundly deaf" is essentially meaningless and bad style

"Profoundly deaf" is not meaningless, nor is it bad style. It is in fact a medical diagnosis. Deafness exists on a continuum, and as deafness is measured "profoundly" is the most deaf you can be.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#34

Post by JackFr »

b3morales wrote: post #28

This may be a nitpick. But the article repeatedly uses a short acronym that has a very common alternate meaning. That seems like an excellent example of something to avoid. Doubly so if you're concerned about clarity for people with lower English skill levels. "People with ID" means "people with identification " to me. My brain was thrown off by that phrase even in the plain version of the third and fourth paragraphs…

Hardly a nitpick. It undermines the point of the article.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#35

Post by throw10920 »

the_af wrote: post #26

It's interesting that the article itself isn't written in plain language, using idioms such as "posing a barrier" and many others which, according to a strict application of these rules, should be removed in favor of plainer forms [EDIT: as others have pointed out, I completely missed that you can switch the whole article to simple style. How embarrassing!] I agree with some simplifications, e.g. "profoundly deaf" is…

Are you referring to the paragraph "The benefits of plain language aren’t limited to universally challenging texts like legal documents and tax forms. Even everyday writing, like news articles, can still pose a barrier for some readers."?

The included alternate plain writing sentence reads "Some kinds of writing are hard for everyone to read, like tax forms. But everyday writing, like the news, can be hard to read too." without any mention of "barrier".

Are you aware that the article is also written in the simpler style, as well? You can click on the paragraphs to toggle them.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#36

Post by the_af »

dangerlibrary wrote: post #31
the_af wrote: post #26

It's interesting that the article itself isn't written in plain language, using idioms such as "posing a barrier" and many others which, according to a strict application of these rules, should be removed in favor of plainer forms [EDIT: as others have pointed out, I completely missed that you can switch the whole article to simple style. How embarrassing!] I agree with some simplifications, e.g. "profoundly deaf" is…

It seems like maybe you missed the "swap for the plain language version" gimmick of the overall article.

Well, that's... embarrassing. Indeed I did! I didn't notice the switch, will try it now.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#37

Post by chiefalchemist »

maaaaattttt wrote: post #27
scythmic_waves wrote: post #20

"Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard." - David McCullough I agree with many of the other posts here. Some of the translations highlighted in the article seem to either lose important information or introduce confusing information. The most striking example for me was the translation from > A strong tremor in her hand makes it impossible for her to use American Sign Language…

I'd like to add another citation from Nicolas Boileau (17th century) that my father used to tell me frequently: "Whatever is well conceived is clearly said, And the words to say it flow with ease." ("Ce que l'on conçoit bien s'énonce clairement, et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisément.") I think about it often especially when someone tries to explain something and it seems hard, very often this means it's also har…

Being able to explain something (clearly) to someone else is a great way to measure your own understanding. The more complete your understanding, the better your ability to communicate it.

(Yes, there are exceptions and outliers.)

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#38

Post by b3morales »

zschuessler wrote: post #12

These tips were centered around simplification, and they are good tips. For documentation and technical writing in particular, I picked up a few mannerisms that I now use every time I write. The biggest impact has been to have a goal of limiting a paragraph to 2-3 sentences. From this goal my other writing traits came naturally. When starting a paragraph, start off with a blunt statement that summarizes the paragraph…

It's worth making explicit: this helps native-language readers too! Scholarly papers full of garden path sentences are mocked for a reason. Convoluted writing is hard for everyone to understand.

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#39

Post by the_af »

throw10920 wrote: post #35
the_af wrote: post #26

It's interesting that the article itself isn't written in plain language, using idioms such as "posing a barrier" and many others which, according to a strict application of these rules, should be removed in favor of plainer forms [EDIT: as others have pointed out, I completely missed that you can switch the whole article to simple style. How embarrassing!] I agree with some simplifications, e.g. "profoundly deaf" is…

Are you referring to the paragraph "The benefits of plain language aren’t limited to universally challenging texts like legal documents and tax forms. Even everyday writing, like news articles, can still pose a barrier for some readers."? The included alternate plain writing sentence reads "Some kinds of writing are hard for everyone to read, like tax forms. But everyday writing, like the news, can be hard to read to…

Yes, I completely missed that the article can be switched to simple style. Thanks for pointing that out!

Re: What makes writing more readable?

#40

Post by hintymad »

> Kyra is autistic and deaf. She was born early. She was very small when she was born. She has trouble seeing, hearing, eating and sleeping. Her hand shakes so she does not do sign language. Her parents think she knows some signs.

This is plain, but is this good writing? Specifically, I find the writing lack of specifics. What is "early"? What is "very small"? What does "has trouble" mean? How bad is the shake? How do we quantify "some"?

Good writing is plain and simple. Being plain and simple does not mean bland or vague.

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