Writing in plain English

Take a few minutes to think about:

• who your main audience is
• your key message for them - one key thing you want them to know or do
• why it's relevant to them: what need of theirs will it meet?

Make your key message the first thing you say!

Make it clear in:

• the main heading or email subject line
• the opening paragraph

You can give the background, context and add mire details further down, if needed.

Best practice example: The library will be closed on Saturday 9 April from 06:00 to 12:00 for electrical maintenance work.

Bad practice example: Due to electrical maintenance, the library will be closed on Saturday 9 April from 06:00 to 12:00.

Why: People will know at once if your message is relevant to them.

Address your reader directly instead of using the third person. Make the text work for your core audience; other readers will know from the context if "you" really means them.

Say "we" when referring to Ulster University or your Department/School/Faculty.

If necessary (for example, in policies), you can define at the start who is meant by "we" and "you".

Best practice example: We expect you to abide by our regulations.

Bad practice example: The University expects staff and students to abide by its regulations.

Why: it's more engaging for the audience and makes the organisation look more approachable. It also helps people understand what's relevant to them and whether they need to take action.

Use active verbs. Make the protagonist of your sentence the person or thing that's doing something, not the thing that is being done.

Best practice examples:

• Sarah used the laptop
• Send your application to ...

Bad practice examples:

• The laptop was used by Sarah
• XXX receives applications

Why: the active voice makes it easy to see who is doing what. It's clear who needs to take action and what they need to do.

Exception: you might want to use the passive voice if you want to be less direct (to avoid apportioning the blame, for example). 'Your fine hasn't been paid', is softer than, 'You haven't paid your fine'.

Try to make a single point per sentence. 15 to 20 words average sentence length are best. See if you can break a sentence into two.

It's acceptable to start a new sentence with "and" or "but", but vary the length of your sentences so your text doesn't become dull.

Paragraphs should make a single point:

• Don't cover multiple points in one paragraph; start a new paragraph when you're changing topic
• Start every paragraph with the key point that paragraph will cover. Make it clear in the first sentence

Why: it's easier to find and digest information in small and clearly defined chunks.

Use bullets to make multiple points easy to scan. Use numbered lists to break down sequential steps.

Why: your readers can scan information more easily.

Substitute a simpler word to see if it would sound ok in your text - usually it will.

If a complex word is the correct term and there's no simpler  way to say it, use it. If it's a technical term that might be new to your audience, define it the first time you use it.

Examples:

• 'Need' instead of 'require' or 'requirement'
• 'Tell' instead of 'inform'
• 'use' instead of 'utilise'
• 'Help' instead of 'assist' or 'assistance'
• 'Extra' or ',ore' instead of 'additional'

We all make assumptions that everyone understands the second meaning of 'universally' understood words or phrases.

So, for example the word 'key'. Many people use it to mean 'important', but if you only understand the literal meaning of the word (you put a key in a door), what you're describing will not make sense. What should be simple information becomes complex and difficult to understand. This will also be a barrier for people for whom English is not their first language.

Try to avoid metaphors and common phrases like, 'chase that up' and 'reach out to us'. People with certain conditions or impairments will only understand the literal meaning of a word or phrase.

Don't use jargon and acronyms unless you're sure the audience will know them: new people won't know many organisation-centric terms.

It's better to use simple, concise English.

More examples: A-Z of alternative words (Plain English Campaign)

Grammarly is a free cloud-based writing assistant that reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and search for an appropriate replacement for the mistake it locates.

Nominalisations are nouns made out of other words, often verbs. It's often better to use the base word in your sentence than the nominalisation.

This 5-minutes video explains all: Beware of nominalisations (AKA Zombie Nouns) (YouTube)

Examples:

• 'Provide' instead of 'provision'
• 'Fail' instead of 'failure'
• 'Available' instead of 'availability'
• 'Engage' instead of 'engagement'
• 'Investigate' instead of 'investigatation'

Why: nominalisations make sentences hard to process and can hide who is doing what.