GETTING

THE MOST
OUT OF
WORDS
RULES
FOR
READABI
LITY
1. KEEP SENTENCES SHORT.
Follow a general rule:
Only one thought per sentence.
Ordinarily, a sentence expresses in a thought.
When that thought is complete, the sentence ends
with a period. Then a sentence (and a new
thought) begins.
The reader can absorb only a certain amount of
information at one time.
Sentences should not all be the same length: that
would be boring. Some would be short, some long
for variety and emphasis.


But no single sentence should contain more
information that can be grasped easily in a single
sentence.
Example:
Notable among the activities during the year
was the convening of the National Workshop on
Science and Technology policy which was a
follow up of several previous recommendations
at different scientific and political for a, including
the recommendations of an UNCTAD mission in
1980 which at the invitation of the
Government reviewed the framework of policies
and institutions undertaking activities related to
technology, and advised on future technology
policies and planning.
A notable activity during the year was the
convening of a National Workshop on Science and
Technology Policy. Such a meeting has been
recommended by several previous scientific and
political gatherings. One of these was an UNCTAD
mission which was invited by the Government in
1980 to undertake two tasks: first, to review
policies and institutions in areas
related to technology; second to advise on future
technology policies and planning.
In English, according to several experts, a good
average length for sentences is 20 words or slightly
fewer. That is in writing for the general public.
Scientific writing often averages 30 words or more
per sentence, and is that much more difficult to read.
In this context, a sentence is defined as a complete
thought. Most sentences end with a period (full stop).
But some end with a question mark or exclamation
mark; and for this type of analysis a sentence is also
considered as a sentence
2. SEEK SIMPLER WORDS
Keep looking for short, simple words.
Short and simple words are usually easier to read
and understand than long, complex ones.
In reporting or explaining scientific work, it is difficult
to limit words to only one or two syllables. There is no
need to avoid long words just because they are long,
if they are technically accurate or communicate
precisely.
Short words tend to be concrete and vigorous. Long
ones are often abstract.


In particular, watch words that end in ize or tion.
These are nearly always words that have been
converted from other words: nouns turned into
verbs, or verbs turned into nouns.
Examples:
This paper is an investigation into departmental
organization.
This paper investigates the ways departments are
organized.
The accident hospitalized four persons.
The accident sent four people to the hospital.
He has trouble verbalizing his thoughts.
He has trouble putting his thoughts into words.
Our goal is the maximization of yield.
We want to obtain the maximum yield.
The last example involves a double conversion, from
a noun (maximum) to a verb (maximize, to make
maximum) and back to a noun (maximization, the act
of making maximum).
According to the results of the experiments of
Professor Lloyd Bostian, the texts written in nominal
style are harder to read than the same passage
changed into verbal style.
3. PRUNE
Remove unnecessary words.
Every manuscript contains words that arent
working as hard as they should.
Example:
At present there are approximately 2,000,000
apple trees in Indonesia with the center of
production in East Java. Leaves are hand-
stripped off these trees every six months so they
can enter a dormant period.
Indonesia has about two million apple trees,
mainly in East Java. Their leaves are hand-
stripped every six months so the trees can lie
dormant.
In the majority of instances, an editorial worker
exhibits the ability to fully eliminate most of the
different varieties of unnecessary words.
Most editors can remove most types of
unnecessary words.
It takes effort to write without waste.
Watch especially phrases like in terms of, up to
the present, all of or it is the intention of the
present writer.
The opportunities for pruning are enormous. All
that is needed is a little time, practice, sharp eye
and sharp pencil.
4. BE POSITIVE
Explain things in a positive way.
Most readers prefer positive statements. They will
more likely stick with an author who sounds positive.
Example:
The rate of submission of articles is not changing very
much.
Articles are being submitted at about the same rate.
It is especially important to be positive when giving
instructions.
Example:

Discard seeds that are improperly filled, chaffy,
split or broken, shriveled, or show signs of
fungal infection.
Select good seeds. These should be whole,
plump and heavy with a smooth and clean
seed coat.
It is often prudent to revise a sentence to avoid
using the word not. Such a change makes the
sentence more positive. Readers sometimes skip
over not.
5. LISTEN TO THE TEXT
Bring the writing as close as possible to speaking.
Written language is different from spoken language.
Writing is more formal than speech.
Scientific writing is more formal than general writing.
Even so, it is always helpful to listen to what has
been written.
One way to untangle a complex thought or sentences
is to ask: How would I say this if I were explaining it
to someone sitting in front of me?
Spoken language has the advantage of being fairly
simple, and straightforward. If a sentence sounds
good, it will probably be easy to read.