WHAT IS

PLAIN
LANGUAGE?
 PLAIN LANGUAGE…..
-also known as “plain English”
- is easy to read, understand, or use.
- is grammatically correct language that
includes complete sentence structure
and accurate usage.
-is clear, concise, organized and
appropriate for the audience.
- is free from jargon and rarely used
words & terms , and comes straight to
the point being processed.
WRITE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

Put yourself in your reader’s shoes

Who is my audience?
What are the needs and objectives of the
audience?
What does my audience already know about
the subject?
What questions will my audience have?
EXAMPLE:
Wordy
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends a half-hour or more of
moderate physical activity on most days,
preferably every day. The activity can
include brisk walking, calisthenics, home
care, gardening, moderate sports exercise,
and dancing.
Clear

Do at least 30 minutes of exercise, like brisk

walking, most days of the week.
Keep It Short
There is no escaping the fact that it is
considered very important to note that a
number of various available applicable
studies ipso facto have generally identified
the fact that additional appropriate
nocturnal employment could usually keep
juvenile adolescents off thoroughfares during
the night hours, including but not limited to
the time prior to midnight on weeknights
and/or 2 a.m. on weekends.
(62 WORDS)
Keep It Short
More night jobs would keep kids off the
streets.
(9 words)
 What is not Plain
Language?

Aureation
- To make golden
- from the Latin word
“Aureus”which means “gilding’’
or supposed heightening of
diction in one language
Example
Up sprang the goldyn candill matutyne,
With clere depurit bemes cristallyne

-Matutyne, depurit and cristallyne are

aureate words.
The couplet can be translated using
plain language as:

Up rose the sun with clear pure crystal

light
Corporate Jargon
- Is the jargon often used in large
corporations.

- Reference to such jargon is

derogatory, implying the use long
and complicated words
Corporate Jargon Examples
1.“Open the kimono” is used in business
speak which means sharing information
with an outside party

2. “Chapter 11” a US code which means

bankruptcy
 Gobbledygook
- Refers to speech or other use of
language that is nonsense, or that
appears to be vague, long and
involved with Latinized words.
- Includes speech sounds that are not
actual word.
Examples
 Jibber jabber-means rapid talk
 Spercalifragilisticexpialidocious-
beautiful
 Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicon
volcanoconiosis-means cough
Legalese

• Is a term associated with a

traditional style of legal writing that
is part of specialized discourse for
lawyers.
• Lay readers cannot readily
comprehend.
Psychobabble

• is a form of speech or writing

that uses psychological jargon,
buzzwords, and esoteric
language to create an
impression of truth or
plausibility.
The common example of
psychobabble from the world of
business:
Socialize

“Let’s socialize that idea around the group

and get some feedback”
Instead:
“Let people know what our idea is and see
if they like it
Technobabble
• is a form of jargon that
uses buzzwords, and
esoteric language,
specialized technical
terms, or technical slang
that is incomprehensible
to the listener.
Examples
1. I reversed the polarity of neutron flow

2. Despite the implicatons of the Special

Theory of Relativity on faster than light
travel, it can be done via wormholes.
 Written material is in plain
language if your audience
can:

 Find what they need;

 Understand what they find;
 Use what they find to meet
their needs.
OBJECTIVE 5
PRINCIPLES OF
Plain
language by
MAYANG
 1. Readability
2. Organizing Information
3. Designing an Effective
Document
 - It looks at words and sentences to
measure how easy a document is to read
- Speed of Perception
- Visibility
- pertains to the complexity of its
vocabulary and syntax.
Example:
I suffer the punishment of tardiness.
VS
Procrastination makes me suffer its
wrath.
1. Content

- pertains to font size, line height

and line length.
 - emphasizes how the write-up is
structured.
Inverted
Pyramid
Pyramid
 - Documents that are easy on the eye
are easier to understand than more
traditional styles.
- Effectiveness is the fulfillment of
writing’s goal
1. Font style Good Fonts are:
1.1 Italics add emphasis
• Easily readable
1.2 Bold type shows importance
• Aesthetically pleasing
1.3 Capital letters show emphasis
2. Bulleted lists present key
concepts quickly
3. Use tables often
• Body text

• Headings
• Subheadings
• Font 1
• Font 2
• Font 3
• Font 4
• Font 5
Heading Heading 3
Subheading Subheading 3
Body Body 3

Heading 2 Heading 4
Subheading 2 Subheading 4
Body 2 Body 4
Bullet style 1
Bullet style 2
Bullet style 3
• Bullet style 4
Bullet style 5
• Break information into units
• Signal section breaks
Heading
Body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body
Heading
Body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body
Heading
Body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body
Heading
Body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body text body text
body text body
1. Write for your reader, not for yourself.

- Be careful when you use the pronoun we in

a business letter, since it commits your
organization to what you have written.
1. Write for your reader, not for yourself.
2. Use pronouns when you can.
1. Write for your reader, not for yourself.
2. Use pronouns when you can.
3. State your major points before
making details.
1. Write for your reader, not for yourself.
2. Use pronouns when you can.
3. State your major points before
making details.
4. Limit each paragraph to one idea
- The use of an active voice in your business
writing will strengthen the overall delivery.
- less awkward, simpler
 - Wordiness is taking more words than
6. Writenecessary
in active voice.
to make your point

Wordy Example:
In the case of Mais (TC, 1968), the taxpayer was able to exclude from gross income embezzled
funds that were repaid during the year the funds were embezzled but the taxpayer was not
allowed to exclude embezzled funds to be repaid in a subsequent year.
Edited Example:
In the case of Mais (TC, 1968) allowed the taxpayer was able to to exclude from gross income
embezzled funds that were repaid during the same year the funds were embezzled but the
taxpayer was not allowed to exclude embezzled funds to be those repaid in
a subsequent later year.
Better Wording:
Mais (TC, 1968) allowed the taxpayer to exclude embezzled funds repaid during the same
year but not those repaid in a later year.
6. Write in active voice.
7. Wordiness!
6. Write in active voice.
7. Wordiness!
8. Use everyday words.