Writing in Plain English

Learn how to write in plain English to make your work clear, effective, and impressive to your readers.

Introduction

• Increase your impact by writing in plain English

1. Understanding Plain English

• Why is writing in plain English important?

2. Organizing Information to Meet Your Plain English Goals

• Define your audience before writing
• Organize your ideas to write with clarity
• Use meaningful headings in your writing
• Use meaningful headings in your writing
• Use lists, tables, and other visuals

3. Choosing the Best Words to Meet Your Plain English Goals

• Use simple words when writing in plain English
• Use strong verbs when writing in plain English
• Address your readers directly when writing in plain English
• Avoid jargon when writing in plain English
• Avoid technobabble and legalese when writing in plain English
• Minimize abbreviations when writing in plain English
• Eliminate vague words and expressions

4. Using the Best Types of Sentences to Meet Your Plain English Goals

• Use short, simple sentences when writing in plain English
• Avoid there are sentences when writing in plain English
• Use the present tense when writing in plain English
• Avoid noun clusters when writing in plain English
• Use positive language when writing in plain English

5. Other Tools for Meeting Your Plain English Goals

• Use examples to make your points stick
• Summarize main points to make takeaways clear
• Hyperlink meaningful words

6. Revising Your Writing to Meet Your Plain English Goals

• Measure the reading level for your audience
• Read aloud to polish your writing
• Get feedback on your writing
• AI tools to meet your plain English writing goals

Conclusion

• Next steps