What is plain English?
It's a way of writing in everyday English so that all readers get your message quickly and easily. It's not about dumbing down or appearing unprofessional.
Plain English (or clear English) simply means cutting jargon, legalese, 'business speak', 'posh' language and ‘civil service-ese’ – and finding the right tone of voice to get your message across. It also helps you to capture busy readers' attention more effectively.
Plain English isn't a 'one size fits all' approach. We understand that plain English means different things to different audiences.
For example, in a report on pensions for financial advisors, you can use complex sentences and technical jargon because it will be clear for readers – and, in fact, this is what they expect. But if you’re writing a leaflet on pension plans for a wide audience, you need to use everyday language and clearly explain unfamiliar terms.
Anyone who wants to communicate effectively uses plain English. It's accepted as the industry standard by the public sector, financial services, legal firms and pharma companies around the world.
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The Royal Mail saved £500,000 in nine months by redesigning one form in clear English.
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Businesses in the UK lose £6 billion a year because of badly written letters.
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The US Navy estimated plain English could save it between $250 and $350 million every year.
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Examples of plain English – before and after
You can use the Flesch readability test (easy-to-read paragraphs have a high score – 60% and over – while more difficult ones have a lower score)
| Letter to customer – sign-off | |
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As always we welcome your feedback and should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us at the number below. |
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| Plain English – for a modern style | |
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We are always happy to hear from our customers. If you have any queries, please ring me on my direct line (XXXX). |
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Bank letter about a debt |
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| Original | |
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On reviewing your account to-day, I note no payment has been received since DATE. In order that we may close our file in this case, I would advise that the Bank will consider a settlement of the outstanding debt, but only if you contact this office within 10 days. If no communication is received from you, I have to advise that your account will, at financial year end, be placed on our BAD DEBTS LISTING. This may affect your credit standing and your ability to negotiate borrowings in the future. |
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| Plain English – for clarity | |
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We note that no payment on the above account has been received since DATE. We wish to inform you that the bank will consider a settlement of the outstanding debt, but only if you contact this office within 10 days. We can then close our file in this case. If we do not hear from you on this matter within 10 days, your account will be listed as a bad debt at the end of the financial year. This may affect your credit standing and your ability to borrow in the future. We look forward to hearing from you (Flesch reading ease scale: 75 %) |
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City Council minutes |
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| Original | |
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The Lord Mayor opened the meeting by thanking all the Members of the City Council for giving her their full co-operation during her year as Lord Mayor. She said the key issues for Dublin City were always to the forefront of her efforts. She recalled that it had been a difficult year economically and a difficult time for the City Council. She wished everyone well in the forthcoming elections and expressed the hope that the people of Dublin appreciate the effort and commitment of the Members of the City Council. Several Members also expressed their appreciation of the commitment and dedication of fellow Members of the City Council, especially those who were now attending their last meeting. The high quality of assistance received from the Management Team was also acknowledged. |
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| Plain English – for brevity | |
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The Lord Mayor opened the meeting by thanking all the Members of the City Council for giving her their full co-operation during her year as Lord Mayor, which had been a difficult one economically. She went on to wish everyone well in the forthcoming elections. The Mayor and several Members expressed their appreciation of the commitment and dedication of fellow Members of the City Council, especially those who were attending their last meeting. They also expressed appreciation for the high quality of assistance received from the Management Team. |
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Extract from a report |
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The system seems to have acquired almost prophylactic properties which insulates communities and isolates people with disabilities. Our present system is built around models that risk promoting the serial solitude of lifelong group living. Vision Statement for Intellectual Disability in Ireland for the 21st Century (Flesch reading ease scale: 22.8 %) |
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| Plain English |
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| Can you translate this into plain English? Send your version to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | |
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