1. We spoke about Plain English writing in class. Please answer the following in detail:
a. How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (4 Marks)
Plain English writing is almost exactly as it sounds, plain. When writing for an audience we are vying for their valuable time and the modern reader is incredibly stingy. If they get bored, confused or annoyed by the content they are reading they will certainly read something else.This is why we write in plain and simple wording instead of complex flowery language. The best way to do this is to siphon the most valuable information from a piece of writing and siphon all of the other unnecessary content.
Example:
Non plain language: The fox had to leap over the grand white fence
Plain language: The fox jumped over the big fence
Something to note is that I did not make it dumber or assume the reader is to dumb to understand the first example. In fact by writing in plain language I am telling the reader that I value your time and I know you want the facts without the fluff. Plain writing is simply taking the most necessary information and giving it to the reader. By doing this people find what they need, understand what they’re reading and can use it to fulfill whatever we need them to do.
Imagine if LEGO instead of giving easy to understand and digestible graphics showing you how to complete the build, they gave you only words and had to describe every brick, how to place it, where to place it and why it matters. This would infuriate you and make what was supposed to be a delightful hobby into a drawn out and arduous chore. This is what plain english writing is for.
b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks)
Plain English is different then simply writing because it is catered to the modern reader. The modern reader has less time they are willing to spend on reading articles and simply want their information quickly. This means that plain english is writing for the users interests first. When we write we normally go on tangents or we might add extra words to sound smarter, a student might use multiple words in his essay to reach a word count. A modern internet reader doesn’t read through content that wastes their time so instead of looking to fill a word count plain english forces you to actually remove unnecessary information or flowery reading to keep it concise and to the point. The difference is that plain english writing is writing for the modern internet reader.
c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important?
Plain language writing for the web is geared towards having an online user fulfill a desired action. When writing for the web we need to keep what we say simple and to the point as we want the reader to fulfill a goal that we have for them. Using plain language online we can provide clarity and make our content digestible. It is so important that when writing content online it is written in plain language because we are all fighting for a user’s short attention span and people are absolutely willing to move on to the next thing if they are bored or frustrated. This means using words that resonate and are familiar to our audience and getting straight to the point will keep a reader engaged and more likely to complete the desired action.
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