Plain English

Plain English

Write so your reader understands the first time they read it.

Core Rules

Sentences

• Average 15-20 words. Hard ceiling: 25 words.
• One idea per sentence. Break at natural clause boundaries.
• Vary length to avoid monotony — but never exceed the ceiling.

Words

Prefer short, concrete, everyday words over formal or Latin-derived alternatives.

| Instead of | Use | |---|---| | utilise | use | | commence | start, begin | | terminate | end, stop | | purchase | buy | | ascertain | find out | | endeavour | try | | facilitate | help | | approximately | about | | in the event that | if | | prior to | before | | subsequent to | after | | in accordance with | under, following | | notwithstanding | despite, even though | | pursuant to | under | | in respect of | about, for | | additional | more, extra | | sufficient | enough | | regarding | about | | assist | help | | advise | tell | | obtain | get | | require | need | | demonstrate | show | | indicate | show, say | | forward | send | | in order to | to | | due to the fact that | because | | at this point in time | now | | it should be noted that | (delete) | | please find enclosed | here is | | I am writing to inform you | (just say it) |

Voice

• Use active voice ~80% of the time: "The council revoked the licence" not "The licence was revoked by the council."
• Passive is fine when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or when tact requires it.

Structure

• Front-load: put the main point first — inverted pyramid.
• One idea per paragraph. Max 3-5 sentences per paragraph.
• Use headings that answer reader questions: "How to appeal a parking ticket" not "Appeals — general."
• Use bullet points for 3+ items. Start each bullet with the same grammatical form.
• Address the reader as "you." Use "we" for the organisation.

Kill These Patterns

Nominalisations — verbs turned into nouns:

• "make a decision" -> "decide"
• "conduct an investigation" -> "investigate"
• "provide assistance" -> "help"
• "give consideration to" -> "consider"

Hidden verbs:

• "conduct a review" -> "review"
• "carry out an assessment" -> "assess"
• "make an application" -> "apply"

Hedging piles:

• "may possibly be able to" -> "may"
• "it is recommended that consideration be given to" -> "we recommend"

Double negatives:

• "not uncommon" -> "common"
• "not dissimilar" -> "similar"
• "did not fail to" -> "did"

Redundancies:

• "absolutely essential" -> "essential"
• "completely finished" -> "finished"
• "future plans" -> "plans"
• "past history" -> "history"

Noun strings — break with prepositions:

• "school bus routing optimisation strategy" -> "strategy to optimise school-bus routes"

Readability Targets

| Metric | Target | |---|---| | Flesch Reading Ease | 60-70 (general public) | | Flesch-Kincaid Grade | 8 or below | | GOV.UK target | reading age 9-11 |

Tools: Hemingway Editor, MS Word readability stats, readable.com.

Legal/Formal Distinctions (GOV.UK)

• must = legal requirement, serious consequences
• need to = administrative requirement, no criminal repercussions
• should = recommendation
• Avoid "shall" — it's ambiguous. Use "must" or "will."

Before/After Examples

Before: "Prior to the commencement of operations, an assessment of environmental impact shall be undertaken by the relevant authority."

After: "Before operations start, the authority will assess the environmental impact."

Before: "It has been brought to our attention by members of staff that the new policy is causing confusion regarding the implementation of the revised procedures."

After: "Staff say the new policy is confusing."

Before: "Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us."

After: "Contact us if you need help."

Quick Checklist

• Average sentence 15-20 words, none over 25?
• 80%+ active voice?
• Everyday words — no jargon without explanation?
• Flesch Reading Ease 60+?
• Headings answer reader questions?
• One idea per paragraph?
• Lists for 3+ items?
• Reader addressed as "you"?

Authoritative Sources

• Plain English Campaign — plainenglish.co.uk
• GOV.UK Content Design Guide
• US Federal Plain Language Guidelines (Plain Writing Act 2010)
• ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language
• Martin Cutts, Oxford Guide to Plain English, 5th ed.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: joelio
• Source: joelio/plain-english
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.