Question 1

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? (3 Marks) 

Plain English writing is a clear, direct style of writing that we use to market to the average consumer. This style is written at about a 7th to 8th-grade reading level to ensure that the majority of people reading it understand the messaging. Pronouns, short sentences, and simple, everyday words are used in plain language writing, allowing us to fulfill consumers’ needs while staying easy to understand.

For marketers, plain language saves money as consumers appreciate clarity and are more likely to purchase something they understand. It uses logically organized information to deliver exactly what the target audience needs. 

For example, this sentence is not written in plain language: 

“The mountains are not to be climbed at any time if there is ice outside preventing you from walking carefully.” 

If one were to rewrite it in plain language, it might look something like this: 

“You should not climb the mountains when the ground is covered in ice.” 

b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks) 

Plain language is different from your typical copy for the following reasons: 

• It avoids some, but not all, technical words (These may confuse readers and stop them from continuing to read). This does not mean that sentences are being dumbed down, but rather refined to make sense in a smaller number of words. 
• It keeps the text as short as possible while still allowing users to understand exactly what message is being delivered.  
• It uses an active voice. This type of writing keeps the sentence flowing and engages users more than a passive voice.  
• It uses strong verbs that impact consumers. 
• It uses a positive tone rather than a negative one. This is essential as companies do not want their messaging to evoke negative feelings from their consumers. 
• It delivers a message in a personal way. Plain language is designed to be read by a certain audience to inform them about something they do not know. 

c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important? 

(4 Marks) 

Plain language writing for the web is the use of clear, concise language that speaks to a specific target market with the goal of delivering a message that is powerful yet easily understood. It uses many factors to allow readers to avoid difficulty when reading an advertisement/content. 

Using plain language is important for multiple reasons. Firstly, people all over the world read with different degrees of literacy. Because of this, using a lot of technical words and rich language is not beneficial as people may struggle to comprehend what the goal of the content is. Plain language allows people of almost all reading levels to be able to overcome this. 

In addition, it is important to write in plain language as everyone accesses sites for different reasons and plain language is written for action. It allows different people to log onto a site and immediately understand how to accomplish their specific goals. 

Plain language writing is also important as it gives the reader important information and nothing else. The goal of the copy is apparent and can be found quickly. 

In short, plain language writing allows for time and money to be saved, people appreciate the clarity it provides and feel empowered as they can easily understand the content.