Clear Writing: What is it? How do you do it?

Agdex#:	057
Publication Date:	02/93
Order#:	93-021
Last Reviewed:	11/97
History:	Reprinted February 1995, March 1997
Written by:	Kevin Churchill - Southwestern Literacy Clearinghouse; Barb Shipley - Ontario Rural Literacy; Lynn McLaughlin/OMAFRA

Table of Contents

1. What Is Clear Writing?
2. Why Bother With Clear Writing?
3. Why Are Some People Reluctant To Use Clear Writing?
4. How Do You Write Clearly?
5. How Do You Present Material So That People Want To Read It?
6. Where Do You Go To Find More Out About Clear Writing?
7. References

What Is Clear Writing?

Clear writing is a way of presenting information so that it is easy for everyone to read and understand. Clear writing considers how the material looks, as well as what it says. Clear writing prevents misunderstanding between you and your reader by avoiding jargon and technical words.

| Top of Page |

Why Bother With Clear Writing?

Millions of people don't read well. In 1990, Statistics Canada surveyed Canadians between the ages of 16 and 69. The survey results show that material that is clear and easy to read can be used by a wider audience. Changing the way we write can make it easier for many more people to get information.

Clear Writing makes it easier for:

• people who do not read well
• people whose first language is not English
• people who do not see well
• people who are too busy to read a large amount of text to gain a small amount of information

Clear writing saves time because it avoids misunderstanding and errors. It gets the job done the first time.

| Top of Page |

Why Are Some People Reluctant To Use Clear Writing?

Here are some common reactions...

Literacy is not a problem for our audience

Any material that is written for the general public should be clear and easy to read, since as many as 38% of Canadian adults have difficulty reading print materials. See Chart 1 on literacy levels.

It will insult people who read well.

People who read well can find information more quickly from materials that are clear, focused on the main ideas and well designed.

What we have to say can't be written simply. We have to use technical language.

When material is written for the general public, the writer must explain technical terms so that more people can understand.

If I write simply, people will not respect my expertise.

Many people believe that difficult language gives the writing more importance or makes it better. Unfortunately, it only makes it harder to read.

| Top of Page |

How Do You Write Clearly?

Ask yourself these questions before you begin to write:

• "Who is my audience?"
• "What are the needs and abilities of my audience?"
• "What do I want to tell my reader?"

Use the following guidelines on language and organization to help you write clearly.

Language

Write directly to your reader.

All staff employees are asked to submit their work reports by the end of the year.
You must have your work reports in by December 31.

Don't change verbs into nouns.

Immunization procedures will be performed twice a year.
We will immunize children each January and June.

Use the active voice. The subject does the action.

The coffee pot must be washed.
You must wash the coffee pot.

Use a positive tone.

Anyone not wearing a bathing cap will not be allowed in the pool.
You must wear a bathing cap while in the pool.

Avoid using jargon or acronyms.

The new OMAF office has a boardroom which rural stakeholders can use.
The new Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) office has a boardroom which rural groups can use.

Explain difficult words in their context.

Every season, your sprayer should be calibrated.
Every season you should calibrate your sprayer by measuring the output of each nozzle to make sure that each one is putting out the same amount of spray.

Organization

1. Write instructions in the order that you want them carried out.
2. Write complete sentences only when it makes sense to do so.
3. List critical points apart from the text.

   ---

   Example
   

   The Annual Fall Clean-Up Day will be held on Saturday October the 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Anyplace Township Dump.

   Garbage must be brought in pickup trucks or cars. No hazardous materials will be accepted at this time. All garbage must be unloaded by hand.
   Organize your garbage with wood on top, then metal objects, then tires on the bottom. This dump is open to Anyplace Township Residents only.

   Dumping charges will be $10 per vehicle.

   ---

   Example

   Anyplace Township Residents Only

   Annual Fall Clean-Up Day

   Date: Saturday, October 20, 19XX
   Time: 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.
   Place: Anyplace Township Dump
   Cost: $10 per vehicle

   Load your vehicle in the following order from top to bottom:

   1. Wood
   2. Metal Objects
   3. Tires

   * No hazardous materials will be accepted!

---

4. List items in the same grammatical form
   The volunteer survey had the following suggestions: planning meetings should be held in the spring. Do all recruiting through the newspaper. We should conduct two fundraisers every year.
   The volunteer survey had the following suggestions:

   • planning meetings should be held in the spring
   • all recruiting should be done through the newspaper
   • fundraising events should be held twice a year
5. Use headings that summarize the text.
   Attention!
   Information on New Government Grants
   
6. Write sentences that are not long and complicated.
   A viable agricultural base strengthens the rural community and likewise, agriculture benefits from close ties to community, business, education, social and recreation facilities. A viable agricultural base strengthens the rural community.
   Agriculture benefits from close ties to community, business, education, social and recreation facilities.

| Top of Page |

How Do You Present Material So That People Want To Read It?

Clear Writing is more than just the way you write. The next step is to design the material so that your message stands out. You don't have to be a professional graphic artist. Many of these techniques can be done using a basic word processor and a little common sense.

Type Size and Style

Use serif type for text.
Serif type has "feet" on the ends of the letters that move the reader's eye along the line, making it the best choice for paragraphs of text.

Use sans-serif type for short headings.
Sans-Serif type is suitable for headings and signs.

Do not use all capital letters.
Using all capital letters makes text look too dense. People identify words and letters by shape.

Use bold type for emphasis.
Italics are difficult to read.

Use at least 12 point type for text.
This is 12 point Times Roman. This is 8 point Times Roman.

Text Justification

Unjustified text, with uneven right margins, gives the reader's eye a rest at the end of each line, and a point of reference to being reading the next line.

Justified text (text with even left and right margins) can save room on the page and looks neater, but it appears dense and is difficult to read.

Use Boxes and Bullets Sparingly and Consistently

Graphic elements such as bullets (•) and boxes can be used to organize text and draw attention to certain areas. Be careful to be consistent in how you use these or else they can be more confusing than helpful to your reader.

Use of White Space

Too much text gives a dense appearance and sends two messages to the reader. "This is going to be hard and this is going to be boring." Wide page margins and spaces will make your article easier to read.

| Top of Page |

Where Do You Go To Find More Out About Clear Writing?

Ontario Literacy Coalition, 365 Bloor St., #1003, Toronto, ON, M4W 3L4

Alpha Ontario, 21 Park Road, Toronto, ON, M4W 2N1
Alpha Base Hotline 1-800-363-0007

Frontier College, 35 Jackes Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4T 1E2

| Top of Page |

References

The Clear Writer's Hit List. Frontier College, Toronto, 1990.

Clear Writing and Literacy. Baldwin, Ruth. Toronto: Ontario Literacy Coalition, 1990.

This factsheet was edited by John Shewchuk, Mary Sinclair, Andrea Leis.

| Top of Page |