Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Styleguide
The idea of plain English is to make all the information we prepare clear and easy to understand.
It is not intended to be childish or overly simplistic, but should be easy to grasp from the first reading.
Plain English is written with the reader in mind, using language he or she will understand. Using familiar words, everyday language and organised information will help put across your message to all kinds of reader.
Consider which of these sentences is easier to understand:
Every endeavour will be offered on our part to realize the improvement of our written communications.
We will improve our writing skills.
Aim for an average sentence length of 15-20 words throughout your document. The key word here is average. Don’t worry about the odd longer sentence here and there, but if most of your sentences go over 40 words you risk tiring your reader. Very short sentences can be used sparingly to spice up your writing. You can even use one- or two-word sentences to hammer your point home, such as ‘I disagree’ or ‘Why?’
One easy way to reduce your long sentences is to use more full stops to separate your points instead of commas. A full stop forces the reader to pause and take in what has just been said. If you want to continue your point into the next sentence, you can start the new sentence with words like ‘however’, ‘but’, ‘so’, ‘also’ or ‘yet’.
Another way is to use fewer words in your sentences. Watch out for needless repetition. Where documents carry a lot of information in their titles and sub-headings it is pointless to repeat that information in the main text.
Here's a quick explanation of active and passive voice:
You can find information
The parts of this sentence are: agent (you), verb (can find), object (information). The meaning is direct and obvious.Information can be found
This means the same thing but the order has changed to object, verb. The agent is no longer necessary to this sentence. Using the passive voice puts distance between you and your reader, and is considered cold and unfriendly. Despite this, many official documents make heavy use of passive voice.
But the passive voice does have its uses. Consider the difference between someone saying ‘Mistakes were made’ rather than ‘I’ve made mistakes’. It can also make language less hostile, as in ‘The invoice has not been paid’ instead of ‘You have not paid the invoice’.
Refer to your reader as 'you', even when your audience is mixed and general. Use 'we' to refer to HSE.
Think about who your reader is before you start to write and use words they will understand. If your reader is a member of the public, complicated or technical language could confuse them. However, someone with grounding in the subject might not want every concept explained in detail. When your audience could contain both these people, it’s best to use plainer language.
So what do we mean by plainer, or everyday language? These are some officious words and their plainer alternatives:
| accede | agree, grant, allow |
| cognizant of | aware of, know about |
| determine | decide |
| furnish | give, provide |
| if this is not the case | if not |
| necessitate | need, have to, require |
| pursuant to | under |
| utilise | use |
Over-use of words like those in the left-hand column can make your writing sound pompous. You will find that every reader prefers information that is clearly expressed and easy to take in. However, if you come across ‘So far as is reasonably practicable’, ‘must’ or ‘should’ in a text, please check with the author before changing them as they have specific legal meanings. When you write, be careful not to cause confusion using ‘must’ and ‘should’ – you can skip to the instruction instead:
You should now wash your hands.
Now wash you hands.
Try not to turn verbs into nouns. Say, ‘we suggest’, not ‘our suggestion is’, ‘complete’, not ‘completion’, ‘introduce’, not ‘introduction’. Verbs give action to your writing and keep it lively.
The way you display information visually is crucial. No one likes to be confronted by a wall of text, especially if that text is on a website. Divide your content up into bite-sized chunks where suitable by using:
When we write negatively, readers must first translate the message to positive in order to cancel it out.
Negative: If you do not return the form we cannot guarantee you a place.
Positive: Please return the form so that we can guarantee your place.
Free yourself from some of those writing myths.
Further reading: