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Use clear and
simple writing

This article appeared in the Spring 2002 edition of Short Words, the newsletter of Tim Albert Training. It was written by Tim Albert.

Readers don't feel patronised by clear, simple writing

Plain writing is not seen as condescending, according to the author of a new book aimed at helping health service administrators to put their messages across more effectively.

'Every day millions of people buy tabloid newspapers, which tend to use plain English,' writes Sarah Carr in Tackling NHS jargon.

'People would not spend money on them if they felt patronised' she adds.

She cites a number of studies that show that people prefer plain English - and find it easier to understand:

Nine out of 10 law students in a UK study preferred a piece of legislation written in plain English, and were twice as likely to answer questions on it correctly.
Readers of a medical consent form in the US answered on average four out of five questions in a plain English version - and only two out of five in the other.
A study in the UK found that small businessmen preferred a tax leaflet when it was rewritten in plain English - and did not find it condescending.

'It seems unlikely that they would prefer language that makes them feel they were being patronised,' writes Sarah Carr.

She quotes US law professor Joseph Kimble: 'Writing in plain language almost always improves the content. By improving structure and style, you improve the substance'.

Sarah Carr, Tackling NHS Jargon, Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press, 2002