1. We spoke about Plain English writing in class. Please answer the following in detail:

1.  How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (4 Marks)

Plain English writing is written material that allows readers to interpret and understand a message quickly. When writing and generating content, it’s crucial to have clear, concise, and correct content that provides relevance and understanding to the intended audience (Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing (W26).pdf, Slide 3,9). When creating content, writers should consider what would appeal and grab the attention of themselves. Using Plain English writing saves time and money, creates clarity for readers, limits any dreads or doubts on content, and creates empowerment to your readers (Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing (W26).pdf, Slide 14). Plain English writing is more effective to readers than long and difficult content where an audience has a harder time understanding, and is more likely to disengage with the written material. It’s important when creating Plain Language writing that you understand and know your audience, what your audience knows and what they are looking for and how you can answer any questions or concerns (Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing (W26).pdf, Slide 29). In conclusion, plain English writing allows readers to understand, access, and gain information in a written format that is simple and concise to an audience.  

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

Plain English Writing is different from any other form of writing because it focuses on clarity, relevance, and accessibility to readers. On the contrary, other content might consist of more complex and technical writing where it makes it difficult for readers to engage, interpret and understand content. Plain English writing is direct and uses simple vocabulary and short explanations where readers can be more engaged. Plain English writing is important when it comes to creating written content because it limits any misunderstanding and communicates effectively to a wide audience. For instance, many people read in different levels of literacy and don’t always read content carefully, therefore it’s crucial to consider using written language where you understand the audience and their specific needs (Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing (W25).pdf, Slide 36). Plan language writing utilizes simple everyday words that readers recognize, with short and clear sentences, in a well structured format (Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing Quick Recap (W26).pdf, Slide 2). To conclude, Plain English Writing is different then other forms of writing because it consists of content that is clear, relevant, and accessible to an audience. Making content more engaging and effective to readers while creating and building trust with your audience.

3. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important? (4 Marks)

Writing plain language for the web is important because web users spend little time deciding whether or not a website is relevant and worth reading. Utilizing Plain language helps web users to navigate and find important information quickly. Unlike blog posts or reports, where they consist of a larger space to expand written content and ideas . Web pages utilize a limited word count to draw the attention of the brand’s voice, deliver valuable information, and increase conversion rates. Using clear short sentences and limited grammar mistakes allows an audience to be more engaged and reduces the chances of losing a reader’s attention (Briscoe, W8 – Writing Website Copy and Plain language Writing (W26).pdf, Slide 14-15). In conclusion, plain language writing is important for effective web writing because it determines whether or not  a user will engage with the content. Doing so by creating content that is  clear, concise and correct ensuring that users find any information effectively and directly. Engaging and improving web users overall web experience.