3 ms·
I struggle a lot with this in my work. I can’t assume that my readers are fluent English speakers, nor that they understand the topic. I can’t even assume that
by nicbou 2y ago
I struggle a lot with this in my work. I can’t assume that my readers are fluent English speakers, nor that they understand the topic. I can’t even assume that they care to understand. I have adopted a plain and unambiguous writing style that hopefully accounts for it. I am now experimenting with formatting that allows them to skim everything and still get the gist of it. In my opinion, nhs.uk is the best example to learn from.
People are not stupid, but they are busy, tired, lazy, or simply not that interested in the finer details. There is a balance between respecting their intellect and respecting their time.
- kohbo 2y agoHow come you're avoiding every contraction, except "can't"?
- zexbha 2y agoI would not have observed this on my own. Do contractions make English harder to comprehend for non-natives? I'll have to avoid using y'all'dn't've
- Aspos 2y agoYes they do
- lupire 2y agoCommon English. The "n't” contractions are the most comfortable, and "can't" is most comfortable because it saves a syllable.
- DavidPiper 2y agoThat's a cool observation - it could just be GP's natural turn of phrase. I know a few people who never use any contractions when they speak. I assume it's a local/familial style.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- isleyaardvark 2y agoYou can probably skip nhs.uk and go straight to uk.gov's writing guidelines themselves: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-u...