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WRITING EASY-TO-READ
DOCUMENTS
Chapter 7
OVERVIEW
Ineffective vs. Effective writing
 Writing effective sentences and paragraphs

Actors
 Actions
 Emphasis


Writing coherent documents
INEFFECTIVE
VS.
EFFECTIVE WRITING
Ineffective Writing
Attributes
Effective Writing Attributes
Ineffective writing is
 Often wordy
 Often indirect
 Often contains
unnecessary words
 Often contains
ineffective verb
phrases
 Often obscures the
action and actors
Effective writing uses
 Precise words
 Clear, direct
statements
 An economy of words
 Active verbs
 Actors as subjects
performing the action
of the sentences
TO CREATE EFFECTIVE DOCUMENTS
Every sentence must have a subject and a verb
 Make people the subjects of your sentences
 Make the subject the first word of the sentence
(or very close to the first)
 Keep the actor and action close together
 Use active voice

MAKE PEOPLE THE SUBJECTS OF YOUR
SENTENCES
Actor ≠ Subject

At the previous
meeting, a new
organizational plan
was selected, and a
new budget was
adopted.
Actor = Subject

The executive
committee selected a
new organizational
plan and adopted a
new budget [at the
previous meeting].
Actor ≠ Subject
A brief satisfaction
survey was taken by
all customers who
purchased a vehicle
from our dealership
last month.
 A $50 gas card was
the incentive for
customers to
complete the survey.

Actor = Subject
All customers who
purchased a vehicle
from our dealership
last month took a
brief satisfaction
survey.
 They received a $50
gas card for
completing it.

USE ACTIVE VOICE
AVOID PASSIVE VOICE
Active voice is usually shorter (requires fewer
words)
 Active voice is usually clearer
 Active verbs are more precise
 Active voice keeps the actor and action close
together in the sentence
 Equation:
Active Voice= actor + (action) verb + object

The district manager will present the results.
PASSIVE VOICE
The actor and the subject are not the same
 Either moves the actor after the verb or leaves
it out completely
 Often contains or implies a “by phrase”
 Equation:
Passive Voice = Object + “to be verb” + past
participle (+ “by” + actor)

The results are presented by the district
manager.
PARTS

OF A
PASSIVE VERB
“To Be Verbs”









Am
Is
Are
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
[got]

Past Participles
Usually contain
action
 Usually end in –ed
 Usually look like past
tense verbs

TO REVISE
1.
2.
3.
4.
A
PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION
Identify the actor
Make the actor the subject of the sentence
Follow the actor/subject with the action verb
Follow the action with the object or the
receiver of the action
PUT
THE
ACTION
IN YOUR
VERBS
Readers expect to find action expressed in
verbs, not hidden in other parts of speech
 Often you will find nominalized verbs in words
that end with –tion, -sion,
 “to be” verbs do not express action; they
express states of existence—they are weak
verbs
 Most sentences in which the verb does not
express the action have one of both of these
characteristics:

A noun expresses the primary action of the
sentence (called a nominalization)
 The verb of the sentence is a form of “to be”

Action not in verb



The police are
conducting an
investigation of the
robbery that occurred
this morning.
Her discovery of the
missing bolts
happened on Friday.
There was a discussion
of the zones by the city
council.
Action in verb



The police are
investigating the
robbery that occurred
this morning.
She discovered the
missing bolts on
Friday.
The city council
discussed the zones.
EMPHASIZE WHAT’S IMPORTANT

You can help readers identify what’s important
by
Putting important information at the end of the
sentence
 Putting unfamiliar/technical terms at the end of
the sentence
 Using visual clues such as

Boldface type
 Italic type
 Large type (not all caps!)
 Color

COMMON NOMINALIZATIONS
Nouns that contain action











Acceptance
Analysis
Commitment
Consideration
Discovery
Discussion
Evaluation
Expectation
Investigation
Recommendation
request
Verb forms











Accept
Analyze
Commit
Consider
Discover
Discuss
Evaluate
Expect
Investigate
Recommend
request
Inappropriate Emphasis
You have not sent us
your December
progress report,
according to our
records.
 Our tests show that
reliability increased
by 15 percent, for
example.

Appropriate Emphasis

According to our
records, you have
not mailed us your
December progress
report.
 For example, our
tests show that
reliability increased
by 15 percent.
Inappropriate Emphasis

Fast-twitch fibers
and slow-twitch
fibers are two basic
types of muscle
fibers.
Appropriate Emphasis

Muscles have two
types of fibers: fasttwitch and slowtwitch.
TIE SENTENCES TOGETHER
EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS
1.
2.


4.
5.
6.
7.
WRITE
Put old/familiar information near the
beginning of the sentence
Use topics to tie sentences together

3.
TO
First sentence in a paragraph introduces the topic
Second sentence comments on that topic
Subsequent sentences comment further on that
topic
Use transitions (page 187, figure 7.3)
Put the transition at or near the beginning of
the sentence
Repeat or restate key words or phrases
Use pronouns to avoid monotony
Restate summary words
Poor Old/New Pattern

To help them navigate,
bats emit a high
frequency sound wave.
The size, distance, and
movement of all
objects in their path
can be determined by
the way the sound
bounces off these
objects and returns to
the bat. Echolocation is
the name used for their
navigation system.
Improved Old/New Pattern

Bats emit a high
frequency sound wave
that helps them
navigate in the dark.
They can determine the
size, distance, and
movement of all
objects in their path by
the way the sound
bounces off these
objects and returns to
them. This navigation
system is known as
echolocation.
HOW
DO YOU
WRITE COHERENT DOCUMENTS
Use overviews to introduce readers to your
document
 Use parallel headings to show the organization
of your document
 Use lists effectively

USE 3 KINDS OF OVERVIEWS TO INTRODUCE
READERS TO YOUR DOCUMENT
1.
2.
3.
Overviews can
information in
Overviews can
the text
Overviews can
document
introduce the types of
the document
identify the specific sections of
tell readers how to use the
USE HEADINGS TO SHOW THE ORGANIZATION
OF THE DOCUMENT
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_______________________
_______________________
________________________
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USE EFFECTIVE LISTS
Break up long sentences
 Arrange text in a list to direct readers’
attention to important information
 Use a number when the list has an implied
sequence or hierarchy—when one thing must
precede another
 Use a symbol, usually a bullet, when you do
not have an implied sequence or hierarchy

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