Writing for New Literates

From SPARK

Contents 1 Unpublished 1.1 Case Histories 1.2 Guidelines 1.3 References 1.4 Downloads 1.5 Editors/Reviewers 1.6 Summary 1.7 Basic assumptions about SPARK users 1.8 SPARK Guidelines for writing in English 1.9 Observations: 1.10 Sentence complexity 1.11 Vocabulary 1.12 Suggestions 1.13 Basic assumptions about SPARK users 1.14 Guidelines for writing articles for this website 1.15 Observations:

Unpublished

THIS NEEDS TO BE REWRITTEN. It used to be "Clear English Guidelines." Would we want a version on SPARK for people writing scripts in a type of English that's easy to understand so the scripts could be more easily translated into indigenous languages?

Summary

Suggestions for writing simply for new readers.

Basic assumptions about SPARK users

• We assume most SPARK users have completed six years of education in English. This is a general way of measuring someone’s ability. We assume users are comfortable reading English. We do not assume users speak English as easily as they read it.
• We assume users have continued to read English after their formal education ended. Thus, they read at a level higher than their formal education would imply.
• We assume no one remains at the same level of English use.
• We assume all people can read more complex English than they can write.
• We assume our readers can read more complex English than they can speak.

SPARK Guidelines for writing in English

• We recommend fourteen words as the maximum length of a sentence.
• Try to put all relative clauses after the main clause.
• Be careful about using “again” and “also”.
• Be clear about pronouns and the subjects and objects to which they relate.
• Be willing to use more commas than most Americans use.
• Never begin a sentence with “And…”.
• Avoid separating an adverb from its verb.
• Avoid using the passive voice of verbs.
• Avoid the passive idiom “the focus/attention is on…”. Name the subject and the active verb.
• In printed text (including text on computer screens), do not end a line with “I”. Type a fixed space before the “I”.
• Use parentheses sparingly.
• Do not interrupt a sentence with a comment. Put the comment after the sentence.
• Do not use abbreviated comments or explanations. Use a full-sentence form.
• Avoid using verbs that communicate extra meaning by means of prefixes. For example, do not use “he reaffirmed that…”; instead, use “he said again that…”.

Observations:

There is a recognized test that serves as a general indicator of readability. That test is based on a general U.S. education level.

Wikipedia has information about checkers for grammar that can show readability statistics.

Easy English

Let's keep thinking about this, even though you do not need the articles yet.

Serving Christ with you, Willis

Sentence complexity

People tend to make rather long sentences. We all can improve our skills in writing clearly. Everyone understands written English when sentences are short. Short sentences are also easier to translate to another language (including in computer-assisted translation one-clause sentences rather than multiple-clause sentences). For example, we can make more clear the following sentence:

The earth rotates so each part of it is in light during the day and dark at night.

We could write something like: “The earth spins. When one face of earth faces the sun, it receives light. That is day. The other side is dark. That is night.

(see Wikipedia:Simple_talk/tier_sample)

Vocabulary

I read somewhere that some of you don’t want to give such guidelines, but it seems to me that they can not be avoided. Nevertheless, they could be used only in order to simplify already written pages, in order to let people use their creativity when they write new articles, without having to bother too much about simplicity criteria.

Suggestions

• one-phrase sentences
• Avoid passives.
• Aim at the 7th grade level in the Western world. This may be the same as the end of high school in the developing world. Most people can understand English better than they can use it. This makes the grade levels not so important.
• Use the 800 some words dictionary of basic English as a guideline. Complex words could be occasionally used, but with a clarification between brackets, Example: (Create your watchlist (a list of the pages you would like to follow).

Original as of 1/20/2006 – LMP

Basic assumptions about SPARK users

• We assume that the major potential users have completed six to eight years of formal education in English. The level of formal education is a general way of measuring someone’s ability. Of course, people do not agree on how much English a child might learn in six to seven years of school. Even if someone could define an education level for Delaware, the people in Louisiana would define it differently. Further, there are third world countries that would define yet another level. We assume that the users are comfortable in reading English. We do not assume that a user speaks English as comfortably as he or she reads English.
• We assume that a user has continued reading English after their formal education. Thus they read at a level higher than their formal education would imply.
• We assume that no person remains at the same level in his or her development and growth in English. These articles will try to help every person to develop his or her skills.
• We assume that all people can read more complex text than they can write.
• We assume that our potential readers can read English at a higher level of complexity than they can speak.

Guidelines for writing articles for this website

• We recommend 14 words as the maximum length of a sentence. An occasional sentence may have up to 18 words.
• Try to put all relative clauses after the main clause.
• Whenever you join two clauses equally as coordinates, be sure to put in explicit subjects or objects in the second clause. You may use nouns or pronouns.
• Be careful about using “again” and “also”. It is important that the readers are able to understand who or what is the referent.
• Write in a way that the readers are able to know the referents for the pronouns, both as the subjects and the objects.
• Be willing to use more commas than most Americans use.
• Never begin a sentence with “And…” Instead, use “Also…” or no connective.
• Avoid separating an adverb from its verb.
• Avoid using the passive voice of verbs. Use only a few participles or verbal nouns.
• Use sparingly the passive idiom “the focus/attention is on…” You should name who is wanting someone to focus on something.
• At times, a sentence may begin with “I…” In printed text (include text on computer screens), do not allow that “I” to stay on the end of a line. Type a fixed space after it so that it will go with the next word to the next line if that word goes. For example: I am going…
• Use parenthesis only on a few occasions.
• Do not interrupt a sentence with a comment. Put the comment after the sentence.
• Do not use abbreviated comments or explanations. Use a full sentence form.
• Avoid using verbs that communicate extra meaning by means of prefixes. For example, do not use “he reaffirmed that…”. Instead, use “he said again that…”

Observations:

There is a recognized test that serves as a general indicator of readability that is based on a general U.S. education level. Wikipedia has information about checkers for grammar that can show readability statistics.

Easy English