Friday, January 28, 2011

Keep It Plain-PLAIN ENGLISH


Globalization has gifted us with many developments. One of
the most prominent of them all is the gift of a ‘Common Language’ to express
oneself all around the globe. No doubt  the world is reaping
benefits of this invaluable contribution from the modern world. This
contribution is termed as ‘English’.
We in India just love and adore English. It is not only
considered as a means of putting things across but It has also added some
‘Stars’ to itself during the course of its acceptance in our country. We now have
started relating English with status symbol, class of the speaker, educational
level of the speaking community and much more. As English expands its presence
in the country more people find an intriguing question puzzling them around
.’The Question’ is:
                ‘HOW TO WRITE IN ENGLISH IN A PROPER,STRUCTURED & LUCID WAY?
This is where most of us get confused between the use of jargons, blossoming words, extensive vocabulary, use of grammar and  typicality of the language. In the next section
of this article one will find the answer to ‘The Question’ with examples where
needed.
PLAIN ENGLISH-
Read this statement from a brokerage firm:
In the merger, each share of NYNEX Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately before the
Effective Time(excluding those held in the treasury of NYNEX and those owned by
Bell Atlantic)without action on the part of the holder thereof, will be
converted into the right to receive 0.768 of a share of Bell Atlantic Common
Stock.


One definitely needs to be prodigy or that old bearded man with loads of experience in finance backing him up to decipher the riddle stated above.
The other way of writing it is:
If the merger is
completed ,NYNEX stockholders will receive 0.768 of a share of Bell Atlantic
common stock for each share of Nynex common stock they own.
The latter definitely gives respite to an average reader and
makes him more interested in the topic being mentioned. The tool which provides
one with bullets of  writing lucid
English and making the planet a better place to live is known as ‘Plain
English’. In the fourteenth century Chaucer had one of his characters demand:
Speketh so pleyne at this time,I yow preye
That we may understonde what ye seye.
The main points which form the essence of Plain English are:
1.Write shorter sentences-There is a guideline to aim for an average sentence length of
15-20 words in a document.
2.Prefer plain words-Use of plain words not only makes the readers more willing to
participate actively in the read but they also make the work more transparent. No
wonder why the contemporary novels use it as a benchmark for their success.
3.Write tight-‘Work is required  on the flue and funnels’ is much better than ‘Work is required to be carried out on the flue and funnels’.
4.Be non sexist-No sex orientation should be visible in one’s writing.
5.Plan effectively-Think before you write. Always structure the thing which one is about to write. Drafting and redrafting helps a lot!
6.Use good punctuation-‘Once she had the dress off she would go in the search of
matching shoes’ is certainly a blunder until and unless one means it! The
intended meaning here is ‘Once she had the dress, off she would go in the search of matching shoes’.
7.Conquer  Grammarophobia-The main advantage of plain English is that it uses basic knowledge of grammar. Keep it simple so that one finds it simple!
8.Use Clear layouts-Layout of the article should also be considered as an ‘Agent Of Impression’.
9.Be positive-Reflect positive attitude .’Vote for not more than on candidate’ will surely be
problematic when one wants to say ‘Vote for one candidate only’.
10.Use bullets and lists-This article will be less lucid if the bulleting framework is not
used. Use  bullets, lists or any other representation of the facts which makes the writing simple and crisp.
There are many other minor points which improve one’s writing skills but these are quintessential to be a good writer. Implementing these point will not only make one more accepted and clear but will also make him a responsible members of the society as its his attempt to make this world
less chaotic.