USE CLEAR, DIRECT AND SIMPLE TEXT to be easily understood. In other words, as a proponent of perspicuity one should really espouse eschewing obfuscation in typographical emanations.

Good writing (in contrast to the sentence above) is clear, concise, congruent and compelling. Layout and text design may help organize content and guide the reader to what is important, but ultimately, words and their usage often determine the success or failure of your communications. Six guidelines for clarifying text can help you become more perspicuous in your writing. 

Perspicuity is the Goal

Perspicuity means being clear of statement or expression; easily understood; or lucid.

Titles, headlines, sub-headings, captions and body copy all contain text with the power to confuse or clarify.

Find more information about writing well by consulting a few reputable style guides in print or on the Internet. 

What if I just walk down one floor then get on?
Bad writing sometimes hinders the best intentions.

According to Hartley (1996), a writer can generally do six things to make text easier to understand.

1. Follow Simple Sentence Structure

Sentences with many subordinate clauses and modifying statements are more difficult to understand. Practice the KISS formula; Keep It Simple and Straightforward.

        Use the fewest possible words to say what you mean.

        Never say "blah, blah" when all you need is "blah."

2. Use Active vs. Passive Voice

The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive voice. Writing in the active voice results in shorter, stronger sentences. The subject doing the action often holds more interest than the object being acted upon. "The hat which is owned by me was thrown on the roof by Peter who is my brother" is better as "My brother Peter threw my hat on the roof." This has half the words and perhaps twice the impact.

3. Choose Positive Terms

Using positive terms makes it easier for readers to grasp concepts and paint mental pictures. Readers would rather know about what is than what is not. Therefore it is generally better to express even negatives in positive form.


                       Not honest
                       Dishonest

                       Not important
                       Trifling

                       Did not remember
                       Forgot

                       Did not pay attention to 
                        Ignored 

                       Did not have much confidence in
                       Distrusted

4. Avoid Multiple Negatives

Double or triple negatives are often confusing. An example by Harold Evans (1972) compares, "The figures provide no indication that costs would have not been lower if competition had not been restricted," with, "The figures provide no indication that competition would have produced higher costs."

5. Personalize Copy

Personalizing text or writing in the form of a story helps students recall information. Describing benefits of a medical procedure, for example, comes to life when told from the point of view of a patient receiving treatment as opposed to a clinical step-by-step explanation of the process."My name is Susie and I'd like to tell you how I discovered I was sick and what my Doctor Steve did about it."

6. Make It Interesting

Lively examples and vivid anecdotes also help make text interesting and memorable. Be careful to avoid making the details so seductive they distract from the main point.

These six basic guidelines offer a good start toward good writing. Good Luck.

              It's your right to be understood, so write to be understood.

Web Resources

Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White is a must for any aspiring writer. Read it. Learn it. Live it.

The Yale Style Manual has a section on editorial style and other web design issues.

Print References

Jonassen, David H., 1996. Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology, New York: Macmillan.

Jordan, L. 1976. The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. New York: Times Books.

Strunk, W., and E. B. White. 1979. The Elements of Style, 3rd ed. New York: Macmillan.

University of Chicago Press. 1982. The Chicago Manual of Style. 13th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Xerox Corporation. 1988. Xerox publishing standards: A manual of style and design. New York: Xerox Press-Watson Guptill.

Zinsser, W. K. 1990. On writing well., 4th ed. New York: Harper Collins.

Article prepared by Jim Staylor
President of Staylor-Made Communications