Oxford Guide to Plain English

Martin Cutts is a writer, editor, and teacher. He co-founded the Plain English Campaign in 1979, and in 1994 he founded Plain Language Commission. He gives writing-skills courses in companies, government departments, and law firms. He is a leading voice in the international plain-language movement.

• AcknowledgementsStarting pointsThe thirty guidelinesSummary of the twelve main guidelines1: Planning comes first2: Organizing your material in a reader-centred structure3: Writing short sentences and clear paragraphs4: Preferring plain words5: Writing concisely6: Favouring active-voice verbs7: Using vigorous verbs8: Using vertical lists9: Converting negative to positive10: Using good punctuation11: Using good grammar12: Keeping errors in Czech: its time to Proof read13: Dealing with some troublesome words and phrases14: Using or avoiding foreign words15: Undoing knotty noun strings16: Reducing cross-references17: Exploring and exploding some writing myths18: Avoiding clichés19: Pitching your writing at the right level20: Writing sound starts and excellent endings21: Creating better emails22: Using inclusive language23: Using alternatives to words alone24: Caring enough about customers to write to them clearly25: Overseeing colleagues' writing26: Writing better instructions27: Clarifying for the Web28: Making legal language lucid29: Writing low-literacy plain English30: Clarifying page layout: some basicsAppendix 1: Commonest wordsAppendix 2: A short history of plain-English momentsSources and notesIndex

More than ever there's a need for writers and editors to understand how best to apply plain English concepts. In this new edition of the Oxford Guide to Plain English Martin Cutts sets out an excellent approach to doing just that. It is an essential reference book for anyone interested in plain English.