Plain
Language
Resources

Web links, tutorials, and articles by plain-language specialists.

Plain English:

"The writing and setting out of essential information in a way that gives a co-operative, motivated person a good chance of understanding it at first reading, and in the same sense that the writer meant it to be understood"--Martin Cutts, Oxford Guide to Plain English, second edition, 2004.

Plain Train

Online plain-language tutorial in eight sections | la version Francaise

An Introduction

Plain Language: Definitions. Planning. Audience Considerations. Writing Guidelines. Testing.

Web Sites for Writers

Links to PLAIN members' writing sites, other plain language sites, dictionaries, style guides, and more

William Lutz

39 Rules for Writing Plain English

Joe Kimble

Articles on general and legal writing, downloadable PDF files, and links

Cheryl Stephens

Articles on building plain language from the ground up, design issues, and other issues

Peter Butt

PLAIN Conference Presentation: Brushing Up on Fundamentals

Sally McBeth

PLAIN Conference Presentation: A Brief History of Plain Language

Richard Lauchman

Plain Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government (PDF link, 288KB; download free Adobe Reader for viewing PDF file.)

Wise Words on Writing

Quotations about clear, simple writing

Books on Plain Language

By members of PLAIN

Using Type

Typography tutorial

Surviving Unplain Language

How to respond when you get an unclear document

Rapport

Archives of the newsletter on plain language, 1992-99