Everyday we write countless memos, letters, and reports without a second thought. Likewise, we give presentations, both formal and informal. Often this writing and speaking gets criticized for being jargon-ridden, obscure, or long-winded--in short, for not being in "plain English."
But what is plain English, and how do we go about writing and speaking it? In Plain English at Work, Edward Bailey gives the answer, with down-to-earth tips and practical advice. Bailey, an expert in business communication, gives us a simple model for writing:
Style: write more the way you talk.
Organization: make your point easy to find.
Layout: use headings, lists, and other white space so readers can see the structure of your writing.
Jargon, gobbledegook, bureaucratese, vagueness, obscurity, passivity, verbosity, ambiguity, disorganisation - all of these are faults that prevent us from expressing our thoughts in plain English.
Solution? This is a thorough, and sometimes amusing approach to the mechanics and style of clear expression.
Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Coursebooks | 8 August 2007
136
Writing In Plain English
Jargon, gobbledegook, bureaucratese, vagueness, obscurity, passivity, verbosity, ambiguity, disorganisation - all of these are faults that prevent us from expressing our thoughts in plain English.
Solution? This is a thorough, and sometimes amusing approach to the mechanics and style of clear expression.
Writing In Plain English 
