Checklist for Plain Language
Use this checklist to see if your document meets plain language standards. (If you’re writing for the web, here’s the web checklist.)
- written for the average reader
- organized to serve the reader’s needs
- has useful headings
- uses “you” and other pronouns to speak to the reader
- uses active voice
- uses short sections and short sentences
- uses the simplest tense possible—simple present is best
- uses base verbs, not hidden verbs
- omits excess words
- uses concrete, familiar words
- uses “must” to express requirements; avoids the ambiguous word “shall”
- places words carefully (avoids large gaps between the subject, the verb and the object; puts exceptions last; places modifiers correctly)
- uses lists and tables to simplify complex material
- uses no more than two or three subordinate levels