Cheatography
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Essential tips for making your writing readable
Focus on your audience
Base your writing style on your audience. |
Speak to your audience personally, if appropriate, using a conversational tone. |
Make your writing visually appealing
Choose an easy-to-read font and colors. |
Use blank space liberally – specifically, avoid the “wall of text”. |
Highlight important information with bolding, or indentation. |
Make the structure obvious
Use informative headings to provide organization and to add visual appeal. |
Use sub-headings to transition between ideas and to break up long passages. |
Write short paragraphs
Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or concept. |
Introduce the main idea of the paragraph in its first sentence. |
Each paragraph should include 3-5 sentences. |
Single-sentence paragraphs can be very effective. |
Use transition words between sentences, such as “first”, “therefore”. |
Use short sentences
Standard sentence length is 17 words; 11 words or less is considered easy to read. |
Sentences should be no longer than 20 words. |
Mix long and short sentences for better flow and variety. |
Look for opportunities to break up compound sentences and to eliminate superfluous or redundant ideas. |
Remove unnecessary adjectives or adverbs. |
Introduce no more than one idea in a sentence. |
Use easy words
Use words with no more than 4 syllables. |
Avoid jargon whenever possible. |
Use synonyms for variety. |
Use active voice
Passive voice tends to be longer and more difficult to follow; active voice is concise. |
Test before you publish
Make sure your writing is as readable as you intended. |
Check the Readability of Your Writing
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