A Comprehensive, Operational Reference
Applies to: policy summaries, press guidance, embassy websites, social media, video scripts, speeches, talking points, and internal coordination documents.
Governing authority: Plain Writing Act of 2010 + implementing OMB and agency guidance.
Audience reality: educated, multilingual, time-constrained, skeptical readers.
I. What “Plain English” Actually Means (and What It Does Not)
The statutory definition (Plain Writing Act of 2010)
Plain English is writing that allows the intended audience to:
- find what they need,
- understand what they find,
- and use it to meet their needs.
It is not:
- simplistic,
- informal,
- conversational by default,
- or stripped of necessary technical content.
Plain English is about clarity of function, not tone.
II. The Core Discipline: Function Before Form
Every Plain English product must answer, explicitly, before drafting:
- Who is this for? (Primary audience only)
- What must they be able to do after reading/watching this?
- What happens if they misunderstand it?
- Where will this live? (web, X, Facebook, speech, video captions)
- What is out of scope? (equally important)
If these are not answered, no amount of stylistic cleanup will fix the product.
III. Structure Rules (Non-Negotiable)
1. BLUF is mandatory
Bottom Line Up Front is not a stylistic preference—it is an access requirement.
- First paragraph answers: “What is this, and why should I care?”
- If the reader stops after 15 seconds, they should still have the point.
Bad BLUF:
“The United States and Bangladesh have a long history of cooperation…”
Good BLUF:
“The United States is expanding cooperation with Bangladesh on disaster response and peacekeeping training to strengthen regional stability.”
2. Logical sequencing beats narrative flow
Default order for USG products:
- What happened / What is the policy
- Why it matters
- What it affects
- What it does not do
- Where to find more information
Narrative and context come after function.
3. One idea per paragraph
If a paragraph requires “and,” “as well as,” or “while also” more than once, it likely contains multiple ideas and should be split.
IV. Sentence-Level Rules (Where Most Products Fail)
A. Verbs: the engine of clarity
- Prefer strong, specific verbs.
- Avoid abstract verb stacks.
Weak:
“The program is intended to support the facilitation of capacity building…”
Plain:
“The program builds local capacity by training emergency responders.”
B. Active voice is default—but not dogma
Active voice:
- clarifies responsibility,
- shortens sentences,
- reduces ambiguity.
Passive voice is acceptable only when:
- the actor is genuinely unknown,
- naming the actor would mislead,
- or the focus is deliberately on process, not agency (rare).
Bad passive:
“Mistakes were made.”
Plain:
“The report was released with incorrect figures.”
C. Adjectives and adverbs: the most skipped rule
This is the gap you flagged—and it’s real.
Plain English guidance implicitly discourages adjectives and adverbs because they:
- introduce judgment,
- reduce precision,
- and often replace evidence.
Rules of thumb:
- If an adjective cannot be measured or verified, remove it.
- If an adverb modifies a weak verb, strengthen the verb instead.
Weak:
“The meeting was highly productive.”
Plain:
“The meeting produced agreement on three next steps.”
Weak:
“The U.S. strongly supports democratic values.”
Plainer:
“The U.S. supports democratic processes, including free expression and peaceful participation.”
V. Words to Prefer / Words to Avoid (USG-Specific)
Prefer concrete over abstract
- “use” not “utilize”
- “help” not “facilitate”
- “show” not “demonstrate”
- “about” not “regarding”
- “because” not “due to the fact that”
Avoid institutional filler
- “stakeholders” (unless defined)
- “robust”
- “meaningful”
- “enhanced”
- “leveraging”
- “synergies”
- “capacity” (unless specified)
If you keep one of these, explain how or where.
VI. Lists, Bullets, and Headings (Accessibility Rules)
- Use bullets for steps, conditions, or requirements.
- Keep bullets parallel (same grammatical form).
- Avoid nesting more than one level deep.
- Headings should be informational, not clever.
Bad heading:
“Looking Ahead”
Good heading:
“Next Steps for Visa Applicants”
VII. Numbers, Dates, and Specificity
Plain English favors specifics over qualifiers.
Bad:
“In recent years…”
Plain:
“Since 2022…”
Bad:
“A significant number of participants…”
Plain:
“More than 300 participants…”
VIII. What the Plain Writing Act Does Not Require (Common Myths)
The Act does not require you to:
- remove legal or technical terms (if they are necessary),
- avoid nuance,
- shorten everything,
- or write at a “grade school” level.
It does require that:
- necessary complexity is explained, not hidden.
IX. Plain English for Different Products (Quick Map)
A. Policy summaries / memos
- BLUF + 3 sections max
- Explicit “does not do” language
- Dates and scope limits
B. Press guidance / Q&A
- Short answers first
- No hedging adjectives
- Clear redirects (“We refer you to…”)
C. Websites
- Scannable headings
- Short paragraphs
- Links instead of parentheticals
D. Social media
- One idea per post
- Plain verbs
- Avoid institutional jargon entirely
E. Video scripts
- Spoken, not written syntax
- Short sentences
- Concrete nouns
- No stacked clauses
X. What Makes Plain English Fail in Practice (Institutional Reality)
Plain English usually fails not because of writing skill, but because of:
- unclear ownership,
- fear of being precise,
- clearance accretion (“just add this one line”),
- and products trying to serve too many audiences.
Plain English is a management discipline, not just a writing one.
XI. Why This Matters (Quietly, Institutionally)
Plain English:
- reduces misinterpretation,
- lowers operational risk,
- improves audit survivability,
- and protects staff from being blamed for ambiguity they did not create.
It is not about style.
It is about accountability.
Member discussion: