| Technique: Use the active voice. | Explanation: Express the subject’s actions in the active tense (subject, verb, object), rather than the passive. |
| Original (passive voice) You will be paid by us. | Rewritten (active voice) We will pay you. |
| Technique: Use pronouns, not labels. | Explanation: Use ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘us’ instead of labels such as ‘the applicant’ and ‘the company’. |
| Original: The company will pay the security holder. | Rewritten: We will pay you. |
| Technique: Avoid double negatives. | Explanation: It is easier to understand sentences phrased positively. |
| Original: It is not unlikely that … | Rewritten: It is likely that … |
| Technique: Use definitions effectively. | Explanation: If a reader has to refer elsewhere to a definitions section too often, the document may be confusing. Do not define commonly understood words. Place definitions in an accessible place in the document. |
| Technique: Do not use jargon unnecessarily. | Explanation: Jargon is not clear for a reader who is not experienced in the relevant business or profession. Where jargon is necessary, provide a clear explanation in plain language. Examples: Any finance terms which are not used in every day language such as ‘leveraged’ or ‘annuity’. |
| Technique: Use short sentences. | Explanation: Each idea in a separate sentence. Remove superfluous words. |
| Technique: Ensure layout assists the reader. | Explanation: Use white space, informative headings and structure effectively so the reader can follow the document easily. Use clear headings, colour and notes to help the reader. |
| Technique: Use navigation tools and a well considered structure. | Explanation: Tools which help a reader follow the flow of a document: hyperlinks, cross-referencing, heading structure and colour. |
| Technique: Present important information prominently. | Explanation: Techniques to make sure information stands out and attracts the reader’s eye: use clear headings, colour or highlighting, distinct font, bold font and position information so it stands out. |
| Exercises created by Atty. Gerry T. Galacio based on copyrighted materials available on the Internet. You can use these exercises only on a personal and non-commercial basis; you must not upload them to any website or the cloud. For comments, questions, or corrections, email gtgalacio@yahoo.com
Exercises created with freeware Hot Potatoes v. 6.3 from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.
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