Improve Your Communication Skills, 2nd Edition

157 Putting it in Writing
Plain English helps any reader to understand at first reading. 
It tells the truth without embellishment. It is a code of practice, 
not a set of rigid rules. 
Managing vocabulary 
Certain words cause particular problems with readability. Pay 
attention in particular to: 
• passive verbs; 
• abstract nouns; 
• unnecessary words. 
Passive verbs 
Verbs can be either active or passive. An active verb expresses 
what its subject does; a passive verb expresses what its subject 
suffers. Sentences with active verbs are shorter, stronger and 
more dynamic than those with passive ones. 
It is 
anticipated
that additional disk space 
may
be needed. 
We anticipate that the system will need additional disk 
space. 
Plain English: essential guidelines 
• Make your average sentence length 15 to 20 words. 
• Use only the words that your reader is most likely to 
understand. 
• Use only as many words as you need. 
• Use the strongest, clearest and most specific verbs you 
can. 
• Say what you mean. Be positive; avoid standard 
expressions and tired formulas. 
• Punctuate clearly and simply. 
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

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158 Improve your Communication Skills
Abstract nouns 
Nouns name things, people, times, places or qualities. 
Concrete nouns 
name things physically present in the world 
(
table
, 
woman
, 
pen
, 
car
, 
tree
); 
abstract nouns
name ideas, 
concepts or qualities that cannot be sensed physically (
growth
, 
awareness
, 
training
, 
marketing
, 
possibility
). 
Try to cut down your use of abstract nouns. Replace them, if 
you can, with verbs or adjectives. If you can replace an abstract 
noun only with a group of shorter, more concrete words, consider 
keeping it. 
There were some