The Plain English Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Millions of us are professional writers without even being aware of it. Everyday we write countless letters, memos, instructions, legal documents, and reports. And often this writing is criticized for being full of jargon, or obscure, or long-winded, or just not in "plain English." But what is plain English, and how does one write it? The Plain English Guide offers down-to-earth advice and twenty easy-to-follow guidelines covering plain words, sentence length, active and passive verbs, punctuation, planning, and good organization of points. Martin Cutts has probably taught more writers about plain English than anyone else. This book distills his knowledge and experience, and is an essential guide for anyone who writes at work, as well as students in business and professional courses.

About the Author

About the Author
Martin Cutts conceived and co-founded the Plain English Campaign in 1979. In 1989, he formed Words at Work, a firm which last year ran 140 courses in writing skills for government and business. Currently he runs the Plain Language Commission which conducts research in the field, particularly plain law.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198600496
• ISBN-13: 978-0198600497
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,131,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice on writing clearly, January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This book provides excellent advice to lawyers, businesspeople and other people who need to communicate to others in writing. Although some of the guidelines provided are more typical of British (rather than American) English, and although there are some guidelines with which I disagree, the book provides good advice and great examples. I plan to recommend it to my legal writing classes.

4.0 out of 5 stars A good guide to plain writing., November 18, 2003

By	Wayne Schiess (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a joy to read and has much good advice for better writing. The tips are practical, easy-to-understand, and effective. The before-and-after examples are great. The author's tone is enthusiastic; he makes you feel good about writing more plainly. The advice here will benefit lawyers, government employees, business people, and anyone who writes information that others must use.