In Part 2 of the occasional series, here are five more ideas to keep your writing simple and easy to read:
1. Recur vs. Reoccur. What’s the difference?
Although both words mean “to happen again,” they’re not the same. Let’s explore the subtle difference.
Recur/recurring—happens over and over again, at regular intervals. It implies frequent repetition.
Heavy snowfall recurs every winter in the mountains of New Hampshire.
Reoccur/Reoccurring—something that happened, and it happens again, but it’s not frequent or ongoing.
Yoga helped my low back pain from reoccurring.
2. Use active voice
Active voice is clear because it tells you who did what. Passive voice is vague because it makes you guess who did the action.
Not “It must be done,” but “You must do it.”
You may remember from school grammar lessons that a sentence written in active voice has a subject performing an action.
Why active voice?
Active voice is clearer and more concise than passive voice because you’ll use fewer words to express the action.
3. Who or whom? Which one should I use?
This comes up frequently. When you’re not sure, the quickest way to know is to try this: If you can replace the word with “he” or “she” or “they” use who. If you can replace the word with “him” or “her” or “them” use whom.
4. Choose your words wisely?
Words matter. They’re the building blocks of writing and speaking. Ensure your audience understands your message by choosing the right words. Keep it simple!
Use simple and common words in your content. Readers are more likely to understand and remember familiar terms than jargon or complex concepts.
5. Numbers can be tricky for some readers
When writing dates, spell out the month rather than using numbers.
For example, write this:
Due to impending bad weather this afternoon, the family picnic is rescheduled for August 2, 2021. We hope you’ll still be able to make it.
Not this:
Due to impending bad weather this afternoon, the family picnic is rescheduled for 8/2/21. We hope you’ll still be able to make it. It helps to avoid confusion because most of the world writes the day first and the month second (so 8/2/21 would mean February 8, not August 2, 2021).
*Thank you to the MPC Group at Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts for putting this information together.
Comments