Posted: July 17th, 2015

Federal Plain language Guidelines

Federal Plain language Guidelines

Material adapted from the PLAIN language training website at http://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/for_trainers/PLAIN.cfm.
Nouns and Pronouns
Rewrite the following passages to speak more directly to the reader.
1. Copies of tax returns must be provided.

2. Loan applications will be reviewed to ensure that procedures have been followed.

3. Dietary patterns consistent with recommended dietary guidance are associated with a lower risk of mortality among individuals age 45 years and older in the United States.

4. The applicant will be the primary source of information regarding his or her circumstances for the purposes of determining eligibility and need.

5. To establish eligibility for a voucher, an applicant must show that the applicant has a low income and that the present housing of the applicant is substandard and inadequate.

6. Easy access to information and resources concerning long-term care issues for seniors and the disabled has been made available on a new website developed by the County Department of Community and Senior Services

Pronouns and Active Voice
Use pronouns, active voice, and any other technique to improve these passages. You may have to invent a subject for some of the sentences.

1. The scientific report was used to develop the Dietary Guidelines jointly between the two Departments and forms the basis of recommendations that will be used by USDA and HHS for program and policy development.

2. Consumer messages have been developed to educate the public about the Key Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and will be used in materials targeted for consumers separate from this publication.

3. Recently, it was reported that dietary patterns consistent with recommended dietary guidance were associated with a lower risk of mortality among individuals age 45 years and older in the United States.

4. These two similar eating patterns are designed to integrate dietary recommendations into a healthy way to eat and are used in the Dietary Guidelines to provide examples of how nutrient-focused recommendations can be expressed in terms of food choices.

Sentences and ParagraphsExercise
Rewrite the following sentences to improve them. Break them into multiple sentences if that’s the best solution.
1. Applicants may be granted a permit to prospect for geothermal resources on any federal lands except lands in the National Park System, unless the applicant holds valid existing rights to the geothermal resources on the National Park System lands listed in the application.

2. The initiative works to educate specific underserved communities to recognize and report intolerance and hate crimes, to assist victims in accessing culturally and linguistically appropriate services, and to advocate on behalf of victims for institutional changes that can reduce hate crimes.

3. In most cases, your California Small Business certification or Non-Profit registration will be completed online in one business day or less when you have at hand the necessary information from your tax returns and business documents to enter into the online system.

4. No approval of any noise compatibility program, or any portion of a program, may be implied in the absence of the agency’s express approval.
Paragraph Rewrite
Rewrite the following using the provided guidelines.

(3) Travel restrictions. The operation of a motor vehicle on oversand routes is subject to all applicable provisions of this chapter, including part 4 as well as the specific provisions of this section.
(i) Route limits.
(a) On the beach, a vehicle operator will drive in a corridor extending from a point 10 feet seaward of the spring high tide drift line to the berm crest. An operator may drive below the berm crest only to pass a temporary cut in the beach, but will regain the crest immediately following the cut. Delineator posts mark the landward side of the corridor in critical areas.
(b) On an inland oversand route, a vehicle operator will drive only in a lane designated by pairs of delineator posts showing the sides of the route.
(ii) An oversand route is closed at any time that tides, nesting birds or surface configuration prevent vehicle travel within the designated corridor.
(iii) When two vehicles meet on the beach, the operator of the vehicle with the water on the left will yield.
(iv) When two vehicles meet on a single-lane oversand route, the operator of the vehicle in the best position to yield will pull out of the track only so far as necessary to allow the other vehicle to pass safely, and then will move back into the established track before resuming the original direction of travel.
(v) When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the ruts or holes created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.
(vi) The following are prohibited:
(a) Driving off a designated oversand route.
(b) Exceeding a speed of 15 miles per hour unless posted otherwise.
(c) Parking a vehicle in an oversand route so as to obstruct traffic.
(d) Riding on a fender, tailgate, roof, door or any other location on the outside of a vehicle.
(e) Driving a vehicle across a designated swimming beach at any time when it is posted with a sign prohibiting vehicles.
(f) Operating a motorcycle on an oversand route.
(vii) Boat trailering and launching by permitted ORVs in designated open route corridors is permitted.