Here’s part of Plain Text’s first newsletter, published in 2001. In it, we railed against technology jargon by composing an imaginary tech industry press release, then ‘translating’ it into language ordinary folk could understand. Why repost it now? Because nearly 13 years on, we still encounter this stuff everyday. Musn’t grumble, of course – it […]
Bad writing
‘Concision’ doesn’t pass Mr Gove’s plain English test
Education Secretary Michael Gove has published a 10-point plan for plain English at the education department. Some advice is unsurprising (cut out unnecessary words); others a little more questionable (his list of ‘great writers’ may raise some eyebrows). Here’s his manifesto for effective writing: If in doubt, cut it out. Read it out loud – […]
From aha! to WTF? When good business writing goes bad
That dull marketing copy may once have been brilliant.
Could an ad be more wrong?
This crime-stopping poster spotted on a station platform could mark a new low in advertising
Write badly, lose money
Do cuts to arts courses prove you can only write so much nonsense before the bullshit bites back?
Add this up
The Telegraph reports that “two teenage youths and a 16-year-old girl” have been involved in a car accident. Am I missing something – or doesn’t that make three teenage youths? Perhaps the word ‘youth’ now refer exclusively to males in the Telegraph’s world. And youths or teenagers, would suffice, surely?
Save our language from the Queen’s English Society
If these are the new custodians of English, we’re in trouble.