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EPA employees make decisions that ultimately affect the lives of millions of Americans. If the EPA fails to communicate these decisions or if the decision-making process appears confusing, then protecting human health and the environment will become even more difficult.

Plain writing does not advocate for the shortening of agency writing. Rather, it advocates for writing that is straightforward, clear and precise. Plain writing does not always mean substituting simple words at the expense of more accurate, appropriate words or removing complex information to make your writing more reader-friendly. Sometimes it is necessary to include complex information in your writing, but plain writing will help ensure it is accessible and will be understood.

Use Plain-Writing Techniques

Writing techniques used in the plain-writing style aim to help readers understand communication the first time they read or hear content by using common, everyday words; short, but clear and concise, sentences; and logical organization. The plain-writing style saves the agency and the public time and confusion and provides good customer service.

Working with the Plain Language Action and Information Network, the EPA uses the plain writing style to improve the clarity of correspondence, press materials, fact sheets, websites, reports and other critical documents.

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Organize Your Writing

Clearly and directly organized writing sends a message to readers that the writer has considered who the readers are and has taken an interest in addressing their needs. Readers are more likely to be receptive to messages when writers engage them.

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Identify the Audience

Think about why the reader is reading the document. Whether to voice an opinion, provide factual information or ask questions, the reader had a specific reason for writing to the EPA. Public servants have the responsibility to address the writer’s concerns fully.

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Write to the Reader

Write to express, not impress. Do not write technical or legal documents unless they are the intended for that audience. Tailor writings to the audience, such as an elected official, scientist, association leader or a student. Legal language and government jargon are often confusing to the average reader and even to some experts. Use common, everyday words, whenever possible, to convey the message.

Writers should ask themselves:
– Who is my reader?
– What does my reader need to know?
– What does my reader already know about the subject?
– What questions will my reader have?

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Focus on the Reader’s Needs

After drafting, writers should ask themselves:
– Have I written directly and in a positive tone?
– Has my document been edited and organized properly?
– Have I avoided including acronyms, jargon, parenthetical expressions, passive voice and unnecessary information?

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Focus on Key Information

Readers read to get answers, not complicated, wordy explanations. To help readers find specific information more easily, writers should:
– put your main idea first;
– divide material into short sections;
– group related ideas together;
– organize material in a way that makes sense;
– summarize complicated topics before describing all the details;
– place items of most interest to readers at the beginning;
– include only information that readers actually need;
– include breaks between large amounts of information; and
– not restate the obvious, especially just to use up space on the page.

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Use Active Voice

A sentence’s voice indicates whether its subject acts or is acted upon. When the subject does something or acts, the verb is in the active voice. When the subject receives the action or is acted upon, the verb is in the passive voice. Active voice makes it clear who has acted and who is responsible for what action. Active voice is important so that readers can easily tell who did what action.

Government writing has long overused the passive voice. One of the hallmarks of bureaucratese is use of the passive voice.

Active voice follows natural sentence structure: doer-verb-receiver of action.

The coordinator (doer) wrote (verb) the correspondence (receiver).

Passive voice reverses natural sentence structure.

The correspondence (receiver) was written (verb) by the coordinator (doer).

With passive voice, sentences are usually longer and responsibility is not as clear. Sentences written in the passive voice are obscure and often raise more questions than provide answers.

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Use Action Verbs

Like the active voice, action verbs are direct and attribute action to a specific subject. Using action verbs is another technique to keep writing clear and concise.

The following examples illustrate the use of action verbs:

Use of general verbs	Use of action verbs
to give consideration	to consider
to make payment	to pay
to give recognition to	to recognize
to make preparations for	to prepare for
to undertake an analysis	to analyze
as stated in	states

Consider Your Tone

Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject or reader. The EPA is responsible for writing documents that are well-written and respectful to readers. This can be accomplished by using a personable, but professional, tone.

Since much of EPA writing is routine, tone can cause problems when in writings that address delicate matters. Though pronouns such as you, we and our are used when feelings are involved, one misused word can offend the reader.

Be sensitive, not heavy-handed, accusatory or defensive with readers. Insensitive writing does not convey the courtesy or goodwill readers expect.

In the example below, the first sentence uses an accusatory tone by using  failed, while the second sentence addresses the matter using a neutral tone. Even though the second sentence uses the passive voice, it is the preferable construction to convey the denial.

Because you have failed to address this issue, we must deny your permit request.
or
Since the time period to address this issue has passed, we deny your permit request.

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Write Positively

Avoid negative writing. Unless there is a specific reason to caution the reader against something, it is best to use positive language. Positive statements are generally clearer and more concise. Not all negative words can be removed from writing but, by following the guidelines below, writing can be more positive.

Negative	Positive
The paperwork will not be ready until Monday.	The paperwork will be ready Monday.
You did not complete the form.	You will need to complete the form.
You are prohibited from entering.	You must have clearance to enter.
Stop sending letters to this address.	The correct address to send letters is...

Avoid using multiple negatives in one sentence.

Negative: A decision will not be made unless all information has been received.
Positive: A decision will be made when all information has been received.

Negative: The request cannot be approved without payment.
Positive: The request will be approved when payment has been received.

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Avoid Contractions

Do not use contractions. Contractions shorten ideas, but are informal and should not be used in formal writing.

Instead of	Use
don’t	do not
won’t	will not
can’t	cannot
shouldn’t	should not
wouldn’t	would not
couldn’t	could not
I’ve	I have
we’ve	we have
you’ll	you will
let’s	let us

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Use Pronouns

Pronouns can place readers in the writing and help them relate better to the information without being needlessly wordy.

Wordy: The EPA has mandated clean air and water guidelines through the EPA’s Office of General Counsel.

Better:The EPA has mandated clean air and water guidelines though its Office of General Counsel.

The example above illustrates the use of a possessive pronoun to make the sentence more natural. Its refers to the subject, the EPA, without being repetitive.

Pronouns can be used to communicate the agency’s accountability to the public and avoid using the passive voice.

The use of you or your in addressing the readers reinforces the message that the documents are intended specifically for them in a way that he, she and they cannot. More than any other single technique, using you pulls readers into the writing and makes it relevant to them.

Though pronouns are helpful, be careful not to overuse them. Using I or we at the beginning of more than a few sentences becomes monotonous and might convey self-centeredness or an impersonal tone. Do not overuse pronouns in reference to the EPA.

I and my should be used to attribute an action specifically to the writer, not the entire agency.

Using I routinely at the beginning of sentences places the focus on the writer, not the reader. “I would like to express”…“I would like to notify you”…“I have the utmost regard” sounds like “me, me, me” to the reader. Remember to write for the reader.

Do not use pronouns in situations that might lead the reader to feel personally attacked or blamed.

Instead of:	Use:
You made a mistake processing the file.	A mistake was made when processing the file.
The error you made cost the agency.	The error that was made cost the agency.

By removing you from the sentence, the writer abstains from attributing individual blame, which might alienate the reader. Sometimes the passive voice is preferable to the active voice.

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Keep Sentences and Paragraphs Short

Compact, concise writing reflects clear thinking. Short, straight-forward sentences and paragraphs help readers find the information they are looking for without having to trudge through long, tortured and complicated explanations.

Topic sentences should be used at the beginning of a paragraph when ideas are complex or information-heavy. Think of a topic sentence as a bull’s-eye; it pinpoints where a paragraph is heading and what information will be addressed.

Never begin a letter with the superfluous phrase I am writing to or any similar phrase. The reader will be holding a letter in her or his hands; there is no need to tell the reader that you are writing a letter. It is obvious to the reader.

Short paragraphs that include basic information do not need a topic sentence. In the example below, the topic sentence before the colon adds nothing but unnecessary information to the paragraph, and the details that follow are obvious to the reader. Similar constructions that begin with Listed below are or variations also should be removed.

Here are details about tomorrow’s conference: the EPA’s FOIA training conference will be held on January 4, 2012, at the Crystal City Marriott. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Guest speakers will include Bob Smith, Jane Doe, and Joe Q. Public. Bag lunches will be provided.

Short paragraphs are important at the opening of your document. Like long sentences, long paragraphs swamp your ideas and discourage readers. Cover one topic fully in each paragraph before moving onto the next. If necessary, take more than one paragraph to completely address a complex topic.

Distinct paragraphs flow in a structured manner with the most important information at the beginning, immediately addressing the reader’s needs.

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Write to Express, Not Impress

Take out unnecessary words. Do not use big words to impress readers; the goal is to provide information that can be easily read and understood the first time it is read. When proofreading, tighten the writing so that it includes only necessary information and words.

It is unnecessary and often against the Plain Writing Act to use a long word or phrase when a simple one will do. The following list includes words and phrases that are often used to impress instead of express and includes their plain-writing substitutions.

Instead of ...	Use
a and/or b	a, b or both
a number of	some
accompany	go with
accomplish	carry out, do
accorded	given
accordingly	so
accrue  add,	gain
accurate	correct, exact, right
additional	added, more, other
address	discuss
addressees	you
adjacent to	next to
advantageous	helpful
adversely impact	hurt, harm, set back
advise	recommend, tell
afford an opportunity allow,	let
aircraft	airplane
allocate	divide
anticipate	expect
a number of	some
apparent	clear, plain, obvious
appreciable	many
appropriate	proper, right, correct
approximate	about
arrive onboard	arrive
as a means of	to
ascertain	find out, learn
as prescribed by	in, under
assist, assistance	aid, help
attain	meet
attempt	try
at the present time	now, at present, presently
because of the fact that	since, because
benefit	help
by means of	by, with
capability	ability
caveat	warning
close proximity	near, around
combined	joint
commence	begin, start
comply with	follow
component	part
comprise	form, include, make up
concerning	about, on
consequently	so
consolidate	combine, merge, join
constitutes	is, forms, makes up
contains	has
convene	meet
currently	now, presently
deem	believe, consider, think
delete	cut, drop
demonstrate	prove, show
depart	leave
designate	appoint, name, choose
desire	want, wish
disclose	show
discontinue	drop, stop
disseminate	give, issue, pass, send
due to the fact that	due to, since, because
during the period	during
elect	choose, pick
employ	use
encounter	meet
endeavor	try
enumerate	count
equitable	fair
evidenced	showed
evident	clear
exhibit	show
expedite	hasten, speed up
expeditious	fast, quick
expend	spend
expertise	ability
expiration	end
facilitate	ease, help
failed to	did not
feasible	workable, can be done
females	women
finalize	complete, finish
for a period of	for
for the period of	for; from
for the purpose of	for, to
forfeit	give up, lose
forward	send
frequently	often
function	act, role, work
furnish	give, send
has a requirement for	needs, requires
herein	here
heretofore	until now, until this point
herewith	here, below
however	but
identical	same, similar
identify	find, name, show
immediately	at once
impacted	affected, changed
implement	start, carry out
in accordance with	by, following, per, under
in addition	also, besides, too
in an effort to	to
in a timely manner	on time, promptly
in lieu of	instead, instead of
in many cases	often
in order that	for, so,
in order to	to
in regard to	about, concerning, on
in the amount of	for
in the event (of)	if
in the near future	soon, shortly
in view of	since, because
in view of the above	so
is applicable to	applies to
is authorized to	may
is in consonance with  agrees with,	follows
is responsible for	handles
it appears	seems
it is essential	must, need to
it is requested	please, we (or I) request
inasmuch as	since
inception	start, beginning
incumbent upon	must, based on
indication	sign
initial	first, primary
initiate	start, begin
interface	meet, work with,
interpose no objection	do not object
liaison	discussion
limited number	limits, limited
magnitude	size
maintain	keep, support
maximum	greatest, largest, most
methodology	method
minimize	decrease, shorten
minimum	least, smallest
modify	change
monitor	check, watch
necessitate	cause, need
not later than	by, before
notwithstanding	still, in spite of
numerous	many
objective	aim, goal
obligate	bind, compel
observe	see, watch
operate	use, work, run
optimum	best, greatest, most
option	choice
parameters	limits
participate	take part
perform	do, work
permit	let
pertaining to	about, on, of
portion	part
possess	have, own
practicable	practical
preclude	prevent
previous	earlier
previously	before
prioritize	rank
prior to	before
proceed	do, go ahead, try
proficiency	skill
promulgate	issue, publish
provide	give, offer, say
provided that	if
provides guidance for	guides
purchase	buy
pursuant to	by, following, per, under
reflect	say, show
regarding	about, of, on
relative to	about, on
relocate	move
remain	stay
remainder	rest
remuneration	pay, payment
render	give, make
represents	is, shows
request	ask
requirement	need
reside	live
retain	keep
selection	choice
set forth in	in
signed into law	signed
similar to	like
solicit	ask for, request
state-of-the-art	latest, modern
submit	give, send
subsequent	later, next
subsequently	after, later, then
substantial	large, much
successfully complete	complete, pass
sufficient	enough
terminate	end, stop
the month of	Janaury
the question as to whether	whether
therefore	so
therein	there
there is, there are, that is, that are	rewrite to avoid
thereof	its, their
the undersigned	I, you
this agency, this office	we, us
timely	prompt
time period	time, period
transmit	send
under the provisions of	under
until such time as	until
utilize, utilization	use
validate	confirm
viable	practical, workable
warrant	call for, permit
whereas	because, since
with reference to	about
with the exception of	except for
witnessed	saw
your office	you

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Keep it in the Courtroom

Legal words should not be used unless specifically addressing legal matters or situations that call for their use. Instead, use their common counterparts.

Legal	Common
aforesaid/aforementioned	the, those, that
heretofore	until now, up to this point
herewith is	here is
notwithstanding	in spite of
the undersigned	I, you, we

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Be Concrete

Consider the sentence:
The offices are in agreement.

To do what? About what? To whom is this sentence speaking? Which offices are in agreement? These are some of the questions that arise when sentences are vague. Concrete writing includes specifics, not general terms that are often obscure and do not reveal much more information than the example above does. General terms are used to sum up information when the reader is already knows to what the writer is referring.

In the example above, offices could represent the Office of the Executive Secretariat, the Office of Research and Development, the Office of Administration and Resources Management, the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs or any agency program and regional offices. Unless the reader already knows the specific references, he or she will be lost. Be concrete in writing and spell out specifics. It might take longer to write all of the information out, but it will prevent confusion on the reader’s part.

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Be Consistent

Use the same terms consistently throughout the writing to identify specific thoughts or subjects. If writing the EPA employees, continue to use this term throughout. Do not substitute another term, such as agency personnel, which might lead the reader to question whether this refers to the same group of individuals.

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Avoid Using Delayers

These expressions delay meaning and tangle sentences. Unless it refers to a person, place or thing that has already been mentioned, avoid beginning your sentences with it. There is, there are and I want to delay the sentence from getting to the point and might force readers to return to a previous sentence for reference. In many instances, simple subtraction of these terms will result in a clearer message.

It is...
Before	After
It is our intention	We intend
It is apparent that	Clearly
It is my understanding	I understand
It is recognized that	We recognize

There is/There are
Before: There are some rules that must be followed.
After: Some rules must be followed.

Before: There is a need to ensure office safety.
After: A need to ensure office safety exists.

Before: There will be a mandatory staff meeting in the Green Room today.
After: A mandatory staff meeting will be held today in the Green Room.

I want to
Do not waste the reader’s time building up to your point. Just say it.

Before: I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your many years of service to the EPA.
After: Thank you for your many years of service to the EPA.

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Watch Out for Modifiers

Watch out for -ly words. Do not complicate your ideas; words ending in -ly often overstate an idea and do little to improve strong arguments or support weak ones.

Rather than Saying...	Say
I absolutely agree	I agree
I certainly believe	I believe
I successfully completed	I completed
I really feel bad	I feel bad

The latter sentence sounds more professional.
We are extremely excited about this initiative.
We are excited about this initiative.

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Avoid Using Doublings

Do not repeat a general idea by using similar words. Often used to emphasize a thought or idea, doublings tend to overemphasize. Though the writer may use doublings to complement an idea, they are of little use to a reader.

Common Doublings	Use One
any and all	any or all
s each and every	each or every
full and complete	full or complete
stimulated and interested	stimulated or interested
help and support	help or support
review and comment	review or comment
interest and concern	interest or concern
order and direct	order or direct

Before: We are pleased and delighted to offer you a position in our office.
After: We are pleased to offer you a position in our office.
After: We are delighted to offer you a position in our office.

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Avoid Using Noun Sandwiches

Noun sandwiches are clusters, or long strings, of nouns that are sandwiched together. The use of prepositions help break up these noun sandwiches and help make your intended meaning clearer.

Before: underground water supply safety testing program
After: program for testing the underground water supply