Write plain English

Online resources

1. Australia

• Communication Research Institute and Director's blog (the CRI's mission is "to improve communication between organizations and the public")
• Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs, Plain English at Work (free html guide on plain English)

2. Canada

• Kim Blank (University of Victoria), Wordiness, Wordiness, Wordiness List (list of wordy phrases and their alternatives)
• British Columbia Securities Commission, Plain Language Style Guide (pdf, 265kb)
• Clear Language and Design (Canadian non-profit public education program; includes free online thesaurus of long words and phrases)
• Duncan Kent and Associates, Writing Style Guide and Dictionary of Plain English (pdf, 72kb; includes dictionary of plain English)
• Plain Language Online Training Program (free online plain language training program)

3. Europe (other than UK)

• Chiaro (Italy)
• Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France (France)
• The Plain Swedish Group (Klarspråksgruppen)
• Lenguaje Ciudadano (Mexico)
• Service de la langue française (Belgium, French)
• European Commission, Fight the Fog (pdf; booklet with tips on writing clearly)

4. International

• Business Letter Writing
• Plain Language Association International (includes free articles, writing tutorials, links, and professional support)
• Writers.com (includes online writing courses, free writers groups, and a free newsletter for writers)

5. New Zealand

• WriteMark (includes plain English resources)

6. UK

• BBC Skillwise (free online guides on grammar, spelling, reading, writing, and vocabulary)
• Plain English Campaign (includes free pdf guides on plain English)
• Word Centre, Plain English Phrase E-Booklet (charges a small fee for downloading)

7. USA

• Bureau of Land Management, Plain Language: Writing User-Friendly Documents (free online guide on writing user-friendly documents)
• Capital Community College, Guide to Grammar and Writing (free online guides to grammar and writing)
• Federal Aviation Administration, Writing User-Friendly Documents, A Handbook for FAA Drafters (free Word document, 237kb)
• Garbl's Writing Center (free portal for writers)
• Garner's Usage Tip of the Day (free tips on grammar and usage emailed every weekday)
• Georgia State University, Wordiness Lesson (short list of long words and phrases and their alternatives)
• Lighthouse Writing Tips (free writing tips for fiction and non-fiction)
• LousyWriter (free online resource to improve your writing skills)
• National Archives, Plain Language Tools (free plain language tools)
• The Owl at Purdue (free online guides on the writing process, job search writing, academic writing, and English as a second language)
• Plain Language Action and Information Network (free resources on plain language)
• Professional Writing Style (free online lessons)
• Kerry Redshaw, Plain English Alternatives for Jargon Words (free, short online thesaurus of long words and phrases)
• University of Minnesota, Online Grammar Handbook (an impressive list of links that includes links on wordiness and clear writing)
• US Securities and Exchange Commission, A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents (lets you download free 80-page pdf document, 640kb)
• William Strunk, The Elements of Style (1918) (free, full-text online version of the 1918 classic American book on English style)