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Summary

Edit so a real audience can act: name who does what, keep verbs present and direct, uncover buried actions, then test. Digital.gov's writing and testing pages are a pass you can run on a page, form, or short document.

Actor, tense, and verbs

Plain language is writing that is clear for the audience you have, not a generic "simple" style. Put the person or office that must act in the subject. "You must do it" is clearer than "It must be done." Passive lines hide responsibility. Do not confuse that with past tense: a sentence can be active and still talk about something that already happened. A few passives are fine when no person is the actor; use those on purpose.

Present tense is the strongest verb form. Extra conditionals and futures make readers work. You can often state a past fact as a present rule. Use other tenses only when accuracy needs them.

Hidden verbs are actions turned into nouns (endings such as -ment or -tion, or empty partners such as conduct, make, take). "We analyze data" beats "We conduct an analysis of the data." Uncovering the verb usually cuts padding and extra passives too.

Test, then test again

Do not wait until the site is coded or the document is finished. Start as soon as you have a chunk to try. Plan at least two rounds: test, revise, test again. That loop is iteration.

• Paraphrase testing (one-to-one): short pages, short documents, survey questions — can they say the meaning back?
• Usability testing: longer sites, documents, and forms — can they find the right bit and act?
• Comparative studies: large-scale stats after smaller tests.

Focus groups are for attitudes before you write, not for whether people can find and understand the text.

Claims

• id: C1 claim: Plain-language writing means communicating clearly for the audience you actually have. source: S1 evidence: "Plain language writing requires communicating clearly for your specific audience."
• id: C2 claim: Active voice makes it obvious who should do what and removes doubt about responsibility. source: S1 evidence: "Active voice makes it clear who should do what."
• id: C3 claim: Present tense is the simplest, strongest verb form and is easier for readers than extra conditionals or futures. source: S1 evidence: "The simplest and strongest form of a verb is present tense."
• id: C4 claim: A hidden verb is an action turned into a noun, which weakens the sentence and adds words. source: S1 evidence: "A hidden verb (or nominalization) is a verb converted into a noun."
• id: C5 claim: Testing should sit inside writing and planning, not only after the draft is finished. source: S2 evidence: "Testing your content should be an integral part of your writing and planning process"
• id: C6 claim: Plan at least two rounds of test, revise, and test again. source: S2 evidence: "Plan to test at least twice."
• id: C7 claim: Paraphrase testing in individual interviews fits short pages, short documents, and survey questions. source: S2 evidence: "Paraphrase testing: individual interviews, best for short web pages, short documents, and to test the questions on a survey."

@misc{iil_note_vnt0hkhx,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Plain-language editing checklist}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-03},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-editing-checklist/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:vnt0hkhx. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

Markdown

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For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/notes/plain-language-editing-checklist.md.