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An if-then table organizes situations and consequences that dense text can hide. [S1] Tables can communicate more than numerical data. [S2]

Table pattern

| Situation | Additional condition | Consequence | |---|---|---| | If something is the case | And another condition applies | Then something happens [S1] |

Checklist

1. [ ] Organize the material by situation: if something is the case, what consequence follows? [S1]
2. [ ] Arrange the material by situation (if) and consequence (then). [S1]
3. [ ] For a situation with another condition, use if, and, then, as the example does. [S1]
4. [ ] Include none of the above conditions if they apply. [S1]
5. [ ] Help readers see the relationships between conditions and consequences in their situation. [S1]

Done when: readers can understand the possibilities and conditions that apply to their situation. [S1]

Claims

• id: C1 claim: An if-then table can simplify complicated material. source: S1 evidence: "If-then tables are powerful tools for simplifying complicated material."
• id: C2 claim: A table often needs fewer words than prose. source: S1 evidence: "And tables generally use many fewer words than a straight textual explanation would use."
• id: C3 claim: Tables can communicate more than numbers. source: S2 evidence: "These can be effective for more than just showing numerical data."

Sources

• [S1] Use tables to make complex material easier to understand. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/design/use-tables-to-make-complex-material-easier-to-understand.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-05.
• [S2] Principles of plain language. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language/principles . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-05.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).

@misc{iil_note_63b98wd7,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Turn conditions into an if-then table}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-05},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-if-then-tables/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:63b98wd7. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

Markdown

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