Plain Language Example

What does plain language look like?

The example below illustrates how the above guidelines were used to revise the label for a new exhibit on militias. The plain language version could be used as the primary content, or it could supplement the standard content (written for an 7th-8th grade level). This version could be supplied as a printed handout, an alternate audio guide, or as online or app content.

Readability measurement systems rated the original text as very difficult to read:

Automated Readability Index: 13.6 (college-level)
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 14.2 (college-level)

The plain language version was rated as fairly easy to read:

Automated Readability Index: 5.3 (4th-5th grade)
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 6.1 (6th grade)

Notable changes include:

Sentences are shorter and simpler
Paragraphs are shorter and simpler
Paragraphs include only one idea
Difficult vocabulary is replaced or a definition is provided
Complex concepts are explained

Each sentence in the original text is numbered. The corresponding content is then referenced in the revised version as well as in the commentary.

Original

Revised

Comments

Title

(1) The Militia

(2) Who should defend the nation?

What obligations do citizens owe the state?

What benefits does military service provide for citizens?

1) The Militia

A group of people who defend their community is called a Militia. Militias are an important part of American history. They helped America become the country it is today.

(2) Who should defend the country?

What should people give to their government?

How does the militia help people?

A brief overview paragraph is added to the beginning of the exhibit label. This allows visitors to learn the most important pieces of information without having to read the entire label. This should be displayed in a larger font; see “How do we integrate this at our cultural site” below.
The vocabulary and sentence structure in the exhibit questions is simplified.

Paragraph 1

(1) In the early 17th century European colonists imposed themselves on Native American nations. (2) Conflicts between them, and with other Europeans, followed. (3) The colonies relied on their own members to defend themselves since large national armies did not yet exist. (4) This local method had a European precedent: the militia. (5) Since the Middle Ages the English had developed a system of defense based on the able bodied male population, who were required to provide weapons and muster if necessary. (6) In Europe this system was actually declining by the early 17th century, but the model of citizen soldiers was well-suited to the unique conditions faced by colonists in North America.

(1) In the early 1600s, people from Europe sailed to North America. They created new homes there. They are called colonists. The colonists took land that belonged to Native Americans. The Native Americans had lived in North America for a long time. The colonists pushed the Native Americans out of their homes.

(2) The colonists, Native Americans, and other Europeans fought each other. (3) The colonists did not have large armies to defend them. Large national armies did not exist. Instead, the colonists defended themselves with militias.

(4) A militia is a group of people who defend their community. They are also called citizen soldiers.

American militias were inspired by the militias in Europe. (5) Europeans had used militias since the Middle Ages. Communities in England needed militias to defend them. These militias were made of strong and healthy men from the community. They had to defend their community when attacked. (6) By the 1800s, militias were less popular in Europe. But militias worked well for the colonists in North America.

The concept of “colonists imposing themselves on Native American nations” is explained in several short, simple sentences that use common vocabulary. This main idea is contained in its own paragraph.
The vocabulary and sentence structure are simplified. The pronoun “them” is replaced with specific subjects. This is now the topic sentence of a new paragraph containing a single main idea.
The original sentence is somewhat complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in three shorter, simpler sentences.
Two new sentences are added to define an important vocabulary term, “militia.” This is separated into its own paragraph. The following sentence is simplified.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in five shorter sentences with simpler structure and vocabulary.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in two shorter sentences with simpler structure and vocabulary.

Paragraph 2

(1) By the second quarter of the 17th century colonies in America formalized militias through laws, requiring men of military age to be prepared for military service. (2) Throughout American history the militia not only provided defense it also reinforced the social order. (3) Men of status and wealth were appointed or elected as officers, although all free men could claim a stake in society by having a role in defending it. (4) The militia was also an important political ideal. (5) History gave Americans a number of examples of soldiers suppressing civil government, from Caesar, to Cromwell, to King George III. (6) Many Americans felt the militia, formed from the people, was the only counter to a tyrant commanding a regular army, and the most virtuous.

(1) By the end of the 1800s, the colonies created new laws about militias. They made militias an official part of the country. The laws applied to men who were old enough to fight. The laws said that these men needed to join the militia. They had to defend their country.

(2) The militia made people more important in their community. (3) Rich and important men in the militia became officers, or leaders. All free men in the militia could become more important.

(4/6) Many Americans thought militias were the only way to fight tyrants. Tyrants are kings or leaders with too much power. They are bullies who like to be in control. (5) For example, Caesar, Cromwell, and King George III were tyrants. Some tyrants use large armies to keep their power and control the people. (6) Americans thought tyrants and their large armies were bad. They thought fighting tyrants with militias was good and noble.

The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in five shorter, simpler sentences. This main idea is contained in its own paragraph, and the new first sentence describes the topic of this paragraph.
The vocabulary and sentence structure are simplified. This is now the topic sentence of a new paragraph containing a single main idea.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in two shorter, simpler sentences. The important vocabulary term “officers” is explained by a simpler, secondary term, “leaders.”
The idea contained in the original sentence is distributed throughout the new, re-organized paragraph. This sentence is effectively deleted. The topic sentence of the new paragraph is replaced with a similar idea from later in the original text.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in two shorter sentences with simpler vocabulary.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in five shorter sentences with simpler vocabulary, split into two different places in the new paragraph. In the beginning of the paragraph, the first sentence describes the main idea of the paragraph. Then an important vocabulary term, “tyrant,” is explained in several sentences. At the end of the paragraph, the concept is further explained in simpler vocabulary.

Paragraph 3

(1) The militia provided a basis for colonial resistance during the Revolutionary period and survived the War of Independence, even after the creation of the Continental Army. (2) In the early years of the United States the militia remained the nation’s primary military force, dramatically outnumbering the tiny US Army. (3) The militia also represented the power of the states, as opposed to the national government, making it central to the debate over the Constitution: how to balance state and federal power.

(1) The militia defended the country through American history. They helped the colonists during the Revolutionary War. The militia worked with the Continental Army. They fight against the British armies together. They helped defend their new country. (2) When the colonies became a country, the militia was still important. It was a lot bigger than the new U.S. army. For a long time, the militia was the country’s main military or fighting group.

(3) The militia was important to the writers of the Constitution. The Constitution created the U.S. government. It includes the most important laws of the country. The writers of the Constitution wanted states and the government to have equal power. But they did not have equal control over the militia. The states controlled the militia. The national government did not.

The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in five shorter, simpler sentences.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in three shorter, simpler sentences. An important vocabulary term, “military,” is explained by a simpler, secondary term, “fighting group.”
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in seven shorter, simpler sentences. This main idea is contained in its own paragraph, and the new first sentence describes the topic of this paragraph. An important vocabulary term and concept, “the Constitution,” is explained in several sentences.

Paragraph 4

(1) The system that emerged from the Constitutional debates was a compromise that ensured the militia remained controlled by the states, but could be called into federal service when needed to defend the nation. (2) The Militia Act of 1792 laid out the first national standard for a compulsory militia composed of all free, white, adult males in the United States. (3) Compulsory militia service gradually declined after the War of 1812, and by the 1840s many states dropped these requirements entirely, leaving only volunteer militia companies to continue the tradition of the citizen soldier. (4) The 1792 Militia Act was not superseded until 1903, when the modern National Guard was established. (5) The National Guard is the direct descendant of the militias that provided the primary defense of the colonies, and embodied the political ideology of the young nation.

(1) The Constitution changed who controlled the militia. It created a balance between states and the government. The states still controlled the militia. But the government could tell the militia to defend the country. When the whole country needed help, the government could take control of the militia.

(2) The U.S. created a law called the Militia Act in 1792. This law started “compulsory military service” in the U.S. This is when the government makes certain people fight for their country. The Militia Act said all free, white, adult men must join the militia.

(3) Fewer men needed to join the militia after the War of 1812. Compulsory militia service became less popular. Many states stopped making men join the militia. Some men joined the militia because they wanted to. They were volunteers. By the 1840s, only militia groups of volunteers were left.

(4) The U.S. ended the 1792 Militia Act in 1903. The government stopped making men join the militia. They created the National Guard instead. (5) The National Guard is made of men and women soldiers. They volunteer to defend the country when they need to. The National Guard is like the militia. They are both made of citizen soldiers who want to defend their country.

The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in five shorter, simpler sentences.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in four shorter, simpler sentences.This main idea is contained in its own paragraph, and the new first sentence describes the topic of this paragraph. An important vocabulary term, “compulsory military service,” is defined in a separate sentence.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in six shorter, simpler sentences. This main idea is contained in its own paragraph, and the new first sentence describes the topic of this paragraph. An important vocabulary term, “volunteers,” is defined in a previous sentence.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in three shorter, simpler sentences.
The original sentence is complex with difficult vocabulary. The concept is explained in nine shorter, simpler sentences. This main idea is contained in its own paragraph, and the new first sentence describes the topic of this paragraph. An important vocabulary term, “National Guard,” is defined in several sentences.

You can learn more about the recommended fonts, colors, size, and placement of content for accessible exhibits in the:

Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design