What makes plain English writing different from plain language writing is it’s simpler to understand and it visually looks easier to read. Readers, including me, dislike having to search up definitions to unnecessary complicated sentences, just so it looks more professional in the article. The rule of thumb is if the writing is not eighth grade level comprehension, it will fail to perform well if published online. This is because people prefer to read a copy that has short, plain, and easy to read sentences. In addition, copywriting should use an active voice rather than passive voice as it is an active voice that uses fewer words, promotes engagement, and speaks directly to the reader and what they need to do. Rather than a passive voice will act as the reader is receiving the action, sort of like viewing instructions on how to ride a bike but not actually trying it out and engaging in the activity. An example of plain English writing that we discussed in class was used by Winnie The Pooh. He talks about plain english writing using the sentence “what about lunch?” rather than “what are we going to eat for lunch in the afternoon later today”. Winnie gets straight to the point while answering the needs to the viewer but in a much simpler form.
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