Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified 2007 • Teesdale District Council’s • New distance-learning courses Take off, listen up, ‘incomprehensible’ report • Our services (editing, crash out Pikestaff 1 • YouGov Poll on management accreditation and training) and jargon corporate membership January • UK and US doublespeak • PLC becomes a limited 2007 company Pikestaff 2 • ‘Improve Your English’ • Why we use ‘z’ rather than ‘s’ Devil of a features in The Independent in words like ‘organization’ disclaimer February • Survey on barriers to • Our distance-learning and on- 2007 youngsters setting up in site courses business • Ruth Thornton’s new book • Competition run by US • Why we chose the name Department for ‘Pikestaff’ Transportation • Stockport Council’s ‘Communication Month’ Pikestaff 3 AVoid craZy • BBC survey on language in • Relaunch of our website I trust this CAPITALS CVs • New articles by Martin Cutts provides the March • Scottish Executive’s baffling and Sarah Carr degree of 2007 cloudification that language • StyleWriter software you require • The Rules of Golf by Bryan Garner Pikestaff 4 Use inclusive • Use of capital letters in legal • Corporate membership I spy with a critical language documents • PLAIN conference in eye April 2007 • Department of Health’s new Amsterdam scheme to accredit producers • Our approach to readability of health information • Letters to The Independent following its ‘Improve Your English’ feature • Plain-English syllabus in Australia 1 Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified Pikestaff 5 Write shorter • Forms used in Scottish • Norwood wins award for its Crustless bread sentences, but elections are heavily criticized annual report yields mighty beef May 2007 don’t make • Unfair Commercial Practices • Our distance-learning courses your readers Directive • Judy Brown’s new article on sea-sick • Oregon’s plain-language bill our website • Judges who don’t understand • Parliamentary and Health modern words and phrases Service Ombudsman publishes • Obituary of Lord Renton Principles Pikestaff 6 Don’t be a • Dons warn of students’ failing • Good Word Guide offers • Cost of hinking writing also- language skills • Financial Services Authority’s is criminal June 2007 ran, right any • Department of Health’s new website gains gold standard • Pains in trains run-on standard for providers of and planes add sentences health information mainly to the • US Federal Rules restated in strain plain English Pikestaff 7 Punctuate • Unclearly worded adverts and • Bromford Housing Group gets Pedants revolt: bullet lists company names top marks from the Housing • Because you’re July 2007 properly, or • MP John McFall and the Corporation mirth it you could be ‘memorandum of • O2 report gains Clear English • O vary special shot at misunderstanding’ Standard offer • ‘Crazy English’ in China • Reader’s letter about run-on • What’s in a sentences with ‘however’ name? • It’s all hot air Pikestaff 8 Write in the • PLAIN conference in • Why we call ourselves ‘Plain Ambiguity corner: active, so a Amsterdam Language Commission’ • Don’t crash September right-royal • Dr Bernard Lamb’s article on • Martin Cutts’ and Sarah Carr’s and burn 2007 style is avoided students’ errors new articles on our website • Law students • Ruth Thornton visits up a gumtree Buckingham Palace to collect • Officers on the book award beat? • Enquire’s guide receives Clear • Expectations English Standard grate 2 Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified Pikestaff 9 Remember • Unusual languages – Pitmatic • Readers’ letters on overusing Horribly Word’s and Klingon ‘key’; and on Latin terms highfalutin: October grammar • Readability of recipes • Writing by numbers, Martin • Hard-to- 2007 checker gives Cutts’ workshop at PLAIN’s understand stats of conference shoulder chequered • StyleWriter review • Quest for cool quality coif continues • Christina Gleeson’s new book • Norwich Union becomes corporate member Pikestaff Ceteris paribus, • Electoral Commission’s • Reader’s letter about using Rhubarb, FreeRice 10 give your review of the Scottish singular or plural verbs with redundancies and writing that je elections ‘data’ Roman rubbish: November ne sais quoi • Education pack on Bob • High Peak Borough Council • Needing to 2007 and relieve Dylan’s song lyrics commissions training address a your readers’ • Harriet Harman and • Martin Manser’s new book failure to angst – bid parliamentary language deliver adieu to • Private Eye picks up on Martin • Simplification Centre Cutts’ article, Plain English • Pedantic about foreign words PIN numbers and phrases launched at Reading Awards scandal • Unplainly University painful • Euphemisms R US Pikestaff If you want • Tesco needs to mind its • Christmas competition to Free-range British National 11 your writing to language in the US rewrite a notice spotted in gobbledegook: Corpus be simply the • Unfairness of Plain English Tesco • Seasonal bird December best – better Campaign awards • Awards won by PLC customers that’s hard to 2007 than all the • Petition on term ‘McJob’ during 2007 swallow rest – then test • PLC donates money to Plan • For patient International instead of patients only sending Christmas cards • Twelve lords a- drivelling 3 Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified 2008 Follow due • Alan Greenspan’s linguistic • Results of competition to Travellers’ tales: Scottish PROCESS to style rewrite Tesco notice • Good nudes: Government’s Pikestaff clarify your • Medical abbreviations • Reader’s letter about long your clothes online booklet, 12 writing Plain Language • Annual conference of Patient sentence in law book are now ready and Legislation Information Forum • Customers praise PLC’s on-site for take-off January courses • Training in 2008 • Local Government Association publishes ‘non- • Reminder about why we use ‘z’ tautology word’ list rather than ‘s’ in words like • Form in bad ‘organization’ shape • Clearly in a different universe Pikestaff Avoid • Asterisqué bleeping • Interview with Wirral Sic jokes (slips Plain English 13 abbreviations, • Rowan Williams’ ‘unclarity’ Partnership Homes on our and amusing Lexicon MDU advises English from • BBC’s shrinking legibility editing services February MDs, RNs and • Readers’ letters on why we use Activia and 2008 AHPs ‘z’ rather than ‘s’ in words like Cafebar) ‘organization’; and on using singular ‘they’ (for example, instead of ‘he or she’) • New articles by Martin Cutts and Sarah Carr on our website Pikestaff Don’t improvise • US Plain Language Bill • Martin Cutts’ masterclasses at Which profession Bartleby.com 14 when you • Contronyms Patient Information Forum prevails in piffle apostrophize; production • Swearing at work conference March be wise and prowess? • Comment on Rowan Williams’ • How to save money on our 2008 follow the rule editing that applies ‘unclarity’ • On-site courses • New name for ‘One’ train company • Dealing with critics of plain English 4 Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified Pikestaff Avoid • US Plain Language Act • Ruth Thornton’s example of Champions Apostrophe 15 (semi)colonic • Northern Irish order on contronym challenged for Protection irritation personal current bank • Readers’ letters on ‘it’s’ being supremacy in Society April 2008 accounts short for ‘it has’ as well as ‘it is’ sesquipedalianism • Small Print Bill • StyleWriter • Semi-colons in France • Royal blackmail tape • Obituary of Jyoti Sanyal Pikestaff Avoid colonic • Northamptonshire County • Readers’ letters on curse Nasty (or just plain Typo Eradication 16 irritation Council and the taste of words; ‘there’s’ + plural nouns; nutty) Advancement strawberry and apostrophe amnesty nomenclature: League (TEAL) May 2008 • Office of Government • New on website – Linguistic • Don’t sweat Commerce logo links and Pikestaff index the small stuff • Citizen’s Summary project • New articles by Martin Cutts • To wait or not and Sarah Carr to wait: that is the question • Library language languishes as laxity launched in lieu of literate lingo • And now for a spine-chiller 5 Issue Tip of the General news Plain Language Commission Funny examples Linguistic link number month (PLC) news and of unclear and readers’/website visitors’ English month Clearly letters clarified Pikestaff Don’t get your • Help needed for Small Print • Laws for Citizens (Nordic-Baltic More nutty Language Log 17 colons (and Bill seminar on clear legal nomenclature: semi-colons) in • Quickie guide to Wiki words language) All is not lost June 2008 a twist • Use of ‘from’ with ‘stop’ and • Readers’ letters on aberrant • An Ugley ‘prevent’ apostrophes; punctuation of rumour ‘Citizen’s summary’; and a slip • How Prez-I- in Pikestaff 16 Dent Bush reads a speech Pikestaff Don’t mourn • FSA studies clarity of pension • PLC wins contract with An end to