It's Crystal Clear...or is it?

Imagine that you just finished writing a document about sea turtles that you want to share with others. Do you know who will read it? 

If you are posting it online, you may not. If someone who has not grown up using American English reads it, they may not understand certain things. This is one reason why it is important to use clear, simple language. Writing clearly can be more difficult than it seems. Here are some ideas to help:

• use words that have one main definition. 

For example, instead of using the word "hard," you could use the word "difficult."

"Difficult" is better because it is less likely to be misinterpreted. The word "hard" can mean difficult, but it can also mean solid or firm. 

Another word that can cause some confusion is "run." 

For example, if you say you are going to run to the neighbor's house, you may not be literally running. It is best to substitute the word "go" for the word "run" if you aren't sure of your audience. 

Another way we can be clear in our writing is:

• use literal wording instead of idioms.

An example of an idiom is "We're on the same page." This means that two people are thinking the same way. 

If someone in your audience is not a native English reader, they may think that you are talking about a literal page. 

You could change this idiom to "we are thinking along the same lines," but that is just another idiom. It is best to say something like "we agree" or "we have the same idea."

It's amazing how often people use idioms in everyday language. Reviewing a document that will be posted online to ensure it doesn't contain idioms can help keep our document clear. Do you agree?

We may not be on the same page in a book we are reading, but hopefully, we agree on this!