From the course: Writing in Plain English
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Use the present tense when writing in plain English
From the course: Writing in Plain English
Use the present tense when writing in plain English
- [Narrator] You may be surprised to learn that verb tense is another tool in your plain language toolbox. And as long as it's accurate, you want to use present tense. It's clear, direct, and often helps you write simpler, shorter sentences. It's great for instructions for example, "Enter our Best o' Pesto contest today. Visit our website and click the link on the homepage to upload your recipe. The winner gets $50 in store credit and bragging rights." All those verbs are in the simple present tense. Sometimes you might be tempted to use the future tense in a sentence like this, "After you upload your recipe, you will be entered in the contest." But look at how rewriting it in the present tense makes it stronger, shorter, and more direct, "Upload your recipe to enter the contest." Of course, you can't use present tense for everything. If you're talking about historical events, for example, you need the past tense. But in general, check your documents to see if everything that could be…
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Use short, simple sentences when writing in plain English3m 44s
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Avoid there are sentences when writing in plain English1m 44s
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Use the present tense when writing in plain English1m 20s
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Avoid noun clusters when writing in plain English1m 59s
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Use positive language when writing in plain English1m 36s
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