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Home > Guidelines > 1. Trim that Text! > 1d. Make most paragraphs short. |
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1d. Make most paragraphs short.
People are more likely to read a short passage of text than a long one, especially if they have to make an extra effort, like scrolling, to do it. Onscreen text is more difficult and time consuming to read than hardcopy text, which makes people even less likely to thoroughly read long sections of text on a computer.—Apple (1997) Users rarely read long contiguous passages of text from computer screens.—Lynch, 1997. Short paragraphs help skimming. —Bricklin (1998). In general, a paragraph of more than six or eight lines would be more readable if you broke it up into two shorter paragraphs. —Kilian (1999). Users are not inclined to read long paragraphs. —America Online (2001). See: Abeleto (1999), America Online (2001), Apple (1987), Bricklin (1998), Gee et al (1999), Holcomb et al (1999), Horton (1990), Hudson & Berman (1985), Kaiser (2000), Kilian (1999), Lynch (1999), Marschark & Paivio (1977), NCSA (1996), Spyridakis (2000), Sullivan (1998), Zipf (1949) |
Other ways to trim that text 1a. Cut any paper-based text by 50%. 1c. Make some sentences short. 1f. Move vital but tangential or supplemental material. 1g. Convert repeating categories of information into tables. 1h. Beware of cutting so far that you make the text ambiguous.
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Diagram
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Original paragraph In this outstanding exhibition, you’ll be astonished with the range and depth of impressionism displayed in 84 superb paintings, drawings, and etchings from 19th century France and Denmark. Collected by the Danish insurance executive Wilhelm Hansen (1868-1936), these wonderful artworks formed a special gallery in his country house, which he called Ordrupgaard. Hansen died in 1936, survived by his wife, Henny. When Henny died, in 1951, the pictures—and the house— were bequeathed to Denmark, to form what is now known as the Ordrupgaard Collection. Rarely seen outside of Copenhagen, these are all major works—a lively pastel by Degas, a sun-drenched streetscape by Pissarro, a brilliant vision of Rome by Eckersberg. Enjoy the full panorama of Impressionism, with paintings by Cézanne, Corot, Courbet, Degas, Delacroix, Eckersberg. Gauguin, Købke, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley. Through September 8. 137 words; 1 paragraph. Revised paragraphs Explore the range and depth of Impressionism in 84 paintings, drawings, and etchings from France and Denmark. Collected by the Danish insurance man Wilhelm Hansen (1868-1936), these artworks formed a gallery in his country house, known as Ordrupgaard. When his wife Henny died, in 1951, the pictures—and the house— were bequeathed to Denmark. Rarely seen outside of Copenhagen, these major works—a pastel by Degas, a streetscape by Pissarro, a vision of Rome by Eckersberg—show a panorama of Impressionism, with important paintings by:
Through September 8. 100 words, 4 paragraphs. Quiz about the changes
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Resources on brevity Heuristic Online Text (HOT) Evaluation for Brevity
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