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Usenet Posted 19 years ago
Screenwriting
Do you write for 6th graders?
At work the other day, a woman actually wrote these phrases in what was supposed to be a promotional flier: "demonstrated outcomes" and "increased competencies."
In my quest to get her to write like an earthling, I discovered that the healthcare industry has done major studies on the reading abilities of the American public. Here's what they found out:
1. No matter how educated people are, they actually read at a levelthree to five grades lower than the last grade they finished. People who finished high school read at the level of 7th-9th graders.
2. When a prominent newspaper lowered the complexity of their articlesfrom college level to 4th grade, the number of readers shot up by 98 percent.
3. The books of the most popular U.S. novelists (Stephen King, JohnGrisham, etc.) are written at a 7th-grade reading level.
4. Most romance novels, which make up about half of all paperbackssold in the U.S., are written at a 5th-grade reading level.
Healthcare organizations have decided that all the forms and brochures they give to patients should be written at a 6th grade reading level.
To find out what grade level your scripts are written at, import a random five-page section into MS Word and run a spelling/grammar check on it. Select the "readability" option. The last item shown is the grade level.
Lois
In my quest to get her to write like an earthling, I discovered that the healthcare industry has done major studies on the reading abilities of the American public. Here's what they found out:
1. No matter how educated people are, they actually read at a levelthree to five grades lower than the last grade they finished. People who finished high school read at the level of 7th-9th graders.
2. When a prominent newspaper lowered the complexity of their articlesfrom college level to 4th grade, the number of readers shot up by 98 percent.
3. The books of the most popular U.S. novelists (Stephen King, JohnGrisham, etc.) are written at a 7th-grade reading level.
4. Most romance novels, which make up about half of all paperbackssold in the U.S., are written at a 5th-grade reading level.
Healthcare organizations have decided that all the forms and brochures they give to patients should be written at a 6th grade reading level.
To find out what grade level your scripts are written at, import a random five-page section into MS Word and run a spelling/grammar check on it. Select the "readability" option. The last item shown is the grade level.
Lois
Top answer
[nq:1]In my quest to get her to write like an earthling, I discovered that the healthcare industry has done major ... [/nq] Lois, I've said this a thousand times. It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper.
- [nq:1]In my quest to get her to write like an earthling, I discovered that the healthcare industry has done major ...
- [/nq] Lois, I've said this a thousand times.
- It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper.
- No one wants to read something the equivalent of a text book.
- Eric's book 6th grade level.
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24 Answers
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[nq:1]In my quest to get her to write like an earthling, I discovered that the healthcare industry has done major ... novels, which make up about half of all paperbacks sold in the U.S., are written at a 5th-grade reading level.[/nq]
Lois, I've said this a thousand times. It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper. No one wants to read something the equ
Lois, I've said this a thousand times. It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper. No one wants to read something the equ
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[nq:1]At work the other day, a woman actually wrote these phrases in what was supposed to be a promotional flier: ... and run a spelling/grammar check on it. Select the "readability" option. The last item shown is the grade level. Lois[/nq]
Here's the 2003 government study - http://tinyurl.com/2g6zbv
Here's the 2003 government study - http://tinyurl.com/2g6zbv
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[nq:2]In my quest to get her to write like an ... in the U.S., are written at a 5th-grade reading level.[/nq]
[nq:1]Lois, I've said this a thousand times. It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper. No one wants to read something the equivalent of a text book. Eric's book 6th grade level.[/nq]
And complexity comes not as much through language as it
[nq:1]Lois, I've said this a thousand times. It's one of the first things they teach you in communication class and at the paper. No one wants to read something the equivalent of a text book. Eric's book 6th grade level.[/nq]
And complexity comes not as much through language as it
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[nq:1]Why yes, as a matter of fact I do.[/nq]
Dead kitties and little dogs that make children cry.
Good stuff.
Dead kitties and little dogs that make children cry.
Good stuff.
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[nq:1]To find out what grade level your scripts are written at, import a random five-page section into MS Word and run a spelling/grammar check on it. Select the "readability" option. The last item shown is the grade level.[/nq]
Uh... level 5.3.
Should I hang my head in shame, or should I be glad?
alt.flame Special Forces
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expre
Uh... level 5.3.
Should I hang my head in shame, or should I be glad?
alt.flame Special Forces
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expre
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[nq:1]To find out what grade level your scripts are written at, import a random five-page section into MS Word and run a spelling/grammar check on it. Select the "readability" option. The last item shown is the grade level.[/nq]
When I write dialogue, I generally write it with a lot of sentence fragments, slang and other grammatical errors (much like how people talk). Would this bring down the
When I write dialogue, I generally write it with a lot of sentence fragments, slang and other grammatical errors (much like how people talk). Would this bring down the
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[nq:1]1. No matter how educated people are, they actually read at a level three to five grades lower than the last grade they finished. People who finished high school read at the level of 7th-9th graders.[/nq]
I'm trying to figure out what this means. Does it mean that, in spite of their education they choose reading material that is simpler than what they're capable of absorbing, or t
I'm trying to figure out what this means. Does it mean that, in spite of their education they choose reading material that is simpler than what they're capable of absorbing, or t
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[nq:2]1. No matter how educated people are, they actually read ... finished high school read at the level of 7th-9th graders.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm trying to figure out what this means. Does it mean that, in spite of their education they choose reading ... or that, on average, people don't really attain (or perhaps retain) a level of competency commensurate with their education level?[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm trying to figure out what this means. Does it mean that, in spite of their education they choose reading ... or that, on average, people don't really attain (or perhaps retain) a level of competency commensurate with their education level?[/nq]
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[nq:2]2. When a prominent newspaper lowered the complexity of their ... grade, the number of readers shot up by 98 percent.[/nq]
[nq:1]This one sounds like some sort of urban legend. First, what prominent newspaper could possibly change their editorial style and all their reporters' vocabularies in such a way as to reduce the complexity of their articles by 9 YEARS OF EDUCATION??? Impossible.[
[nq:1]This one sounds like some sort of urban legend. First, what prominent newspaper could possibly change their editorial style and all their reporters' vocabularies in such a way as to reduce the complexity of their articles by 9 YEARS OF EDUCATION??? Impossible.[
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