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Introduction

Welcome to Plain English: Sensible sentences. Sentences are the building blocks of writing. When you get them right, you will engage and persuade your reader by making it easy for them to understand your message.

Learning objectives

After completing this program, you will be able to:

• write sentences that can be understood the first time they are read
• use active voice and passive voice where appropriate.

Course outline

This course comprises four sections:

• What makes a good sentence? This section looks at the types of sentence and the qualities of a good sentence. You will learn the principles of sentence construction and why these principles matter.
• Sentence length. Long sentences are hard to read. This section explains how long sentences should be, and shows you how to cut them to a sensible length.
• Active and passive voice. Your organisation wants you to use active voice at work, but many people don't know what this means. This section explains why you should use active voice and how to achieve it.
• Starting and finishing sentences. This section looks at the rules for starting and finishing sentences, and busts a few myths about them.

Most people take about two hours to complete this course. You will receive a course certificate on completion.

Navigation

Each lesson contains a mix of videos, text, downloadable guides, activities and space for comments. When you finish a lesson, click complete and continue at the top of the screen. This will take you to the next lesson.

Activities

We have included quizzes and other activities in most lessons. After submitting your answers, you can scroll up to check your answers by clicking 'view your accuracy'. This will take you to a new tab or browser page. When you have checked your answers, close the tab or use the back button in your browser to return to the course.

Comments and discussion

Each lesson has a space for comments and discussion. This allows you to read what other learners have to say about each lesson, and to share your own insights. You can also ask questions in these discussions. We can't promise to answer every question, but we will do our best. And if we can't answer a question, often another learner can.

Feedback

At the end of the course, we ask you to complete a survey. The survey is anonymous and helps us improve the course.