When we write something,
we are unable to judge whether what we write can be understood by our
intended readers. To us, it is as clear as a bell. But our readers
might not agree. And they might not tell us.
We might not
solicit feedback because we don't want to hear the answer. There are
many stories, such as juries understanding only about half of their
instructions. Patients who do not understand their doctors. And much
more known -- students who do not understand their teachers. The
shocking result is that we cannot understand what is going on: how can
something which is so simple to us be incomprehensible to others?
How can we know how our writing will be received?
The
obvious answer is to test it with our intended readers. This also means
that if the results aren't satisfactory, we need to re-write and
re-test. In most cases this might be impractical. Of course, for those
writing on the web, it can be easier. They can try out various versions
and compare the responses they get. For writers in health care, it may
be more difficult. In any case, testing is time consuming and
expensive.
If our own judgment of our own writing cannot be relied upon, and testing is impractical, the easy answer is to use a formula.
This
part of the site is concerned with the computer software, so the
emphasis is on using the computer to estimate the grade level of our
writing.
