This is not Grammar 101. You get to learn it on your own.

Make your writing better by following a few simple rules.

1. Readability -- or -- Cutting through the fog

• Use short, simple, familiar words.
• Use simple sentences, active voice, and present tense.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms.
• Use culture-and-gender-neutral language, not awkward constructions like "s/he".
• Use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Use simple headings, bulleted lists, and numbered steps to make information visually accessible.
• Omit needless words. Avoid adverbs. (words that end in -ly).

2. Use the Gunning Fog Index

• The Gunning Fog Index measures readability. The Index is the approximate number of years of education needed to understand with relative ease.
• A Fog Index of 12 indicates that the reader needs to complete high school to read with relative ease.
• Know your audience.
• Longer sentences and use of polysyllabic words (3 or more) increases the index (makes it more difficult to read).
• Gunning analysis tool: http://gunning-fog-index.com

Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunning_fog_index

• Word Perfect uses the Gunning Fog index. (Beware - most versions of Microsoft Word have a cutoff of 12.) Microsoft Word uses the Flesch-Kincaid readability tests.

3. Two Special Readability Problems

1. Active vs. Passive Voice:

Sam argued in court.
vs
The court argument was made by Sam.

2. Nominalization. Creating 'nouners':

The police investigated the crime.
vs
The police conducted an investigation of the crime.

'nouner' tipoff: words ending in -tion, -ment, -ance, or -ency.

4. Grammar and Usage Websites

• The road to hell is paved with adverbs. A good words (right order) e-book by Patrick E. McLean: http://goodwordsrightorder.com/ebooks/pavedwithadverbs.pdf   (local copy)

• Guide to Grammar and Style, by Jack Lynch, Professor of English, Rutgers University: http://andromedia.rutgers.edu/~jlynch.Writing/
• The Center for Writing Studies, University of Illinois: http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/
• Strunk's Elements of Style online: http://www.bartleby.com/141/
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• Stephen King. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. "http://www.stephenking.com/library/nonfiction/on_writing_a_memoir_of_the_craft.html"

Dennis Kaufman, Esq. let me use this. Thank you, Counselor.