Plain language is a style of writing. Plain language gets written using smaller words and shorter sentences. This helps people understand writing better.

Plain language helps people who have a hard time reading because of their disability. But writing in plain language helps lots of other people too.

Plain language helps:

• people who are learning English as a second language.
• people who didn’t get a chance to learn how to read complicated writing.
• people who don’t read a lot.
• everybody!

Plain language makes it easier for everyone to learn more about what is important to them.

On each plain language page, we have underlined important words to know. You can find out what these words mean on the first page of each document.

Feel free to open up the “Words to Know” page and look back at it as you read.