How to Write in Plain English
The article doesn&#x27;t mention the way that word placement changes the meaning of sentences. From a video I recently saw but can&#x27;t recall, consider these sentences:<p>- Although John is a nice guy, he beats his dog.<p>- Although John beats his dog, he&#x27;s a nice guy.<p>- John is a nice guy, but he beats his dog.<p>- John beats his dog, but he&#x27;s a nice guy.<p>These are all plain English sentences, but will be interpreted quite differently. For the moment, try to set aside the moral judgement on dog beating and consider what the author&#x27;s opinion of John is in each case.<p>For example, readers tend to latch onto the last part of a sentence. So putting the nice guy part last tends to support John. Whereas putting the dog beating last tends to undermine John.<p>Same facts, almost the same words, but different messages.