Writing tips
Active voice
Use strong, active verbs rather than the passive voice.
Sentences written in the active voice are easier to understand. It’s clearer who is doing what to whom.
Instead of: A door-to-door contract can be cancelled by the customer within 10 days.
Write: You can cancel a door-to-door contract within 10 days.
You might use the passive voice when:
- you want to emphasize the object of the action, not the doer
Example: If you miss the deadline, your benefits will be cut off.
- you do not know who is doing the action or they’re not important
Example: The law was passed in 2017.
Using comparisons
When you present information that compares different situations or presents an “if-then” scenario, use a table or a chart when possible.
For example, how much someone on Ontario Works can claim in child-care expenses depends on the type of child-care provider they use. Can I work and get OW at the same time? uses a table to help the reader see what applies to them.
Sentences
Keep them short
Keep sentences short and make only one point per sentence.
Keep your average sentence length to 15 words and aim for a maximum length of 25 words.
Break up and vary length
Break up long sentences.
Write: You get money from another source to pay for your child care, for example, money from your local government. This is called a fee subsidy.
Not: You get money from another source to pay for your child care, for example, money from your local government, which is called a fee subsidy.
You might also break a long sentence into a bulleted list.
Varying the length of your sentences makes the content more interesting to read.
Start with a conjunction
It’s okay to start a sentence with a conjunction like:
- and
- but
- so
- or
They help your reader see connections and let you break up long sentences.
When you start a sentence with a conjunction, you do not need a comma after the conjunction.
Example: It’s possible to make a will yourself. But it’s usually a good idea to talk to an estates lawyer before making one.
The exception is a structure where a phrase appears after the conjunction and before the main subject.
Example: The protestor refused to move. And, right after that, the police took them away.
Everyone benefits
These principles apply to readers with any level of literacy and to all types of writing. By being concise, you help everyone. And no one ever complains that something is too easy to understand.
For example, research shows an overwhelming preference for plain language across education levels.
Paragraphs
Short paragraphs are easier to read and understand. Long paragraphs discourage readers from trying to understand your content.
Limit each paragraph to one topic.
Keep most of your paragraphs to 3 sentences or less. But vary the length of your paragraphs.
Remember that paragraphs with one sentence are okay and often an effective way to stress a point.
Headings
Use sentence case
Write headings in sentence case. This means capitalizing only the first word and proper names.
Write: Get legal help
Not: Get Legal Help
Example: Appeal to the Social Benefits Tribunal
Keep them short
Keep headings as short as possible.
For example, in print documents aim to keep headings to one line, if possible, and 2 lines at the most. This is important because when translating from English to French, headings will be considerably longer.
Adopt a consistent style
Be consistent in the style of headings you use.
You might start your headings with a simple verb.
Example: Get legal help
Or use a gerund, which is a verb acting as a noun. Read more in:
Example: Getting legal help
You could use headings that are statements.
Example: What to include in your application form
Or you could use questions.
Example: What must I include in my application form?
Highlight important words
Overview
Use bold to highlight up to a few key words but not entire sentences. If you use too much bold in a sentence or paragraph, it loses its effect.
Write: When you give notice to your landlord, do it in writing.
Not: When you give notice to your landlord, do it in writing.
The most important part of the sentence is “in writing”.
Do not set words in italics. Italics are difficult to read, especially online.
To keep your writing less formal, do not use italics or quotation marks for the names of acts and statutes.
Never use ALL CAPS, unless the word is an abbreviation or acronym. PRESENTING TEXT IN ALL CAPS IS VERY HARD TO READ. This applies to headings as well.
Bold or quotation marks?
In most cases, use bold if you want to highlight a term, rather than putting it in “quotation marks”.
Read about the type of quotations marks to use and how to use them in the section Quotation marks.
Do not highlight using bold and quotation marks together. Be consistent. Decide which approach you’ll use in a document or web resource.
Sometimes, it might be easier for the reader if you set aside a term with quotation marks. There are no set rules about this. You need to use your judgment.
What do I need to do when a family member dies? explains that when someone dies at home, their death is either attended or unattended. Readers need to understand the difference. But these are not words that have to stand out like they would if bolded.
Example: If your family member’s death is “attended”, this means that the doctor or nurse who was treating them was there when they died.
If your family member’s death is “unattended”, the person who finds them should call 911.
You might use quotation marks around a word that has a common meaning but has a specific meaning in your content.
Example: Service Canada could decide that you did not find a job in a “reasonable” time. If this happens, they can tell you to look for other types of jobs.
Including too many quotation marks clutters up the text. And applying too much bold takes away from the effect of highlighting what’s important.
Legal terms
When you use a legal term, you may want it to stand out in some way. You can do this by bolding the term or putting it in quotation marks.
The best way to handle this depends on the context. And it’s important to be consistent in the choices you make.
For example, use bold when you want to draw the readers’ attention to the term.
Example: The term tenancy means your legal right to live in your place.
When you’re discussing a legal concept and want to give an alternate or more common name for it, you could bold the term or use quotation marks. It depends on how much you want the term to stand out.
In the example below, if you want to emphasize the term, you could bold the words house arrest. If you do not want the term to stand out but convey that it’s a legal term, you could write “house arrest”.
Use: You serve a conditional sentence in the community and there are strict conditions that you must follow. This is sometimes called house arrest.
Or: This is sometimes called “house arrest”.
In Taking time off work: For new and expecting parents, quotation marks point out a complicated phrase that comes directly from the law. The law is not clear on what it means.
Example: This includes all new parents, not just the parent who gives birth. It also includes anyone who:
- is in what the law calls “a relationship of some permanence” with a parent of the child, and
- is going to treat the child as their own.
Positive rather than negative
Present information in the positive, rather than the negative.
Let people know what they can do, not what they cannot do.
Write: You can appeal when you get a decision.
Not: You cannot appeal until you get a decision.
Avoid negatives, double negatives, and exceptions to exceptions.
Presenting complex information
If a law or rule is complex or has a lot of exceptions, you may need to divide the information into shorter paragraphs.
Keep in mind that it can be difficult to present complex information in a bulleted list.
And it may help to say that the situation is complicated.
This is often a good place to add that it’s helpful to get legal help or advice.
Titles
If you want to highlight the title of a publication, a section heading, or the name of a form, use bold rather than quotation marks.
Example: For information about applying for OW, see CLEO’s Need welfare? How to apply to Ontario Works.
Example: If you do qualify financially, the ODSP office will give you a Disability Determination Package.
Giving examples
Needs of your reader
Always think of the context and the needs of your readers when you give examples.
Use examples when they’ll help the reader understand an abstract topic.
Example: When an OW worker is in your home, they can look only at things that are in “plain view”. This means that they cannot open and look inside places where you keep things, like closets, drawers, or the refrigerator.
Cautions about using examples
Using examples is not a substitute for explaining abstract and complex information as clearly as possible.
And it’s important to be clear that you’re giving examples and not an exhaustive list of possibilities. This is especially true when you have a longer list of examples.
Take care when giving examples if readers’ situations can vary greatly and examples would apply to only a small number of readers.
Do not use examples that mislead the reader, either giving false hope or no hope at all.
When not to use examples
In the example below, the law does not list reasons that are acceptable for being late. And the decision‑maker can use discretion about whether to let the person have more time. So instead of giving examples, we suggest that people get legal advice.
Example: If you miss the deadline for sending in the Appeal Form, you can ask for more time. You should explain on the form why you’re late.
A community legal clinic may be able to help you if you need to explain why you missed the deadline.
Page references in print
Be consistent in how you refer to other pages within print materials. Give your reader clear directions.
You can give a simple instruction.
Example: Read more about who is a dependent child on page 10.
For clarity, you might need to be specific about where the information is on a page. You could say which heading it’s under.
Example: See What to do when separating or divorcing on page 10.
If information spans more than one page, you may want to tell the reader this to ensure they read everything on that topic.
Example: There are examples in the chart on pages 3 and 4.