Blog Posts

John Frame, the Reformed theologian and philosopher, has offered various pieces of writing advice, though not in the form of a dedicated writing manual. His guidance is scattered throughout his books, lectures, and interviews—especially in discussions on theology, education, and clear communication. Here are some key aspects of Frame’s writing advice and philosophy: 1. Clarity Over…

Dorothy Sayers’ The Mind of the Maker (1941) is a book about creativity and how it reflects God’s nature. She explains that the way people create things—like writing stories or making art—follows the same pattern as the Christian idea of the Trinity. Sayers was a writer, so she uses examples from books and plays to explain her…

The Adult ESL Speaker’s Vocabulary The vocabulary size of an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) speaker varies widely depending on factors such as their level of language proficiency, exposure to English, and the contexts in which they use the language. Understanding the different vocabularies ESL speakers develop—reading, speaking, listening, and writing—can help educators…

All have sinned Imagine a world where everything operates as it ought. A world where people do precisely what they should, at precisely the right time, for the right reasons. It is the sort of place that could only exist in the mind of someone with the most vivid if imaginations, or perhaps in the…

When writing for new English readers, using a controlled vocabulary is important. But there are times when we must use words that are outside of the vocabulary list we have chosen to use. Explaining those words is important to assure that our message is clear. One option is to mark those “exceptional” words and put…

Most instructions to new writers include a form of a sentence like this one. “When writing your first draft, turn off your inner editor.” That is good advice and generally true. The challenge to writers targeting new English readers is that many of the tools of English grammar and vocabulary are not in our toolbox….

For several years, we have written Clear and Simple Media books and articles using a basic set of rules. These guiding rules have helped us make what we write more clear and more simple. While this “style guide” has helped us, to the degree that we have accomplished it, make what we write accessible to…

I was completing my final year of the Master’s program in Linguistics. One of the loose-end courses was a summer session on writing. I was not terribly excited to sign up, but the course was required and this one could be completed in six weeks. Intense, but over-with-in-a-hurry. The professor was a writer himself, essayist,…

William Zinsser’s On Writing Well was first published nearly 50 years ago. I bought my first copy less than a decade after that. The book is a classic guide to writing non-fiction with clarity, simplicity, and style. Here are a few gleanings from the advice he offers: If you are interested in becoming a compelling…

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” (Published 1937) I remember…

C.S. Lewis was one of the most influential writers of the last century. His explanations and arguments for the Christian faith were clear and convincing. His fiction would become a model for good story-telling and thoughtful literature. There are a number of places where Lewis offers writing advice. Some of his most practical and insightful…

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is a timeless guide to English writing style. In spite of its modest size, the book has had a significant influence in the writing world for over 100 years. It is one of the books I’ve used to keep my writing clear and simple….

John R. Kohl’s The Global English Style Guide is the “gold standard” for writing in Global English. The book, a manual, provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for writing clear, concise, and globally understandable English, particularly for non-native speakers and for content intended for translation. Here is a summary of the primary rules Kohl lays…

Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style” (William Strunk Jr. and later revised by E.B. White) is a timeless guide to effective writing, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and style. If you want help writing with Clarity and Simplicity, there is nothing better. Here’s a summary of key principles: Clarity and Simplicity:Use clear and straightforward language.Eliminate unnecessary words…

Writing for machine translation involves considering the capabilities and limitations of automated translation systems. Here are some guidelines to help create content that is more suitable for machine translation: Remember that while these guidelines can enhance the performance of machine translation, they do not replace the need for professional human translators, especially for critical or…

When you become a Christian, you are embarking on a profound journey toward understanding the very heart of God. As a new member of the Christian family, you must diligently seek to unravel the depths of divine wisdom contained in the Bible, the very Word of God. Fellow believers, seasoned in their faith, can guide…

After I was introduced at a recent conference, I was asked the two questions that people ask most frequently when they first hear about what we are doing. Why Clear and Simple Media? Why English? The WHY for Clear and Simple Media grows out of a theological conviction – specifically our confidence in the Bible….

This post begins a series of “occasional” thoughts on what I am reading in the scriptures. ________________________________________ THIS MORNING, I was looking over a few passages that I thought might be of comfort to a friend of mine who has been experiencing a rough patch in ministry of late. Ministry is not easy. There are…

Linguistically Simple, Theologically Clear, and Biblically Faithful. These three-word sets give some sense of who we are and what we hope to accomplish in our writing. But they also provide an internal reminder, a collection of checkpoints for us as we write. None are redundant. Linguistically Simple shapes Theologically Clear on one side and Biblically…

That heading comes from a quote that I found lurking around in my memory a few days ago. It is from S. D. Gordon (1859-1936), an influential lay-worker and missionary from a century ago. The full quote goes like this: “You can do more than pray after you have prayed but you cannot do more…

A bit over thirty years ago, I sat in a course in linguistics in which the professor frequently reminded us that, “there is no such thing as a true synonym.” By the time we had finished the course, we were convinced as well. However, there are times when a good synonym (or related word) is the only…

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books. All of the books come from the first followers of Jesus. Some of the books take only a few minutes to read. But before you read the books in the New Testament, it helps to know what each book is about.   When you see a…

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books. All of the books come from the first followers of Jesus. Some of the books take only a few minutes to read. But before you read the books in the New Testament, it helps to know what each book is about.   When you see a…

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books. All of the books come from the first followers of Jesus. Some of the books take only a few minutes to read. But before you read the books in the New Testament, it helps to know what each book is about.   When you see a…

The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books. All of the books come from the first followers of Jesus. Some of the books take only a few minutes to read. But before you read the books in the New Testament, it helps to know what each book is about.     When you see…