Exercise two: What are they trying to say?

Exercise instructions

What is really being said in the following real-world writing samples?

1. A doctor records on a patient’s chart: "Patient failed to fulfill his wellness potential.”
2. U.S. Army talks about "vertically deployed anti-personnel devices."
3. Civilian mechanics at a McClellan Air Force base in California are placed on "non-duty, non-pay status.”
4. The Massachusetts Department of Public Works speaks of "ground-mounted confirmatory route markers.”
5. A store in St. Louis advertises "semi-antique" rugs.

(From the Quarterly Review of Doublespeak)

Record your answers

Use the exercise files to record your answers as you work through the course.

You can download each exercise individually or a single file containing all of the exercises in the course:

• Exercise 2 and takeaways (PDF, 88.4KB)
• Plain Language Course - All Exercises (PDF, 209.7KB)

Review and continue

When you're done, go to exercise two takeaways.