Page:Federal Plain Language Guidelines.pdf/16

 ==b. Address one person, not a group==

Remember that even though your document may affect a thousand or a million people, you are speaking to the one person who is reading it. When your writing reflects this, it's more economical and has a greater impact.

Singular nouns and verbs prevent confusion about whether a requirement applies to individual users or to groups. In the following example, the user might think that each applicant must file applications at several offices.

In addressing a single person, you can avoid awkwardness by using “you” to address the user directly, rather than using “he or she” or “his or her.” Confusing plural

Sources Federal Plain Language Guidelines, March 2011, Rev. 1, May 2011
 * Garner, Bryan A., Legal Writing in Plain English, 2001, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, p. 114.
 * Murawski, Thomas A., Writing Readable Regulations, 1999, Carolina Academic Press Durham, NC, p. 70.
 * Wydick, Richard, Plain English for Lawyers, 5$th$ edition, 2005, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC, p. 62.