Free guides

We have a series of guides which we provide free of charge on this site. You might like to print some or all of these guides before you start your course. The guides are provided in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you cannot read PDF files on your computer, you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

You can also download Drivel Defence, a software application which inspects webpages.

General guides

• How to write in plain English
• The A-Z of alternative words

Glossaries

• A to Z of financial terms
• A to Z of legal phrases
• A to Z of pension terms

Special subjects

• CVs
• Design and layout
• Forms
• Letters
• Medical information
• Proofreading
• Reports
• Websites
• Wills

We own the copyright to these guides. You are welcome to print out any of the guides or save them to disk for your own use. You must contact us to get our permission if you want to use any of the material in your own publications or on your website.

Software

'Drivel Defence' is a free software application which has been developed by John Rugg, a web accessibility specialist from the University of the West of England, with some help from Plain English Campaign. The software uses our 'A-Z of alternative words' guide to inspect webpages and other documents, and checks accessibility and readability issues.

Find out more and download Drivel Defence (opens in new window)