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Is there a tool to help adjust vocabulary to some fixed level?
I have a set of literature which must be comprehensible to the fifth-grade
reader. Some of these documents are rated with 12th grade Flesch-Kinkaid scores. Is there a tool which will conveniently assist in addressing issues of style and vocabulary within these documents? |
#2
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Bruce Huntley wrote:
I have a set of literature which must be comprehensible to the fifth-grade reader. Some of these documents are rated with 12th grade Flesch-Kinkaid scores. Is there a tool which will conveniently assist in addressing issues of style and vocabulary within these documents? Hi Bruce, The best tool is the one atop your shoulders. Machines are getting "smarter" but are still comparative idiots. Look at the formula for the grade score (http://csep.psyc.memphis.edu/cohmetr...tyresearch.htm). It measures the average number of syllables per word and the average number of words per sentence. The discussion on that page explains why the grade score isn't a reliable predictor of reader comprehension -- I believe many educators now consider it nearly useless. One way to reduce the grade score is by choosing synonyms with fewer syllables. You can do that with the help of Word's thesaurus feature. The hard part is selecting synonyms that don't change the meaning, connotation, or emphasis of the sentence. The other way to reduce the score is by shortening the sentences and making them less complex. I know of no mechanical aids for this task, but it yields the greatest improvements in readability. For example, see the comparisons at http://www.occc.state.tx.us/pages/Le...ang/PLcomp.htm. -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org |
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