Example Acrolinx Language Analysis
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4/9/2014 Scorecard
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Quality 74
Categories
94 1 issue
79 4 issues
100 0 issues
24 48 issues
Voice
81
48
73
Document Information index.html
• Kath Straub
• Wed Apr 09 09:51:47 EDT 2014
• Plain_English
• 1131 words / 173 sentences
• 6.5 words is the average sentence length
• 0 issues found in read-only sections
Administrative Information
Checking Information
Scorecard index.html
SEO
Terminology
Spelling
Grammar
Style
Reuse
Readability
Informality
Liveliness
1
Terminology 1 issue
Deprecated
Admitted
1
4
0
48
Scorecard
SEO
Terminology
Spelling
Grammar
Style
Reuse
Readability
Informality
Liveliness
Term Term Set Suggestion Context
such
(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Look for red flags, such as:
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21Valid
Term Term Set Suggestion Context
You did not choose the option to check for admitted terms.
Term Term Set Context
opportunity(1 occurrence)
Plain_English American consumers should have theopportunity to use credit to build a better futurefor themselves and their loved ones.
opportunities(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Credit discrimination prevents people from havingaccess to these opportunities, and can makecredit more expensive.
Opportunity(3 occurences)
Plain_English The Equal Credit Opportunity Act makes it illegalfor a creditor to discriminate in any aspect of credittransaction based on certain characteristics.
practices(1 occurrence)
Plain_English In addition, the Fair Housing Act makes manydiscrimination practices in home financing illegal.
Opportunity(3 occurences)
Plain_English The Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity
communications(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Walking away and continuing the discussion later,if you so choose, is a good way to controlcommunications with the lender.
Information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Additional Information.
Information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Additional Information.
information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Below you will find links to additional informationabout your fair lending rights:
information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Below you will find links to additional informationabout your fair lending rights:
information(2 occurences)
Plain_English For more information on credit discrimination,download our brochure.
information(2 occurences)
Plain_English For more information on credit discrimination,download our brochure.
Department(2 occurences)
Plain_English Department of Housing and Urban Development:
Development(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Department of Housing and Urban Development:
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New
Spelling 4 issues
Issue Suggestion Context
fairer(2 occurences)
airer,pairer,Pairer
You can help us protect consumers and create afairer marketplace even if you don’t want to file acomplaint.
fairer(2 occurences)
airer,pairer,Pairer
Help inform how we protect consumers & create afairer marketplace.
nuestro(1 occurrence)
Visite nuestro sitio web en español
sitio(1 occurrence)
Visite nuestro sitio web en español
Order by: Rule | OccurrenceGrammar 0 issues
Opportunity(3 occurences)
Plain_English More about the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (yen español).
Department(2 occurences)
Plain_English Department of Justice:
Information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Information for:
Information(2 occurences)
Plain_English Information for:
calendar(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Leadership calendar
Administrative(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Administrative adjudication
adjudication(1 occurrence)
Plain_English Administrative adjudication
Term Context
You did not choose the option to check for new terms.
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Issue Suggestion
Order by: Rule | OccurrenceStyle 48 issues
Issue Suggestion
complex or long word
What protections do I have against credit
discrimination?
avoid noun cluster
> Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
complex or long word
What protections do I have against credit
discrimination?
complex or long word
What protections do I have against credit
discrimination?
avoid modal verbs
American consumers should have the opportunity touse credit to build a better future for themselves and
their loved ones.
complex or long word
Credit discrimination prevents people from havingaccess to these opportunities, and can make credit
more expensive.
complex or long word
What is credit discrimination?
complex or long word
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act makes it illegal for
a creditor to discriminate in any aspect of credittransaction based on certain characteristics.
complex or long word
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The Equal Credit Opportunity Act makes it illegal fora creditor to discriminate in any aspect of credittransaction based on certain characteristics.
complex or long word
In addition, the Fair Housing Act makes manydiscrimination practices in home financing illegal.
complex or long word
What is credit discrimination?
complex or long word
How I can protect myself from credit discrimination
complex or long word
Offer you credit on terms that are less favorable, likea higher interest rate, than terms offered to someonewith similar qualifications
simplify word
On the basis of: From: Based on: By:
complex or long word
How can I protect myself from credit discrimination?
complex or long word
Credit discrimination is often hidden or evenunintentional, which makes it hard to spot.
complex or long word
Credit discrimination is often hidden or evenunintentional, which makes it hard to spot.
use bulleted list
You hear the lender make negative commentsabout race, national origin, sex, or other protectedgroups.
avoid complex sentences
You are denied credit, but not given a reason why ortold how to find out why.
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use complementizer
If you believe a lender has discriminated againstyou for any reason, you can file a complaint.
If you believe that a lenderhas discriminated againstyou for any reason, you canfile a complaint.
complex or long word
If you believe a lender has discriminated againstyou for any reason, you can file a complaint.
Sentence too long: 30 words
Learn more about what factors lenders can considerin deciding whether to lend money and deciding whatfeatures to offer, like the interest rate or the term of theloan.
avoid complex sentences
Learn more about what factors lenders can considerin deciding whether to lend money and decidingwhat features to offer, like the interest rate or the termof the loan.
avoid hidden verbs
Creditors will make decisions based on your credithistory.
use complementizer
Be sure there are no mistakes or missing items inyour credit reports.
Be sure that there are nomistakes or missing items inyour credit reports.
use complementizer
Be sure you understand the rates and fees you willpay over the long run.
Be sure that youunderstand the rates andfees you will pay over thelong run.
Sentence too long: 29 words
Ask whether the rates and fees quoted to you by yourlender are set, or if there are any circumstances inwhich the quoted rates and fees could change.
avoid complex sentences
Ask whether the rates and fees quoted to you by
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your lender are set, or if there are any circumstancesin which the quoted rates and fees could change.
complex or long word
Ask whether the rates and fees quoted to you by your
lender are set, or if there are any circumstances inwhich the quoted rates and fees could change.
use "this/that/these/those" with noun
If a creditor does not want to answer your questions,
this could be a bad sign.
avoid modal verbs
Your lender shouldn’t make you feel rushed, orunnecessarily delay action on your application.
complex or long word
Your lender shouldn’t make you feel rushed, or
unnecessarily delay action on your application.
avoid modal verbs
Remember, the product that works for you today maynot work for you down the road.
avoid needless word
To learn more about the Office of Fair Lending and
CFPB’s fair lending efforts, please read our recentreport to Congress or our recent blog posts.
complex or long word
Within the consumer bureau, the Office of Fair
Lending works to ensure fair, equitable, and
nondiscriminatory access to credit for bothindividuals and communities through:
avoid noun cluster
Enforcement and oversight of Federal fair lendinglaws;; and
avoid complex coordination
Promotion of fair lending compliance and educationamong industry, fair lending, civil rights, andconsumer and community advocates.
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use bulleted list
Promotion of fair lending compliance and educationamong industry, fair lending, civil rights, andconsumer and community advocates.
avoid noun cluster
Assistant Director Patrice Alexander Ficklin leadsthe Office of Fair Lending.
avoid noun cluster
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau:
complex or long word
For more information on credit discrimination,download our brochure.
complex or long word
Helpful tools to protect yourself from discrimination(y en español).
complex or long word
Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, which alsoenforces antidiscrimination laws.
complex or long word
Protections against credit discrimination
avoid noun cluster
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Database
complex or long word
Regulatory implementation
complex or long word
Confidentially report any wrongdoing you haveobserved.
complex or long word
Accessibility
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readability
Readable text is easy to read and understand. Readability is important when you want to communicate a
complex technical concept in a simple way.
For example, suppose that you are writing release notes for a new product release. One of the new features
is quite complex. You must explain what the feature can do and help the reader to understand the main
benefits. You do this by writing in a simple style that is easy to read.
Your goal is to ensure that your readability score is appropriate for your content.
If you're not happy with your readability score, use the following guidelines and explanations to improve the
readability of your text:
Guideline Explanation
Use activevoice
When you use active voice it is clearer who performs the action in the
sentence. Compared to the passive voice, the active voice reduces the
ambiguity in a sentence.
Compare the following examples:
The server must be shut down during the module installationprocedure.
Before you install the module, shut down the server.
Use a simplesubject-verb-objectsentencestructure
A simple subject-verb-object structure makes it clear to the reader what
is happening in the sentence. When it is clear which words are the
subject, verb, and object, the sentence is easier to understand.
Compare the following examples:
The server must be shut down by your administrator.
Your administrator must shut down the server.
Shorten youraveragesentencelength
Shorter sentences increase readability and liveliness. Text is more
enjoyable to read when the reader doesn't have to concentrate too
hard to understand it. Shorter sentences are much easier to
understand than longer ones.
Use fewerembeddedsentences
Embedded sentences are fragments of text in a sentence that you
could easily separate out into another sentence.
Compare the following examples:
Check for errors in the logging window that appears after yourestart the server that was terminated unexpectedly.
Restart the server that terminated unexpectedly. In the loggingwindow that appears, check for errors.
Use fewercomplex words
Complex words are generally longer than simple words and are less
familiar to readers. Complex words slow readers down can force a
reader to read the text twice.
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Compare the following examples:
Recurring diagnostic procedures facilitate efficient utilization ofserver resources.
Regular health checks help you to use your server resourcesmore efficiently.
Remove nounclusters
Noun clusters occur when writers use several nouns to modify another
noun. It becomes difficult for the reader to tell which nouns are
functioning as adjectives
Compare the following examples:
Review our network access cost optimization proposal to find outhow you can save costs.
To find out how you can save costs, review our proposal on howto optimize costs for your network access.
informality
An informal writing style sounds a lot like how we speak. It is relaxed and colloquial. You can use an informal
voice to reduce the distance between yourself and your readers. You build more of a personal bond with
your reader.
For example, suppose that you're writing an internal memo that describes a new business strategy to
everyone in the company. You want people to feel that you understand their concerns. That they can
approach you if they have any questions. Your readers are more likely to feel this way when you use an
informal voice rather than a formal one.
On the other hand, a really informal voice might not be appropriate for a quarterly report to external
shareholders.
Your goal is to ensure that your content has the appropriate level of informality for your target audience.
If you're not happy with your informality score, use the following guidelines and explanations to change the
informality of your text:
Guideline Explanation
Use first andsecondpronouns
First and second person pronouns help to give the sense that you are
one person in a private conversation with another person. First person
pronouns like "our" give the feeling of inclusiveness, and help the
reader to feel like they are part of the group.
Compare the following examples:
It is common knowledge in the organization, that manydepartments have been preoccupied with planning the upcomingrelease.
As you all know, preparations and discussions for the upcomingrelease have kept many of us really busy.
If you're communicating on behalf of an organization, you'll want to use
the plural pronoun "we". The "we" gives the idea that you're
representing a group of people who all want to help the reader meet
their goals.
Compare the following examples:
Due to a significant amount of user feedback, the interface hasbeen updated to automatically store the settings from the
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previous session.
We've listened to your feedback. It was loud and clear. So we've
updated our product to give you what you asked for. Now, when
you log in, you get your settings from the last time that you were
logged in.
Usecontractions
Contractions shorten a sentence and make the sentence sound morelike a conversation. In spoken conversation, we usually usecontractions rather than the full form.
Compare the following examples:
If you have a problem with your installation, do not hesitate to
contact us. We are ready for your call.
If you've got a problem with your installation, don't hesitate to
contact us. We're ready for your call.
Use discoursemarkers
Discourse markers are words that let you know that a speaker wants toengage you in a discussion.
When we have a discussion, we say things like "so anyway, we thinkthat..." or "on the other hand, you might want to..." or "The thing is, weshould really...".
These kinds of expressions are discourse markers. Discourse markersengage the reader and make it sound like you're having a privatediscussion with them.
Compare the following examples:
If you look at how the industry is changing, you'll notice a few
interesting trends. People are relying more on community-
created content. But how much of it is high quality?
Now, if you look at how the industry is changing, you'll notice a
few interesting trends. First off, people are relying more on
community-created content. How much of it is high quality
though?
livelinessLively text is exciting and compelling to read. Liveliness is important when you want to convince the readerand inspire confidence.
For example, a promotional brochure about your products should engage the reader and convince them thatyour product can meet their needs. Liveliness might not be as important for other types of text such assystem requirements.
Your goal is to ensure that your content has the appropriate level of liveliness for your target audience.
If you're not happy with your liveliness score, use the following guidelines and explanations to improve theliveliness of your text:
Guideline Explanation
Use incompletesentencesoccasionally
Incomplete sentences create a sense of suspense. Compare thefollowing examples
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When processes work efficiently, customers get results and
employees are more productive - both of which are beneficial for
business.
When your processes work efficiently, everyone benefits.
Customers get results. Employees are more productive.
Vary yoursentencelength
Like incomplete sentences, varied sentence lengths make your textmore exciting to read. When the rhythm of a text is less predicable,readers pay more attention to what you are saying.
Shorten youraveragesentencelength
Shorter sentences increase readability and liveliness. Text is moreenjoyable to read when the reader doesn't have to concentrate toohard to understand it. Shorter sentences are much easier tounderstand than longer ones.
Use an activevoice
When you address the reader directly, the user feels more engaged.
Compare the following examples:
The Business Dashboard supports market-leading applications,
includes technologies that facilitate business growth and can be
deployed on the platform of your choice.
Our systems and applications work with yours. And because the
Dashboard is so reliable, you can count on it to work when
you’re working.
Ask the readerquestionsoccasionally
When you ask the reader questions, they are encouraged to readfurther and search for the answers to the question.