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Original

English
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Translation

Chinese
Open content up so anyone can understand it the first time they read it, without losing substance, nuance or precision. Aim to open up, not dumb down. Apply the GOV.UK style guide approach: plain English, user needs first, active voice, front-loaded structure and accessible formatting.
Use this skill for reports, research write-ups, guidance, documentation, summaries, and public-facing prose where clarity and accessibility matter. When writing a report, default to this style. When briefing a research agent, pass this skill so the report follows the same style.
开放内容,让任何人在第一次阅读时就能理解,而不失去实质、细微差别或精确性。目标是开放内容,而不是简化内容。应用GOV.UK风格指南的方法:简明英语、用户需求优先、主动语态、前置结构和无障碍格式。
将此skill用于报告、研究撰写、指南、文档、摘要以及清晰度和可访问性重要的面向公众的散文。写报告时,默认使用此风格。向研究Agent简报时,传递此skill,以便报告遵循相同的风格。

Content design principles

内容设计原则

  • Start from the user need. Write what the reader needs to know to do or decide something, not what the writer wants to say.
  • Front-load everything. Put the most important point first in the document, each section, each paragraph and each sentence. Use the inverted pyramid: conclusion first, then detail, then background.
  • Keep one idea per sentence and one topic per paragraph. Split sentences that contain more than one idea.
  • Be specific and concrete. Give the number, name and date. Cut vague abstractions like "a range of", "going forward" and "in terms of".
  • Cut everything that does not add meaning. Shorter is clearer. Remove duplication.
  • 从用户需求出发。写出读者需要知道的信息以采取行动或做出决定,而不是作者想说的内容。
  • 前置一切。将最重要的点放在文档、每个部分、每个段落和每个句子的开头。使用倒金字塔结构:先结论,后细节,最后背景。
  • 每句话只表达一个想法,每段只讨论一个主题。拆分包含多个想法的句子。
  • 具体且明确。给出数字、名称和日期。删除模糊的抽象表达,如“一系列”、“今后”和“就…而言”。
  • 删除所有不增加意义的词。越短越清晰。去除重复。

Plain English

简明英语

  • Open content up, do not dumb it down. Keep the substance, nuance and precision. Strip out only what makes it hard to read: jargon, long sentences, abstract nouns and tangled structure. Make the content clear enough for a non-specialist and precise enough for an expert.
  • Use the active voice. Say who does what. Write "We reviewed the data", not "The data was reviewed".
  • Keep sentences short: about 15 to 20 words, and rarely more than 25. Keep paragraphs short.
  • Use everyday words. Replace jargon and formal wording with plain alternatives:
    • use, not utilise or leverage
    • help, not facilitate or empower
    • work with, not collaborate, liaise or engage with
    • make or provide, not deliver
    • about, not in relation to or with regard to
    • so, not in order to
    • start, not commence
    • end, not terminate
    • buy, not purchase
    • enough, not sufficient
    • solve, fix or deal with, not tackle or combat
    • effect on, not impact on
  • Do not use impact as a verb.
  • Avoid metaphors and cliches: drive, unlock, deep dive, robust, key, ring-fence, hub, portal, landscape, ecosystem and going forward.
  • Address the reader as "you". Write about the organisation as "we". Use "they", "them" and "their" rather than gendered pronouns. Write "disabled people", not "the disabled".
  • Use contractions for a warmer tone when appropriate, such as "we'll" and "you'll". Avoid negative contractions: write "cannot", not "can't". Avoid "should've", "could've" and "would've".
  • 开放内容,而不是简化内容。保留实质、细微差别和精确性。只去除使其难以阅读的部分:行话、长句、抽象名词和缠结的结构。使内容对非专家足够清晰,对专家足够精确。
  • 使用主动语态。说明谁做了什么。写“我们审查了数据”,而不是“数据被审查了”。
  • 保持句子简短:约15到20个词,很少超过25个。保持段落简短。
  • 使用日常用语。用简单的替代词替换行话和正式措辞:
    • 用“use”,而不是“utilise”或“leverage”
    • 用“help”,而不是“facilitate”或“empower”
    • 用“work with”,而不是“collaborate”、“liaise”或“engage with”
    • 用“make”或“provide”,而不是“deliver”
    • 用“about”,而不是“in relation to”或“with regard to”
    • 用“so”,而不是“in order to”
    • 用“start”,而不是“commence”
    • 用“end”,而不是“terminate”
    • 用“buy”,而不是“purchase”
    • 用“enough”,而不是“sufficient”
    • 用“solve”、“fix”或“deal with”,而不是“tackle”或“combat”
    • 用“effect on”,而不是“impact on”
  • 不要将“impact”用作动词。
  • 避免隐喻和陈词滥调:“drive”、“unlock”、“deep dive”、“robust”、“key”、“ring-fence”、“hub”、“portal”、“landscape”、“ecosystem”和“going forward”。
  • 将读者称为“你”。将组织称为“我们”。使用“他们”和“他们的”而非有性别指向的代词。写“disabled people”,而不是“the disabled”。
  • 适当使用缩略形式以获得更温暖的语气,例如“we'll”和“you'll”。避免否定缩略形式:写“cannot”而不是“can't”。避免“should've”、“could've”和“would've”。

Formatting

格式

  • Do not use bold or italics for emphasis. Plain words and good structure carry the meaning. Use bold only for a literal interface element in an instruction, for example: select Save. Use single quotation marks for the titles of schemes or documents, not italics.
  • Use sentence case everywhere: headings, titles and table headers. Capitalise only proper nouns.
  • Front-load headings, keep them under about 65 characters, and make them unique and descriptive. Do not use a full stop, dash, slash or question mark in headings. Use headings to help readers skim.
  • Introduce bullet lists with a lead-in line that ends in a colon. Start each bullet lowercase. Keep each bullet to one idea. Do not put "and" or "or" after each bullet. Do not use semicolons. Do not use a full stop after the last bullet unless the bullet is a full sentence.
  • Use a numbered list only for steps readers must follow in order. Write steps as full sentences that end with a full stop. Do not use a lead-in colon.
  • Use descriptive link text that says where the link goes and front-loads the key words. Never write "click here" or "read more". Make link text understandable out of context.
  • Do not use Latin abbreviations. Write "for example" not "eg", "that is" not "ie", and "and so on" or "such as" not "etc". Latin abbreviations confuse some readers and screen readers.
  • Write "and", not "&", except in a registered name or logo.
  • Write "one", but use numerals from 2 upwards. Use the % symbol with numerals, such as 50%. Use £ with no decimals unless there are pence: £75, £75.50. Spell out millions and billions, such as £5 million. Write ranges with "to", not a hyphen: 10 to 20, Monday to Friday.
  • Write dates as "4 June 2026" with no comma or ordinal suffix. Use "to" for ranges, such as "4 to 8 June". Write times as "10am to 11.30am". Use "midday" and "midnight".
  • Do not use FAQs when the content can meet the user need directly. Do not use exclamation marks. Do not use all caps for emphasis.
  • 不要使用粗体或斜体强调。朴素的文字和良好的结构承载意义。仅在对指令中的实际界面元素使用粗体,例如:选择“保存”。方案或文档的标题使用单引号,不要使用斜体。
  • 在所有地方使用句首大写:标题、题目和表头。仅专有名词大写。
  • 前置标题,保持在大约65个字符以内,并使其独特且具有描述性。不要在标题中使用句号、破折号、斜杠或问号。使用标题帮助读者浏览。
  • 用以冒号结尾的引导句引入项目符号列表。每个项目符号以小写字母开头。每个项目符号只表达一个想法。不要在项目符号后加“和”或“或”。不要使用分号。不要在最后一个项目符号后加句号,除非该项目符号是完整句子。
  • 仅当读者必须按顺序遵循步骤时,才使用编号列表。将步骤写成以句号结尾的完整句子。不要使用引导性冒号。
  • 使用描述性链接文本,说明链接指向何处并前置关键词。永远不要写“点击这里”或“阅读更多”。使链接文本在脱离上下文时也能被理解。
  • 不要使用拉丁缩写。写“for example”而不是“eg”,“that is”而不是“ie”,“and so on”或“such as”而不是“etc”。拉丁缩写会混淆一些读者和屏幕阅读器。
  • 写“and”而不是“&”,除非是注册名称或徽标。
  • 写“one”,但从2开始使用数字。使用带数字的%符号,例如50%。使用£时不带小数,除非有便士:£75、£75.50。拼写出百万和十亿,例如500万英镑。使用“to”表示范围,而不是连字符:10到20,周一至周五。
  • 日期写作“4 June 2026”,不带逗号或序数后缀。范围用“to”,例如“4 to 8 June”。时间写作“10am to 11.30am”。使用“midday”和“midnight”。
  • 当内容可以直接满足用户需求时,不要使用常见问题解答。不要使用感叹号。不要使用全大写强调。

Before finishing: self-check

完成前:自查

  • Is the single most important thing first?
  • Could a non-expert understand every sentence on first read?
  • Is every sentence active, short and focused on one idea?
  • Have all bold or italic emphasis, jargon, Latin abbreviations and marketing language been removed?
  • Is everything in sentence case, with descriptive headings and links?
  • Can any more words be cut without losing meaning? If yes, cut them.
  • 最重要的事情是否放在首位?
  • 非专家能否在第一次阅读时理解每个句子?
  • 每个句子是否都是主动语态、简短且聚焦于一个想法?
  • 是否已删除所有粗体或斜体强调、行话、拉丁缩写和营销语言?
  • 是否所有内容都使用句首大写,并具有描述性标题和链接?
  • 是否还能在不失去意义的情况下删除更多词语?如果是,就删除它们。

Scope note

适用范围说明

The no-bold and formatting rules apply to produced prose, such as reports, guidance and summaries. Keep the conventions of code, data tables and direct quotations. Markdown headings and lists are acceptable because they provide structure, not emphasis.
无粗体和格式规则适用于生成的散文,如报告、指南和摘要。保留代码、数据表和直接引用的惯例。Markdown标题和列表是可接受的,因为它们提供结构,而非强调。

Source

来源

Imported and adapted from the public gist at https://gist.github.com/fofr/505e225f9bf5e839d30c12ba6bfa0be2.