European Commission

Clear Writing Guide

Translation
Foreword
Clear communication is at the core of what makes or breaks our Clear writing is also about improving how we work with each other in
European project. We can deliver the best policies and achievements the Commission. Whether it is a desk officer drafting a briefing for a
for Europeans but if we don’t manage to communicate, no one will ever Commissioner or a Commissioner sending a message to desk officers:
know. What is worse, in this age of fake news, people may even be told the principles remain the same. Think of your reader and keep it short
the opposite and actually believe it. and simple. As Albert Einstein said, “everything should be made as
simple as possible, but not simpler”.
In this regard, the pen – or rather the keyboard – is truly our sword.
Most people learn about the EU by reading and most of our outreach These are some of the principles in this Commission Clear Writing
to citizens is done with the written word. We should therefore strive to Guide. It is a companion to the Commission Style Guide, which gives
make our written communication as clear, concise and consistent as guidance on stylistic features to respect in our writing. The Clear Writing
possible. We must park the jargon and use language that everyone can Guide expands on the 10 clear writing principles using examples from
understand. Why say ‘amending the legal framework’ when you can Commission texts. It is an online product, in line with the digital and
simply say ‘changing the rules’? green objectives of the Commission.

We can only win by writing clearly. Our legislation becomes more I strongly encourage all staff to read this guide and to use it in all the
understandable, our online information accessible. People can read our texts you write. I also hope you will consider doing training courses and
communications and strategies, participate in debates and make their participate in our clear writing competitions. By doing so, you will help
voices heard. Clear writing will help us make the European democracy yourself get your ideas across and you will help all of us to bring Europe
even stronger. closer to the people we serve.

Johannes Hahn
Commissioner for Budget and Administration
European Commission staff have
to write many different types of Contents
documents. Whatever the type
Section 1. Principles
– legislation, a technical report,
minutes, a press release, speech or p.4 Principle 1 – Think before you write,

website – a document will be more think of your reader

effective and more easily and quickly p.8 Principle 2 – Structure your document
understood if it is clear. p.16 Principle 3 – Keep it short and simple (KISS)
Now that so much of what we write p.28 Principle 4 – Use verbs instead of nouns
is published online and available
p.30 Principle 5 – Prefer active verbs to passive ones
to everyone, writing clearly is all
the more important. Clearly written p.34 Principle 6 – Be precise, not vague
documents that people can easily p.38 Principle 7 – Know your false friends
understand improve the public p.50 Principle 8 – Beware of jargon
image of the EU.
p.58 Principle 9 – Avoid using abbreviations
Claire is the face of the and foreign expressions
Commission’s clear writing
p.62 Principle 10 – Revise and check
campaign. As her name (meaning
‘clear’ in French) suggests, she is an
expert on clear writing. In this guide
Section 2. Usage
she gives some principles, not rules,
that will help you avoid common p.66 Grammar
pitfalls and write clearly in English. p.72 Vocabulary

For advice in other languages see p.77 Punctuation

the How to write clearly guides.
Clear Writing Guide | 6 Section 1. Principles 7

Principle Think 1. Clear thinking

before you write, think Clear writing starts with clear thinking. Before you start writing,

of your reader be clear in your own mind:

z Why are you writing?

z What is your main message?
z What are you trying to achieve?
z Who is your audience?

Doing this will help you decide what content to include (and what to
leave out), as well as what vocabulary you use and how strict you
need to be about filtering out jargon.

What must your document cover?

A clear, well-structured text should answer (most of) the following
seven questions:

z What is being done?

z Who is doing it (to whom)?
z When is it being done?
z Where is it being done?
z How is it being done?
z Why is it being done?
z How much is involved (resources, time, etc.)?
Clear Writing Guide | 8 Section 1. Principles 9

Be relevant and interesting Address your reader

Always consider your readers: the people you are really writing for, Involve your reader by using ‘you’ and ‘your’, especially
not just your boss! What do they already know, and what might you when providing instructions or guidance. This is clearer and
need to explain? Imagine why they are reading your document and more reader-friendly than using the passive voice or an
the questions they might ask. Thinking of your readers in this way will impersonal construction.
help you keep your message relevant.

Three main groups of people read Commission documents: DON’T WRITE THIS: INSTEAD, ADDRESS
Respondents are YOUR READER:
z EU insiders – colleagues in the Commission or other institutions
requested to set You should
z outside specialists
out in their project describe how your
z the general public.
description how their project will achieve
IF YOU’RE WRITING FOR IF YOU’RE WRITING FOR THE the programme’s
project will contribute
INSIDERS OR EXPERTS: GENERAL PUBLIC:
to achieving the objectives.
The legal framework The EU’s rules on wine-
objectives of the
governing authorised making practices have been
programme.
oenological practices has changed.
been amended.

Commission texts don’t have to be difficult to understand!

Your message will be so much more effective if it is
Readability checklist
presented in an interesting way and engages the reader, for Do you know who your audience is?
example by using real examples to illustrate your issue. If your document is for the general public, would non-experts
understand it?
Give people only the information they need and avoid being
Is all content relevant?
unnecessarily formal. Leave out as many details of internal
Are all instructions clear, logical and easy to follow?
procedures as you can — they are meaningless to many
readers, and insiders probably know them already.
Clear Writing Guide | 10 Section 1. Principles 11

Principle Structure 2. Funding the CEF Funding for the

your document CEF

Create an outline, use headings Remember to keep headings short yet meaningful: ideally, they
should fit on one line. You could use the questions you imagine your
Once you are clear about the purpose of your document, your
reader would ask to help you create your headings.
readership and what information you need to include, you can create
an outline of your document. Make sure your ideas flow logically. Adding a table of contents will also help readers navigate your

Use this outline and your answers to the seven questions to create document. If you use a lot of technical terms, consider adding

informative headings and subheadings. This will help readers navigate a glossary rather than breaking up the text with footnotes or

your document and find key information more quickly. explanations.

The Commission Style Guide has templates for many document types.

Clear paragraphs
Each paragraph should develop just one topic or idea. The opening
sentence of the paragraph should outline that main idea, and the
following ones explain or build on it. If your paragraph exceeds 5 or
6 sentences, check you’re still discussing the same idea. We want to
allow white space on the page and avoid creating a wall of text!

To ensure you have a logical flow of ideas, pay attention to link words
See Principle 3 and page 22.
Clear Writing Guide | 12 Section 1. Principles 13

Clear sentences
Having one main idea per sentence will keep your message clear.
Member States must, Under Article 4 of the
Overloaded sentences with several clauses expressing multiple pieces
under Article 4 of the Directive, Member
of information can make it difficult for the reader to follow your logic.
Directive, provide States must provide
To make sure your sentences link with each other, begin each the Commission with the Commission with
sentence with known information and add new information at the quarterly statistics and quarterly statistics and
end – that’s the bit readers will remember. Don’t bury important analysis. analysis.
information in the middle of sentences. Giving sentences strong
endings will help your text to flow.
Create clear sentences by putting the actions in the order in
The programme The programme which they occur.
promotes access to promotes access to
finance for small finance for small Its decision on the 1 When all the applicants
businesses. Loans businesses. The main allocation of EU have submitted their
and venture capital types of finance in assistance will be taken project applications,
are the main types of question are loans and subsequent to receipt of 2 the Award Committee
finance in question. venture capital. all projects applications
will meet
and the Award
3 to decide
Committee’s meeting.
English prefers straightforward syntax. Keep your sentences clear by 4 how much EU aid it will
keeping the main verb next to the subject, not separating them with grant to each.
subclauses or other detail.
Clear Writing Guide | 14 Section 1. Principles 15

Use visuals and bullet points

Sometimes a long sentence is simply a list. Using bullet points will To improve conviction rates, Member States
make lists clearer and help show where each item ends. It will also should step up efforts to investigate and
improve readability by creating white space on the page. prosecute the crime, improve the collection
If you don’t have enough space to use bullets, or already have of reliable data, tackle the methods used
too many bulleted lists in your document, a good alternative is to by perpetrators, the impact of targeted
introduce each point in running text with a roman numeral and to end awareness-raising and training measures, and
each one with a semicolon focus on the early identification of victims.

Take care that each item in a bulleted list is a grammatically correct

continuation of the introduction to the list. Be consistent: start each
bullet point either with a verb or with a noun; don’t mix them in the To improve conviction rates, Member States
same list. Check the rules on lists in the Commission Style Guide. should:
Can your information be expressed visually? You can cut words by • step up efforts to investigate and prosecute
using icons, graphs and tables rather than text. the crime;

• improve the collection of reliable data;

• tackle the methods used by perpetrators;

• analyse the impact of targeted awareness-

raising and training measures; and

• focus on the early identification of victims.

Clear Writing Guide | 16 Section 1. Principles 17

Starting and ending your document Three common pitfalls

The introduction is the first (and sometimes the only!) part at the European Commission
people will read. It should tell readers what your document is Recycling another document without adapting it properly
about and why they should read it. It is much better to open
We are often drafting under time pressure. If you are reusing
with a compelling story, example or question that illustrates
text from previous documents, take care to adapt it properly.
the impact of the policy or measures discussed in your
Make sure you update all references, links and dates. Don’t
document than to offer general observations or platitudes.
assume the ‘old’ material is clearly written; you may need to
If your document does not have an introduction, use an re-work it.
executive summary to set out your main points or findings.
Where you have results/findings to report, limit your
Cutting and pasting
executive summary to these. Keep scene-setting information
to a bare minimum — such information belongs in the You may need to use text from a variety of sources to

introduction, not in the executive summary. If your document create your new document. Check that the terminology is

has both an introduction and an executive summary, make consistent, that the ideas still flow and that you haven’t

sure you don’t simply repeat the same information Try to cut repeated yourself.

out all jargon and make the summary a stand-alone text. Remember to think of your readers: the language used in a

After the introduction or executive summary, the conclusion policy paper will not be the same as that used online or in a

is the most frequently read part of many documents. brochure for the public. Take care to adapt the copied text to

A reader may skip everything in between to get to the the new context and not to let jargon slip through.

conclusion. Make your conclusion concise and to the point.

Don’t bring in new information, but sum up and say what Integrating comments
will happen next. If you are writing the conclusion of a report Check that additions to your original draft do not introduce
with specific findings, make sure your conclusion focuses on new ideas or concepts that distort the flow of your text.
the findings. Are all the additions really relevant? Remember, you may
need to reword earlier parts to accommodate these new
insertions.
Clear Writing Guide | 18 Section 1. Principles 19

Principle Keep 3.
it short and simple
Keep it short
The value of a document does not increase the longer it
gets. Readers will thank you for getting to the point! Shorter
documents with shorter sentences tend to have more
impact.

Use natural, straightforward language that keeps your

document human.

Keep sentences short

Aim for an average of 15-20 words per sentence. Check
this using Word’s readability tool.1

If a sentence is longer than 25 words, think about splitting

it. However, don’t sacrifice the words that make the logical
link to the previous sentence, for example ‘however’, or ‘so’.
Cutting out these link words risks making your text hard to
understand.

1
File > Options > Proofing > tick ‘Check grammar with spelling’ and ‘Show readability statistics’.
Clear Writing Guide | 20 Section 1. Principles 21

DON’T WRITE THIS: Replace wordy phrasing with simple, everyday language
These initiatives target both fixed and mobile
markets as well as both demand and supply
and aim at further increasing the country’s
in view of the fact that because
coverage and take-up of broadband, but their
effects may be mitigated by the fact that the
concerning, regarding, on
telecommunication sector was subject to extensive
relating to
taxation in recent years that may limit the
capabilities of telecom operators to invest, and the
The contractor will The contractor will
lack of price competition in mobile broadband.
carry out reviews with carry out reviews to
67 words
a view to assisting assist the Commission in
the Commission monitoring EU-funded
INSTEAD, SPLIT THE SENTENCE: with respect to the projects.
These initiatives target both fixed and mobile monitoring of EU-funded
markets as well as both demand and supply. projects.
15 words
They aim to further increase the country’s
Use short words, not long ones
coverage and take-up of broadband.
12 words
Keep your text concise by opting for short words.
However, their effects may be mitigated by
extensive taxation of the telecommunication
sector in recent years, which may limit telecom
operators’ ability to invest.
24 words
consequently so
The lack of price competition in mobile broadband
may also weaken the impact of the initiatives. objective goal/aim
16 words

constitutes is
Clear Writing Guide | 22 Section 1. Principles 23

Keep it simple Cut out unnecessary, redundant words,

and don’t state the obvious
Be consistent
This is laid down This is laid down
You may think using synonyms will stop your document being boring,
in the existing in the relevant
but using different words to refer to the same thing can confuse
relevant legislation legislation.
your reader. Avoid ambiguity by using consistent terminology and
currently in force.
not varying words just for ‘style’. Such variation may also have a
knock-on effect for translation, obliging the translator to reproduce a It should be noted These measures have
distinction where there is none. Keep your text interesting by varying at this point that been in place since
your vocabulary for less integral terms, for example the verbs you these measures have 2015, whereas the
use. been in place since Lisbon Treaty was
2015., the Treaty of signed in 2007
The programme Are we talking about
Lisbon was signed in
aims to help three separate things (a
2007
national authorities programme, a project
fight corruption. and an initiative)? If in Don’t repeat yourself
The project was fact they refer to the
implemented in same thing, write: The Commission will The Commission will
cooperation with undertake a joint work together with
The programme
local partners. The venture together social partners to
aims to help national
initiative involved with social partners help people move into
authorities fight
measures such as… to help people move new areas of work.
corruption. It was
into new areas of
implemented in
work.
cooperation with
local partners.
The programme
involved measures
such as…
Clear Writing Guide | 24 Section 1. Principles 25

Here are some more ways to keep it short and simple:

LINKING PHRASES

as well as and in the event that/of if

in addition also in the case that if

in order to to on condition that if

with a view to to therefore, in this way, thereby so

for the purpose of to in order that so

notwithstanding the fact that although accordingly, consequently so

despite/in spite of the fact that although if this is the case if so

because of the fact that because subsequent to after

due to the fact that because prior to before

in view of the fact that because with regard to / with respect to / with about, on
reference to / as regards / regarding,
in light of the fact that because concerning / relating to, pertaining to
on the grounds that because in the field / area / context / framework in, under
of
owing to the fact that because
pursuant to under
on account of the fact that because
with the exception of except

except to the extent that unless

Clear Writing Guide | 26 Section 1. Principles 27

ELABORATE PHRASING NUMBERS, QUANTITIES

it is incumbent upon [you / X [you / X person] must a certain number of some, several
person] to
a sufficient/adequate enough
it is essential that [you, etc.] [you / X person] must number of
has a requirement for requires an appreciable number many, a lot
of
afford an opportunity allow
a substantial number of many, a lot of
experienced a steep drop/rise fell/rose
the majority of most
it can be concluded this means
no less than at least
provide the possibility for enable
approximately about
is of the opinion that believes
a large proportion of, many of
reach an agreement agree
high level/amount/
at an accelerated pace rapidly volume/extent of

have a positive impact on / effect improve

a positive change on

make a recommendation recommend

make use of use

all over the world globally, worldwide

contribute to the provision of help provide

Clear Writing Guide | 28 Section 1. Principles 29

TIME PHRASES

at the time when when

at the present time; at this point in now

time

on the occasion of on

during such time as while

in a timely manner on time, promptly

in/during the course of during

at the present time now, currently

at the very latest not exceeding

no later than
[X days/weeks/months/years]

in advance of before

for [X days/weeks/
for a period of
months/years]

in the period [date range] in [date range]

in the near future soon

daily/monthly – or
on a daily (monthly, etc.) basis
every day/month

until such time as until

Clear Writing Guide | 30 Section 1. Principles 31

Principle Use 4. give consideration to consider

verbs instead of nouns make a recommend

recommendation
One simple way to write clearly is to use verbs rather than nouns
submit an apply
when describing an action. Your writing will sound more lively and less
application
bureaucratic!
conduct an investigate
investigation
The law provides for The law provides
carry out a check check
a transitional period for a transitional
for the completion period to complete
of the screening and screening and to
b e
able;have the abilitycanconduct an
analysisanalyzegive a descriptiondescribegive a
presentationpresentgive your authorizationauthorizehavetheintention-
intend; planmake a changechangemake a decisiondecidemake a
promisepromisemake a recommendationrecommendmake an attemptattemptoffer a

the establishment establish a single

suggestionsuggesttake under considerationconsider be able;have the abilitycanconduct
an analysisanalyzegive a descriptiondescribegive a presentationpresentgive your
authorizationauthorizehavetheintentionintend; planmake a changechangemake a
decisiondecidemake a promisepromisemake a recommendationrecommendmake an
attemptattemptoffer a suggestionsuggesttake under considerationconsider be able;have
the abilitycanconduct an analysisanalyzegive a descriptiondescribegive a
presentationpresentgive your authorizationauthorizehavetheintentionintend;

of a single contact contact point.

planmake a changechangemake a decisiondecidemake a
promisepromisemake a recommendationrecommendmake an
attemptattemptoffer a suggestionsuggesttake under

We rarely use
considerationconsider

point.
long, bureaucratic
A single verb can also replace a noun + verb construction: constructions when
speaking, so try writing
Analysis of Efficiency can be
like you talk. It may
efficiency can be analysed at various
help you draft in a
carried out at levels.
more natural, less
various levels.
abstract way. This is
The management The management particularly important if
team is responsible team is responsible your readership is the
for undertaking for planning the general public, or in the
the planning of the unit’s tasks’. parts of briefing notes
unit’s tasks’. that will be spoken.
Clear Writing Guide | 32 Section 1. Principles 33

Principle Prefer 5. Under the fourth

policy package
The fourth policy
package provides
active verbs to passive specific enforcement for specific

ones measures are

provided for.
enforcement
measures.

Sentences are usually

A report on data The Commission
clearer, shorter
protection standards has issued a report
and grammatically
in the EU has been on data protection
simpler if verbs are
issued by the standards in the EU.
in the active voice
Commission.
rather than the
passive.
Using the active voice forces you to say who is carrying out the
action. This helps the reader, and can also help you clarify your
thinking.

Next year, the Next year, Next year, the

first ever EU CO2 the first ever EU Commission
emission standards CO2 emission will propose the
for lorries will be standards for first ever EU CO2
proposed. lorries will be emission standards
proposed by the for lorries.
Commission.
Clear Writing Guide | 34 Section 1. Principles Lorem
ipsum dolor sit amet, consec-
tetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy
35
nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna
aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam,
quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl
ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum
iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie conse-
quat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et
accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent
luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla
facilisi.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cons ectetuer
adipiscing elit, sed diam nonum-
my nibh

But there’s a role for the passive…

The passive is not to be avoided at all costs though. It can
be useful if you wish to focus on what was done rather than
who did it, or if there is no need to say who was responsible
for the action because it’s obvious.

Aim for no more than 25% passive sentences. You can

check this using Word’s readability tool2.

It may also be more diplomatic to use the passive to avoid

pointing the finger.

All staff are encouraged to write clearly.

No comprehensive measures were adopted at the last

Board meeting. The passive is also better when the subject of the sentence is long and
complex, as using the active voice overloads the start of the sentence.

The report found The report found that The relative The current
that X is making inadequate progress novelty of the shortcomings may
inadequate progress is being made system, lack of be explained by the
in implementing in implementing awareness among relative novelty of
the Council’s the Council’s potential users the system, lack of
recommendations. recommendations. and technical and awareness among
administrative potential users,
difficulties may and technical and
explain the current administrative
2
File > Options > Proofing > tick ‘Check grammar with spelling’ and ‘Show readability statistics’
shortcomings. difficulties.
Clear Writing Guide | 36 Section 1. Principles 37

Principle 6. Abstract language can be vague and can alienate your

Be precise,
readers by making them work much harder to understand
what you mean. Worse still, they might give up or even

not vague suspect you’re hiding something.

Unless you have a good reason to be vague, say what you

mean! Replace ambiguous, imprecise expressions or words
with precise language that everyone can understand. Your
text will be clearer, more meaningful and often shorter too.

Further salary Pay was frozen.

progression was
suspended.

These measures will These measures will

have a positive improve/boost
impact on performance in the
performance in the sector.
sector.
Clear Writing Guide | 38 Section 1. Principles 39

Use the positive form,

avoid double negatives
There were no fewer There were at least DON’T WRITE THIS: IF YOU MEAN THIS: OR SIMPLY THIS:
than 250 people at 250 people at the To ensure its To ensure To ensure its
the conference. conference. successful the facility is success, the
implementation, launched facility should
The Commission The Commission
the financial successfully, it have its funding
never acts without always consults
envelope for the should be given a increased.
consulting stakeholders before
implementation larger operating
stakeholders. acting.
of the facility budget.
should be
increased.

Implement DON’T WRITE THIS: IF YOU MEAN THIS:

‘Implement’ is often used in EU texts, but it is not always as The measures will be The measures will
clear as you might think. It means ‘put into effect’, but the ‘effect’ implemented next be introduced next
depends on the context. year. year.
What will these mean to your reader:
DON’T WRITE THIS: IF YOU MEAN THIS:
z implement a budget — spend money, or manage it?
The Commission The Commission must
z implement projects/measures — introduce or finish them?
must prepare prepare guidance
z implement the law — pass it in parliament, apply it or enforce it?
guidance on how on how to effectively
z implement a fund — administer, operate or use it?
to effectively access access and use/
z implement a solution — think of one, or carry it out?
and implement the administer the
Fund. Fund.
Clear Writing Guide | 40 Section 1. Principles 41

Principle Know 7.
your false friends
False friends are words in two languages that look
similar but that differ in meaning.

In a multilingual environment like the Commission,

interference and borrowing between languages is
common. Using the wrong word can make your meaning
unclear or even change it. Here are some of the most
common ones.
Clear Writing Guide | 42 Section 1. Principles 43

Foresee
‘Foresee’ is one of the most frequently misused words in Commission In other contexts, prévu can mean planned, considered, scheduled,
texts. It is a literal translation of the French prévoir, but ‘to foresee’ envisaged, expected, included or anticipated, but not foreseen.
in English means to predict or forecast the future. If referring to the
‘Using ‘foresee’ can even make your meaning ambiguous, because
provisions laid down in legislation, try provide for, set out, or lay
it may not be clear to the reader whether what is being ‘foreseen’ is
down.
‘planned to happen’ or ‘expected to happen’

DON’T WRITE THIS: A reduction in the base rate of inflation is foreseen for
Article 9 of the Regulation foresees that national the second quarter of the year
supervisory authorities must submit quarterly reports
to the Commission.
Finland has Finland has
INSTEAD, USE ONE OF THESE OPTIONS: implemented the implemented the
Article 9 of the Regulation provides that national foreseen fiscal planned fiscal
supervisory authorities must submit quarterly reports measures. measures.
to the Commission. The office move is The office move is
Article 9 of the Regulation lays down that national foreseen for the end scheduled for the
supervisory authorities must submit quarterly reports of the year. end of the year.
to the Commission.

As set out in Article 9 of the Regulation, national This is the correct way of using ‘foresee’:
supervisory authorities must submit quarterly reports
Some NGOs foresee that by 2050 there will be more
to the Commission.
plastic than fish in the sea.
Under Article 9 of the Regulation, national supervisory
We do not foresee any difficulty in completing the
authorities must submit quarterly reports to the
report on time.
Commission.
Clear Writing Guide | 44 Section 1. Principles 45

Important Delay
‘Important’ in English means ‘significant’. Unlike the French ‘Delay’ looks as if it means the same as the French délai, but it
important, it cannot be used to mean ‘big’. If you want to doesn’t mean the same thing at all. The French word délai refers to a
express size, use ‘major’, ‘significant’ or ‘large’ instead. period of time or a time limit or deadline. In English, if something
is delayed, it means it is late, postponed or held up, i.e. the time limit
An important A large number of has passed.
number of people people took to the
took to the streets streets for the climate
The translation The deadline for
for the climate demonstration.
delay is 15 June. translation is 15 June.
demonstration.

This is an important This is a significant The contractor did The contractor

increase on the increase on the not respect the delay did not meet the
previous pension rate. previous pension rate. for submitting the deadline for
impact assessment. submitting the impact
assessment.
This is the correct way of using ‘important’:
This is the correct way of using ‘delay’:
The introduction of the euro was a very important
step in the process of European integration. Technical issues mean there will be a delay in rolling
out the new platform.
Clear Writing Guide | 46 Section 1. Principles 47

Control Global
‘To control’ is a literal translation of the French contrôler, German In English, ‘global’ generally means ‘worldwide’. While it can also
kontrollieren and similar words in other languages, but in many cases mean ‘relating to or encompassing the whole of something’, in most
the meaning is not the same. When used as a verb, the English word cases a native speaker would probably use a different word. Consider
‘control’ has at least two meanings: writing ‘total’, ‘general’, ‘overall’ or ‘comprehensive’ instead.

1. to exercise power over or to be in charge or command of

something
The global objective The overall objective
2. to limit or to restrict something.
is to improve food is to improve food
Inspectors make Inspectors make and nutrition security and nutrition security
unannounced visits unannounced visits in the EU. in the EU.
to farms to control to farms to check
animal health and animal health and This report presents This report presents
welfare. welfare. a global overview of a comprehensive
Possible synonyms: monitor, check, verify, evaluate, inspect, audit, financial integration overview of financial
direct, assess. in the euro area. integration in the
This is the correct way of using ‘control’: euro area.

This is the correct way of using ‘global’:

The central bank raised interest rates in order to
control inflation.
(i.e. in order to limit inflation) The conference is part of a global initiative to tackle
child labour.
The purpose of this Directive is to control pollution
emissions. The company is part of a global supply chain.
(If the Directive aims to restrict emissions, not just Since the global financial crisis, the network has
monitor them) expanded significantly.
Clear Writing Guide | 48 Section 1. Principles 49

Here are some more of the

most common false friends:
FRENCH TERM USED WHAT WE REALLY MEAN FRENCH TERM USED WHAT WE REALLY MEAN
IN ENGLISH IN ENGLISH

actions actions measures, projects, délai delay deadline, time limit,

schemes, steps, work, period (of time)
action (singular)
demande demand (noun/ request (noun)
actuel actual current, topical, present demander verb) ask (verb)

actuellement actually currently détaché (expert detached seconded

national)
adéquat adequate suitable, appropriate
disposer de dispose of have/possess
aides (financières) aids aid, assistance ‘dispose of’ usually (something),
means ‘get rid of’ be equipped with
assister à assist at attend, participate in, be in English
present at
élaborer elaborate (verb) draft, develop, produce,
assurer (le suivi, assure provide, ensure draw up, prepare,
l’accès, etc.) devise, describe
attribuer attribute to allocate to, assign to, élément element part, component, item,
award to, constituent
give, earmark
envisager de… envisage to… consider/contemplate/
compléter complete supplement anticipate (doing),
plan/expect (to do)
contrôler control check, inspect, verify,
contrôles controls monitor, supervise; établir establish draw up, draft, produce,
checks, inspections, set up, compile, create,
audits lay down
définir (projet, define design, draw up, lay éventuel eventual any, possible, potential
règles) down, establish, set out,
shape éventuellement eventually possibly, perhaps
définitivement definitely definitively, finally,
permanently
Clear Writing Guide | 50 Section 1. Principles 51

FRENCH TERM USED WHAT WE REALLY MEAN FRENCH TERM USED WHAT WE REALLY MEAN
IN ENGLISH IN ENGLISH

externalisé externalised outsourced, contracted prévu foreseen provided for/ laid

(= fait par un out down (in law), planned
contractant) (measure), scheduled
(move), anticipated,
important important large, substantial, big, expected, envisaged,
sizeable considered
(e.g. amount)
projet de project draft regulation
indiquer indicate show, state, display, règlement regulation
detail
projet de budget budget project draft budget, bill,
informatique informatic(s) computer (adjective)
ICT (noun/adjective) projet de loi law project draft law

introduire une introduce a submit an application, renforcer reinforce strengthen, improve,

demande demand apply (coordination, bolster, boost, step up;
coopération, closer cooperation,
joindre (annexer) join attach suivi…) better coordination,
more effective
matériel material supplies, equipment monitoring, etc.
modalités modalities (detailed) procedures or répondre, réponse respond, reply, answer
arrangements, methods response
modifications modifications amendments reporter report postpone (a deadline),
(texte) carry over (a sum of
money)
opportunité opportunity advisability, desirability
respecter respect comply with/observe
perspectives perspectives prospects, outlook,
(rules), meet (a
context, projections,
deadline)
trend
sensible sensible sensitive
ponctuel punctual ad hoc, one-off,
(= limité) occasional, specific, transmettre (un transmit send, submit, forward
sporadic, particular document)
Clear Writing Guide | 52 Section 1. Principles 53

Principle 8.
Beware of jargon
If you have to use a jargon term, explain it in plain language at first use.

In-house terms Climate mainstreaming – integrating climate

issues into other EU policies and laws – is a
Jargon is vocabulary used by groups of insiders or specialists to
priority for the Commission.
communicate with each other. In-house technical jargon may not
be understandable to non-expert readers and risks confusing or
alienating them. Avoid jargon wherever possible, especially in texts Management jargon
for the general public. Remember that EU or technical terms you use Management speak and bland administrative or corporate
every day may be considered jargon by readers who are not experts jargon will also turn your readers off, and may make your
in your field. message unclear (or even sound silly).

This appropriation This funding is

is intended to cover intended to cover
Section 3 of this Section 3 of this
expenditure under spending under the
report drills down report examines in
the 2020 programme, 2020 programme, in
into the reasons for detail the reasons for
in particular particular increasing
the amendments. the amendments.
capacity building staff and boosting
and human skills. The team doesn’t have The team doesn’t
competency the bandwidth to have the resources
building. deal with the extra to deal with the extra
workload. workload.
Return legislation is Return legislation is
part of the Schengen part of EU law on
acquis. border-free travel.
Clear Writing Guide | 54 Section 1. Principles 55

Corporate jargon may look like simple, one-word solutions to complex

issues, but it avoids explaining more exactly what the issue is and There are a
instead makes the reader do the work. Here are some examples: number of horizontal
Let’s
Table this: stakeholders issues...
don’t have the bandwidth to
We need to adopt a We need an approach
deal with what’s on their
holistic approach that tackles all the
plates.
to this problem. main aspects of the
I’d like to tap your brain
problem. for this long-term project.
There are a number There are a number I’m hoping
you can drill it down.

?!?
of horizontal issues of cross-cutting
issues

Clear explanations of jargon can be found in:

‘EU jargon in English and some possible alternatives’
https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/WEBGUIDE/09.+Jargon+and+clear+writing+alternatives
Clear Writing Guide | 56 Section 1. Principles 57

Here are some plain language alternatives for common

TECHNICAL/JARGON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES
jargon terms:
TERM
TECHNICAL/JARGON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES entity organisation, body
TERM
ex ante / ex post upstream, prior, advance /
acquis (communautaire) EU law (and practice) downstream, subsequent
actors interested groups, bodies, harmonise(d) standard, standardise(d), EU-
(overused, due to the organisations, parties, wide, consistent
influence of French) participants, interests, interest
groups, players, those involved,
horizontal general, cross-cutting, generic,
operators
universal, across the board,
umbrella
capacity building training, developing (staff and
structures)
human capital people, staff, workers
(Can also indirectly refer to
civil society interest groups, non- e.g. education/training, skills
governmental bodies or development.)
institutions, non-state
bodies, social and economic
instrument (overused, due scheme, programme, fund
organisations/groups
to the influence of French)
cohesion balanced (economic)
inter alia including, partly, for example,
development
among other things, in particular
college ‘the Commissioners’
labour market jobs market
This use of ‘college’ is very rare in
In phrases, consider replacing
English.
‘labour market’ by ‘jobs’ or
‘work’, e.g. ‘women seeking or in
competence, competencies remit, portfolio, brief, area of work’ instead of ‘female labour
responsibility, jurisdiction, market participation’.
powers, authority
legal framework laws, legislation, (legal) rules
complementarity interplay (between)
mainstreaming implementing in law and
disseminate distribute, share, spread, practice, establishing across the
communicate board, in all policies
enterprise company, firm, business
Clear Writing Guide | 58 Section 1. Principles 59

TECHNICAL/JARGON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TECHNICAL/JARGON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES

TERM TERM

Member State EU country social partners employers and (trade) unions,

employers and workers,
mobility transport context — travel, employers and workers’ groups
Essentially a false friend personal mobility
from French — in English, single market context — moving specificity special feature, specific feature,
mobility is associated around Europe (to live, work, unique feature
more with the physical study or retire), relocation,
ability to move (often in migration (for work) stakeholders ‘groups affected by (EU) policy
the context of physical education context — study/ (on xxxxx)’/ groups concerned,
injury or disability). training abroad, academic involved, partners
exchanges
synergies pooling resources, being more
modalities arrangements, terms of, cost-effective, working effectively
procedure, detailed rules in collaboration, working better
together, economies of scale
multiannual financial medium-term EU budget, multi-
framework year budget, 7-year EU budget, thematic issue-based, subject-based,issue-
forward budget planning specific, subject-specific

pillar strand, plank, (core or central) third countries non-EU countries, countries
element/priority outside the EU, partner countries,
trading partners (in economic
provisions rules, laws context)

Schengen area border-free travel area, no- threshold (overused, due maximum amount, limit, ceiling
border zone to the influence of French) (amount), cap

social dialogue labour relations, industrial transpose incorporate/write/convert/

Neither the term nor the relations, employee consultation, translate into national law
concept are widely used in staff-management negotiations/
non-specialist English. relations, consultation between Union (overused, due to EU (the established short form in
management and labour / the influence of French) English)
employers and workers
vade mecum handbook, manual, guide
Clear Writing Guide | 60 Section 1. Principles 61

Principle Avoid 9. As always, consider your reader’s needs. Using unexplained

using abbreviations and abbreviations ‘to save space’ is a false economy as your reader may
not understand, while some readers will be irritated if ‘common’
foreign expressions abbreviations are spelled out.

Unfamiliar abbreviations and foreign words can make a document Remember, your abbreviations mean different things in different
hard to understand, so avoid them where possible. contexts.

For example, EEA stands for many things, including:

Abbreviations
z European Economic Area
If you use an abbreviation that might be unclear to your reader, spell
z European Environment Agency
it out in full at first usage then give the abbreviation in brackets, for
z European Energy Award
example country-specific recommendation (CSR).
z European Express Association.
Only consider replacing a name or term by its abbreviation if it is
used at least three times in close succession. Try replacing the It can be helpful to spell out abbreviations again at the start of
abbreviation with its core element (for example ‘the Agency’, ‘the chapters, or if the abbreviation has not been used for several pages.
programme’).
There is no need to capitalise each word just because it forms an
abbreviation!

In 2016, EMSA In 2016, the Agency The Multiannual The multiannual

implemented the implemented Financial financial
IMS pilot project the integrated Framework (MFF) framework (MFF)
to increase IUU maritime services sets out the EU’s sets out the EU’s
deterrence in all MS. pilot project to help budget for the next 7 budget for the next 7
deter illegal fishing years. years.
across the EU.
Clear Writing Guide | 62 Section 1. Principles 63

Articles with abbreviations Foreign expressions

The rule of thumb is that you should use an article when you Using Latin or other foreign expressions risks alienating readers not
say each letter of the abbreviation, and not when you say the familiar with them, and makes a document appear very formal. Latin
abbreviation as a word: expressions commonly used in one language may not be common in
The USA is one of the EU’s major trading partners. another, so using plain language will keep your meaning clear.

Amnesty International is an NGO. LATIN ENGLISH

NATO’s European headquarters is in Brussels. including, partly, for example,
inter alia among other things, in
Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are all in EFTA. particular
prima facie at first sight, on the face of it
circa about
The Interinstitutional Style Guide (publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-
ex ante upstream, prior, advance
5000400.htm) defines many of the abbreviations used in Commission
ex post downstream, subsequent
documents.
ex post facto after the event, retrospectively
See also the Commission Style Guide.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, in toto completely, as a whole, entirely
consectet�r adipiscing elit, sed
do eiusmod tempor incididunt ipso facto therefore
ut labore et dolore mag�a
aliqua.
?!? post hoc after this
with the necessary
mutatis mutandis
modifications
handbook, manual, guide,
vademecum
operating instructions
a fortiori all the more so
a contrario on the contrary

If you do use a Latin or other foreign term, remember to put it in

italics, unless it has been assimilated into English (e.g. ‘status quo’ or
‘ad hoc’).
Clear Writing Guide | 64 Section 1. Principles 65

10.
The funding The funding

Principle programme targeted

aid agencies working
programme targeted
aid agencies working
Revise and check in the Middle Ease. in the Middle East.

Re-read your text These texts may be These texts may be

Remember to make time to re-read your text from start to finish. used as examples for used as examples for
Think back to the questions you asked yourself before starting to training curses. training courses.
write (page 3). Have you achieved what you set out to do?

z Are your ideas expressed logically? Final checklist

z Have you answered your readers’ questions? Have you set your document language to English (United
z Is your vocabulary appropriate to your audience and the purpose Kingdom or English (Ireland)?
of your text?
Have you checked your spelling?
z Have additions from other authors introduced any duplication or
Have you run Word’s readability checker?
contradictions?
Is the average number of words per sentence around 20?
Always run the spellchecker, but still re-read carefully because it
Have you got less than 25% passives?
won’t always pick up words that are wrongly used but correctly
Have you followed the in-house style guides?
spelled.
Have you checked your hyperlinks?

Send your texts for editing

(Commission staff only)

You can contact DGT-EDIT@ec.europa.eu and ask for your

document to be edited, or include DGT-EDIT in interservice
consultation.
Clear Writing Guide | 66 Section 2. Usage 67

SECTION 2
Usage (grammar, Con
jun negative aff
irmative

vocabulary,

ry
ctio

bula
n s ives
relat BS

voca
rel VER
punctuation) inte
rro
ativ
es tenses

neg

ect
ast
gati

erf
le p
ativ
ves affir punctuation

tp
sen
mati

simp

pre
es
s ve
activ imple pa

ogativ
nt active

voc
e inf
tenses prese

abu
st

interr
init

lar
ive in

y
con s fin s passive
passive dit itiv ion
ion
als es n ct Nouns
pun nju structu
re
struc ctu Co les
ture
presen
atio
n Artic
t VERB bs
Adjectives
S Adver es
Adjectiv

pre
inter

sen
tp
ject
pronouns

erf
ions

ect
ns
pro
no prepositio interjections
prepositions uns
Noun s ten cond
ses iti onal
s
les dverbs
Artic A
Clear Writing Guide | 68 Section 2. Usage 69

Grammar
Take care using adjectival/adverbial phrases

THIS IS UNCLEAR! MAKE IT CLEAR! THIS IS UNCLEAR! MAKE IT CLEAR!

Rules were adopted Put the adverbial Parliament made a Put the adjectival phrase
on packaging toys as phrase ‘as number of changes ‘requested by…’ next
recommended by the recommended by…’ to the law on access to the noun to which it
Consumer Council. next to the action to to information applies.
which it applies. requested by the
Parliament made a
OSCE (Organisation
(What had the As recommended by number of changes,
for Security and
Consumer Council the Consumer Council, requested by the
Cooperation in
recommended? rules were adopted on OSCE, to the law on
Europe).
Packaging toys? packaging toys. access to information.
Packaging them in a (What had the
Or make it an adverbial
certain way? Or rules OSCE requested?
phrase instead, and put it
on packaging?) Information? Or access
in the right place:
to information? Or
As requested by the
the law on access
OSCE, Parliament
to information? Or
made changes to
changes to that law?)
the law on access to
information.

At the OSCE’s
request, Parliament
changed the law on
access to information.
Clear Writing Guide | 70 Section 2. Usage 71

Take care with the word ‘which’ Watch out for verb tenses
Be careful when choosing which form of the past tense to use.
THIS IS UNCLEAR! MAKE IT CLEAR!
Use the present perfect (‘I have written’) to describe:
The Commission The Commission
announced the launch announced the launch z something that happened in the past and produced a result which
of a new call for of a new call for continues in the present;
tenders which follows tenders. This new z something that has happened repeatedly in the past, but where
the adoption of revised call followed the you don’t need to specify when it happened;
contracting rules. adoption of revised z something that happened in the past, but the exact time it
contracting rules. happened is not important.
(Did the launch of the
new call follow the During the past 6 months, the economy has
adoption of the new performed better than expected.
rules? Or was the new
call in line with the Use the simple past (‘I wrote’) for a completed action that took place
revised contracting at a specific time in the past.
rules?)
The rate of participation in higher education
Parliament had Parliament had increased by 5 percentage points between 2010 and
adopted a new version adopted a new version 2011.
of the law on local of the law on local
elections which had elections, as the old
Salaries for Salaries for
been widely criticised law had been widely
experienced lower experienced lower
by election experts. criticised by election
secondary teachers secondary teachers
experts.
(What had been widely have fallen by 30% fell by 30% last year.
criticised? The law on last year.
local elections? Or the
new version of that law?)
Clear Writing Guide | 72 Section 2. Usage 73

‘internet’ or ‘the internet’ Prepositions

Generally, use ‘the internet’. Just write ‘internet’ if it is used as an Prepositions are notoriously tricky and the wrong one can really
adjective. change your meaning. Here are some commonly misused ones:

upon the Commission’s at the Commission’s request

The number of The number of
request
households with households with access
under the condition that on condition that
access to internet to the internet has
Annex II of the Annex II to the Regulation
has increased. increased
Regulation
OR
The number of the campaign resulted the campaign resulted in better
households with with better awareness awareness
internet access has enrol to the training enrol in the training course
increased. course
that point should be that point should be included in
included into the list the list
The figures shown in The figures shown in
the Commission the Commission expressed
this article refer to this article refer to the
expressed concern concern about/over incomplete
the population using population using the
by incomplete implementation
internet. internet.
implementation
the authorities were the authorities were informed of
informed on the state of the state of play
play
participate to participate in
Clear Writing Guide | 74 Section 2. Usage 75



Vocabulary
The verb ‘allow’
When the verb ‘to allow’ is used in the sense of ‘to permit’ or
‘to enable’, it must be followed by a direct object. You can allow Dictiona
ry
somebody to do something, or allow something to be done, but you
cannot simply allow to do something.
Either say who is allowed to do it, use the passive construction, or use
an alternative phrase such as ‘… makes it possible to’.

DON’T WRITE THIS: YOU COULD WRITE THIS: EVEN BETTER, SAY Here are some examples of ways
WHO CAN DO IT: in which ‘to allow’ can be used
These data do These data do not
These data do not without a direct object:
not allow for make it possible to
allow/enable the
distinguishing distinguish between the
user to distinguish The meeting room has extra
between the two two business models.
between the two interpreting booths to allow
business models.
or make it passive:
business models for future increases in the
These data do not allow number of official languages.
the two business models
to be distinguished. The budget has been increased
by 2% to allow for inflation.

He allowed that he, too,

needed to work on his writing
skills.
Clear Writing Guide | 76 Section 2. Usage 77

The verb ‘recommend’ ‘with a view to’ and ‘in view of’
‘Recommend’ is one of those verbs of advice that cannot be followed ‘With a view to’ means ‘with the intention of’, while ‘in view of’ is
by the usual pattern of object + infinitive. similar to ‘because of’.

It can be followed by:

z a gerund (‘-ing’ verb)

z a verb in the subjunctive (often, but not always, preceded by ‘that’) DON’T WRITE THIS: INSTEAD, WRITE This is the correct
z the verb ‘should’. The programme THIS: way of using ‘in
will be evaluated The programme view of’ meaning
DON’T WRITE THIS: INSTEAD, WRITE THIS:
regularly in view will be regularly because of:
The Agency
The Agency recommends of improving its updated with a
recommends the In view of the
that the teams have access implementation. view to improving
teams to have access packed agenda, the
to all categories of alert. its implementation.
to all categories of committee decided
or:
alert. to consider the
The Agency recommends THIS IS BETTER
STILL: security issue at a
that the teams should
The programme later meeting.
have access to all
categories of alert. will be regularly
evaluated to
DON’T WRITE THIS: INSTEAD, WRITE THIS:
improve its
We recommend We recommend that
implementation.
that Article 5(6) is Article 5(6) be amended.
amended. or:
We recommend
amending Article 5(6).

Other verbs of advice that follow this pattern are ‘suggest’, ‘insist’,
‘demand’, and ‘propose’.
Clear Writing Guide | 78 Section 2. Usage 79

‘according to’ and ‘in accordance with’ Punctuation

Don’t confuse ‘according to’ and ‘in accordance with’. They mean
different things. Use of commas
z ‘According to’ means ‘as stated in’ or ‘as said by’. A comma can change your intended meaning.

z ‘In accordance with’ means ‘as required under’. Better still, just With a comma
say ‘under’. The government adopted new rules on the inspection of farms,
applying stricter hygiene standards.
This means that the new rules apply stricter standards to the inspection of all
DON’T WRITE THIS: YOU COULD WRITE EVEN BETTER, farms.
The Commission THIS: WRITE THIS:
Without a comma
must report on the The Commission Under Chapter
The government adopted new rules on the inspection of farms
implementation must report on the 5, the Commission
applying stricter hygiene standards.
of this initiative implementation of must report on the
This means that the new inspection rules apply only to farms that apply stricter
to the Council by this initiative to the implementation of
standards.
2022 according Council by 2022 in this initiative to the
With a comma
to the provisions of accordance with Council by 2022.
Air quality in schools is important because children, who are
Chapter 5. Chapter 5.
particularly vulnerable to pollutants, spend most of their time in
school environments.

This means that all children are vulnerable and all children spend a lot of time at
school.
DON’T WRITE THIS: INSTEAD, WRITE THIS:
In accordance with According to the latest Without a comma
the latest report, the report, the EU is meeting Air quality in schools is important because children who are
EU is meeting its its targets. particularly vulnerable to pollutants spend most of their time in
targets. school environments.

This means that certain (vulnerable) children spend a lot of time at school.
Clear Writing Guide | 80 Section 2. Usage

Acknowledgements
and further guidance
This brochure was produced by the Editing Unit in the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. It is based on the
How to write clearly guide and the sources used in compiling it, and
Claire’s.clear writing tips.

More help is out there!

Check the Writer’s toolbox for more clear writing resources.

See Claire’s weekly tips for more examples of all these 10

principles.

The Commission Style Guide, a handbook for authors and

translators working in English for the European Commission
https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/sg/Documents/commission_style_guide.
pdf

The Interinstitutional Style Guide

http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-000100.htm

Copyright notice:
© European Union, [2020]. The reproduction and reuse of this document
is authorised, provided the sources and authors are acknowledged and the
original meaning or message of the texts are not distorted. The rightholders
and authors shall not be liable for any consequences stemming from the
reuse.

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