TOWARD PLAIN LANGUAGE - A GUIDE TO PARAPHRASING COMPLEX NOUN PHRASES

Complex noun phrases, although key elements in technical writing for l inguistically mature readers, also present major comprehension difficu lties for others. This article establishes many important ways of para phrasing complex noun phrases into simpler structures, and identifies the differences in meaning, style, is tone, and emphasis created by th e paraphrases. Whereas many complex noun phrases at the start of the s entence can be easily paraphrased, those at the end of the sentence or embedded within the sentence present greater challenges. Similarly re strictive post-modifiers are easier to paraphrase than those that defi ne. The principles are applied to a short legal text.