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The Techniques of Clear Writing is a book written by Robert Gunning in 1968. He emphasizes ten principles for clarity in writing. The book is recommended for writers and journalists who are in the field of newspapers and magazines. In fact, writers of all genres can benefit from Robert Gunning’s excellent book. The Robert Gunning: Principles of Clear Writing given in the book are as follows.

Principle 1: Keep sentences short

• The length of sentences must be short and average to avoid boring your readers. Length of 15 to 20 words per sentence would be a good average.
• Short sentences are not enough by themselves. Long sentences are not the leading cause of confused writing. Unclear words block clarity.
• Trim the heavy words and unclear words from your writing.

Principle 2: Prefer the simple to the complex

• Minimise the complex form of writing. You need both simple and complex forms for clear expression. Most of the times, the complex forms may be best. So, if the right word is a big word, go ahead and use it. But if a shorter word does the job, use it.
• We write “police” when we could just as well write “cop” or “modification” when the short word “change” can be written.
• Writing shorter sentences usually means you use shorter words.

Principle 3: Prefer the familiar word

• You can be master along with a working vocabulary of 5,000 words. But if you want to succeed in our complicated society, you’ll be better off with 30,000 words. However, intelligent people use their large vocabulary only to give clear, exact meaning — never to show off.
• Big minds use little words; little minds use big words.
• The most familiar words are 10 short ones: a, in, that, it, is, I, of, and, to, the. They make up 25 percent of all that is written and spoken in English.

Principle 4: Avoid unnecessary words

• Letters can be cut in half and still say the same thing.
• Unnecessary words usually create confusion.

Principle 5: Put action in your verbs

Principle 6: Write like you talk

• Some grammarians would insist that “write like you talk” is poor grammar. They prefer “write as you talk.”
• In some way storytelling and writing are completely different, but the writer would follow the way he/she talks.
• “Write like you talk” also has its limitations when it comes to news writing. Newspapers — many at least — still prefer that news stories be written in inverted pyramid style and in an impersonal manner.

Principle 7: Use terms your reader can picture

• Avoid fuzzy (unclear) words. “Conditions,” “situations,” “facilities,” “inadequacies” are typical examples.
• Use specific meanings of such words, which gives a clear picture in the mind of Readers.
• When words are not fixed, they vary in meaning from person to person, the meaning depending upon the experience of that person and the pictures the words call to mind.

Principle 8: Tie in with your reader’s experience

• Much communication fails because writers ignore readers’ beliefs, ignore how they came by them, and how firmly they hold on to them.
• Highly abstract terms often are useful for thinking, but they are tricky in communication because they are open to such wide interpretation.
• In trying to persuade readers to accept your words, remember that the meaning they produce will be determined entirely by their past experiences and purposes.
• To get your words read, understood and accepted, you must have a clear understanding of your own purposes and of the purposes of the reader. If these purposes differ, you have two courses for winning acceptance of your message. You must either change your readers’ purpose, or you must show them that though your purposes differ in part, they have, at the same time, much in common.

Principle 9: Make full use of variety

• The style of your writing will grow with experience.
• If you get “caught” writing simply, you have failed. Good writers work within a strict discipline of simplicity. But they introduce enough variety of sentence length, structure, and vocabulary so that the simplicity is not noticed. As a result, readers never think the writing is rough or childish.
• Variety is a main ingredient in the art of writing. Only practice can lead to variety.

Principle 10: Write to express, not impress

• An inexperienced writer always tries to impress rather than express.
• When writing is easy we make it more difficult by seeking out long, unfamiliar words, and in writing long, twisting sentences.
• Writer took the chance of hitting the readers with big words instead of small. Readers have almost rid themselves in language. It’s been a long time since any of us have heard anyone say, “I can’t understand what he is saying; he must be highly intelligent.”
• Pay attention to clear expression, and for the most part grammar will take care of itself.