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Plain English Style & Applications

Plain English Style & Applications. What is “The Plain English Style”? What gave rise to it? Use it to your advantage!. Adopt Plain Language. Plain Language in the Business World Accessible to a Universal Audience Focal Point for the SEC www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf. Adopt Plain Language.

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Plain English Style & Applications

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  1. Plain English Style & Applications • What is “The Plain English Style”? • What gave rise to it? • Use it to your advantage!

  2. Adopt Plain Language • Plain Language in the Business World • Accessible to a Universal Audience • Focal Point for the SEC • www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf

  3. Adopt Plain Language Before “The Drake Capital Corporation (the “Company”) may offer from time to time its Global Medium-Term Notes, Series A, Due from 9 months to 60 Years From Date of Issue, which are issuable in one or more series (the “Notes”), in the United States in an aggregate principal amount of up to U.S. $6,428,598,500, or the equivalent thereof in other currencies, including composite currencies such as the European Currency Unit (the “ECU”) (provided that, with respect to Original Issue Discount Notes (as defined under “Description of Notes—Original Issue Discount Notes”), the initial offering price of such Notes shall be used in calculating the aggregate principal amount of Notes offered hereunder). ”

  4. Adopt Plain Language After “The Drake Capital Corporation may offer at various times up to U.S. $6,428,598,500 worth of Global Medium-term notes. These notes will mature from 9 months to 60 years after the date they are purchased. We will offer these notes in series, starting with Series A, and in U.S., foreign, and composite currencies, like the European Currency Unit. If we offer original issue discount notes, we will use their initial offering prices to calculate when we reach $6,428,598,500.”

  5. Adopt Plain Language What’s in a Sentence? • A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and predicate. • Not too long (15-20 words) • But not too Short (5-6 words) • Longest sentence ever - 823 words long. • Have a strong grasp of punctuation.

  6. Adopt Plain Language Myths • Some grammatical rules can be bent occasionally • You can start a sentence with and, so, but, because, or however. • Using the same word twice in a sentence • Better flow

  7. Adopt Plain Language Long Sentences - U.S. Constitution Preamble Before We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. After The People of the United States, in order to form a better Country, will create fairness, promote peace, provide safety, secure its citizens, and set up this Constitution for the United States of America.

  8. Adopt Plain Language Limiting the use of Technical Language Before Holders of the Class A and Class B-1 certificates will be entitled to receive on each Payment Date, to the extent monies are available therefor (but not more than the Class A Certificate Balance or Class B-1 Certificate Balance then outstanding), a distribution. After Class A and Class B-1 certificate holders will receive a distribution on each payment date if cash is available on those dates for their class.

  9. Adopt Plain Language Superfluous Words Before The following summary is intended only to highlight certain information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus. After This summary highlights some information from this Prospectus.

  10. Adopt Plain Language Don’t use “showy” words Before Yes, I am cognizant of the fact that you want to quit. After Yes, I am aware of the fact that you want to quit.

  11. Adopt Plain Language Don’t use “showy” words Before Don’t be ambiguous when writing business documents. After Be clear when writing business documents.

  12. "A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." - William Strunk, Jr.

  13. Citations • Levitt, Arthur. "U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission." 26/08/1998. SEC, Web. 2 Feb 2010. <www.sec.gov>. • Lutz, William. "Rules for Writing Plain English." Plain Language Association International. 28/07/2009. Web. 2 Feb 2010. <www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/resources/lutz.html>. • Guffey, Mary Ellen. Essentials of Business Communication. 8e. Mason, OH: South-Western, 2010. 42-44. Print. • "Plain English at Work." 1997. Web. 2 Feb 2010. <www.dest.gov.au/archive/publications_en/contents.htm>.

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