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50 changes: 50 additions & 0 deletions docs/anchors/plain-english-strunk-white.adoc
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= Plain English according to Strunk & White
:categories: communication-presentation
:roles: technical-writer, software-developer, consultant, educator, business-analyst
:related: gutes-deutsch-wolf-schneider, bluf, pyramid-principle
:proponents: William Strunk Jr., E.B. White
:tags: writing, english, clarity, style, prose, language, plain-english

[%collapsible]
====
Full Name:: Plain English according to Strunk & White ("The Elements of Style")

Also known as:: Strunk & White, The Elements of Style, Plain Style Writing

[discrete]
== *Core Concepts*:

Omit Needless Words:: Every word in a sentence should serve a purpose; cut words that add bulk without adding meaning — "the fact that" → "that", "owing to the fact that" → "since"

Use Active Voice:: Prefer active constructions over passive; active voice is more direct, vigorous, and concise — "The dog bit the man" not "The man was bitten by the dog"

Use Definite, Specific, Concrete Language:: Prefer the particular and tangible over the vague and abstract; concrete details make writing vivid and persuasive

Write With Nouns and Verbs:: Rely on strong nouns and verbs rather than adjectives and adverbs; the right noun or verb makes modifiers unnecessary

Place the Emphatic Words at the End:: The most important idea in a sentence belongs at its end — the position of greatest emphasis

Use Parallel Form:: Express coordinate ideas in similar grammatical form; parallelism aids comprehension and gives prose a pleasing rhythm

Avoid Qualifiers:: Remove weakening qualifiers like "rather", "very", "little", "pretty" — they dilute the force of the statement

Revise and Rewrite:: Good writing is rewriting; a first draft is a starting point, not a finished product

Key Proponents:: William Strunk Jr. ("The Elements of Style", 1918); E.B. White (revised edition, 1959)

[discrete]
== *When to Use*:

* Writing technical documentation, reports, emails, and API documentation
* Reviewing or editing any English prose for clarity and conciseness
* Coaching writers to reduce verbose or bureaucratic language
* Preparing communications for broad, non-specialist audiences
* Any writing where clarity and brevity are paramount

[discrete]
== *Related Anchors*:

* <<gutes-deutsch-wolf-schneider,Gutes Deutsch nach Wolf Schneider>> — the German-language equivalent of clarity-first writing principles
* <<bluf,BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)>> — complements plain style with a structure that leads with the conclusion
* <<pyramid-principle,Pyramid Principle according to Barbara Minto>> — a complementary framework for structuring arguments hierarchically
====
50 changes: 50 additions & 0 deletions docs/anchors/plain-english-strunk-white.de.adoc
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= Plain English nach Strunk & White
:categories: communication-presentation
:roles: technical-writer, software-developer, consultant, educator, business-analyst
:related: gutes-deutsch-wolf-schneider, bluf, pyramid-principle
:proponents: William Strunk Jr., E.B. White
:tags: writing, english, clarity, style, prose, language, plain-english

[%collapsible]
====
Vollständiger Name:: Plain English nach Strunk & White ("The Elements of Style")

Auch bekannt als:: Strunk & White, The Elements of Style, Plain Style Writing

[discrete]
== *Kernkonzepte*:

Überflüssige Wörter weglassen:: Jedes Wort in einem Satz muss einen Zweck erfüllen; Wörter, die nur Volumen ohne Bedeutung erzeugen, werden gestrichen — "the fact that" → "that", "owing to the fact that" → "since"

Aktiv statt Passiv:: Aktive Konstruktionen sind direkter, lebendiger und prägnanter als passivische — "Der Hund biss den Mann" nicht "Der Mann wurde vom Hund gebissen"

Konkrete und spezifische Sprache:: Das Besondere und Greifbare dem Vagen und Abstrakten vorziehen; konkrete Details machen Texte lebendig und überzeugend

Mit Substantiven und Verben schreiben:: Starke Substantive und Verben statt Adjektive und Adverbien verwenden; das richtige Substantiv oder Verb macht Attribute überflüssig

Wichtige Wörter ans Satzende:: Die wichtigste Aussage eines Satzes gehört ans Ende — die Position mit der größten Wirkung

Parallele Strukturen verwenden:: Koordinierte Ideen in ähnlicher grammatischer Form ausdrücken; Parallelismus erleichtert das Verständnis und gibt dem Text einen angenehmen Rhythmus

Abschwächende Wörter vermeiden:: Abschwächer wie "ziemlich", "irgendwie", "ein bisschen" entfernen — sie verwässern die Kraft der Aussage

Überarbeiten und umschreiben:: Gutes Schreiben ist Umschreiben; ein erster Entwurf ist ein Ausgangspunkt, kein fertiges Produkt

Schlüsselvertreter:: William Strunk Jr. ("The Elements of Style", 1918); E.B. White (überarbeitete Ausgabe, 1959)

[discrete]
== *Wann zu verwenden*:

* Beim Verfassen technischer Dokumentationen, Berichte, E-Mails und API-Dokumentationen
* Beim Überprüfen oder Redigieren englischer Prosatexte auf Klarheit und Prägnanz
* Beim Coaching von Autoren zur Reduktion von wortreicher oder bürokratischer Sprache
* Bei der Vorbereitung von Kommunikation für ein breites, nicht-spezialisiertes Publikum
* Überall dort, wo Klarheit und Kürze an erster Stelle stehen

[discrete]
== *Verwandte Anker*:

* <<gutes-deutsch-wolf-schneider,Gutes Deutsch nach Wolf Schneider>> — das deutschsprachige Äquivalent zu klarheitsfokussierten Schreibprinzipien
* <<bluf,BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)>> — ergänzt den klaren Schreibstil mit einer Struktur, die mit der Schlussfolgerung beginnt
* <<pyramid-principle,Pyramid Principle nach Barbara Minto>> — ein ergänzendes Framework zur hierarchischen Strukturierung von Argumenten
====
4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions skill/semantic-anchor-translator/references/catalog.md
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Expand Up @@ -225,6 +225,10 @@ Source: https://github.com/LLM-Coding/Semantic-Anchors
- **Proponents:** Wolf Schneider
- **Core:** Short sentences, active voice, verbs over nouns (no Nominalstil), concrete language, no filler words — clarity-first principles for German writing

### Plain English according to Strunk & White
- **Proponents:** William Strunk Jr., E.B. White
- **Core:** Omit needless words, use active voice, prefer concrete language, write with nouns and verbs — clarity-first principles for English writing ("The Elements of Style")

### Chatham House Rule
- **Proponents:** Chatham House
- **Core:** Info can be used but not attributed to speaker/org
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33 changes: 33 additions & 0 deletions website/public/data/anchors.json
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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions website/public/data/categories.json
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10 changes: 5 additions & 5 deletions website/public/data/metadata.json
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5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions website/public/data/roles.json
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Expand Down Expand Up @@ -45,6 +46,7 @@
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Expand Down Expand Up @@ -336,6 +340,7 @@
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