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Text File | 1986-08-08 | 35.0 KB | 674 lines

** ** ** * * *** **** **** ** *** * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * **** ** * **** * ** *** **** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *** * * ***** * * **** **** * * * * * * **** * * * * **** * **** **** ** * * **** ** **** * * ** * * ** **** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * ** * * * * **** * ** * * **** * * * ** * ** * **** * * * * *** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * ** * * * * * * * * ** ***** MAXI-READ by PRO~FORMANCE +------------------------------------------+ | The Program Designed to Help You Improve | | the Impact and Understandability or Your | | Writing, Speech or Message | +------------------------------------------+ (c) 1984, 1985, 1986 RWS & Associates The PRO~FORMANCE MAXI-READ System and Manual Are Protected by U. S. Copyright Law: [Title 17 USC]. All Rights reserved. PRO~FORMANCE And MAXI-READ are Registered Trademarks WordStar is a Registered Trademark of MicroPro International Corp. IBM is a Registered Trademark of International Business Machines Corp. MAXI-READ Table of Contents MAXI-READ in Brief......................... 1 Copyright Notice .......................... 1 Permission To Copy ........................ 2 What MAXI-READ Does for You ............... 3 Getting Started ........................... 4 System Requirements Running MAXI-READ in "Windows" Installation & Getting Started How to Begin .............................. 5 General Guidelines ........................ 6 Specific Guidelines on Entering Text ...... 7 Interpreting Your Results ................. 8 List of Synonyms Using Benchmarks .......................... 9 List of Personal Words More Help With Your Writing Style ......... 10 Invoice & Registering MAXI-READ ........... 11 MAXI-READ IN BRIEF 1 MAXI-READ is a fast, easy-to-use and fun package that helps you improve the impact and understandability of your writing, your speechs, etc. In brief, MAXI-READ: * Shows you the readability/understandability of your message or text * Analyzes and reports on the "personal tone" of your message * Allows you to type text in Directly, or Import an existing text file * Is able to analyze ASCII or WordStar files (And possibly, files from other word processors) * Shows results in both numeric and graphic forms * Lists those words that are adding to complexity and offers synonyms for frequently used long words * Enables you to print your Results and your Text on the screen, on the printer, or both. COPYRIGHT NOTICE (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 & 1986 RWS & Associates and PRO~FORMANCE - All rights reserved - PRO~FORMANCE and RWS & Associates are registered trademarks You are granted a limited license to use MAXI-READ. You may use it or copy it only in the manner described on the next page. DISCLAIMER: The MAXI-READ program and manual are provided "as is," without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or im- plied. This program may or may not satisfy your needs. Neither PRO~FORMANCE nor RWS & Associates, nor any of their officers or employees shall be held responsible for failures of this program to satisfy any needs, damages due to the use of this program, or any effects the use of this program has on your operations. MAXI-READ, its manual and its support files may be modified or changed from time to time. This product could contain operational inaccuracies or typographical errors which may be corrected by future versions if any. Registered owners may be notified when updates are available. PERMISSION TO COPY 2 MAXI-READ is "user-supported" software but NOT "shareware". Individuals and computer clubs are encouraged to copy and share this program and documentation, as long as you charge nothing for the software, manuals, etc. You may, however, charge a modest sum (up to $10.00) to cover distribution, duplication, and handling/shipping costs. CORPORATIONS OR BUSINESSES MUST PAY FOR EACH COPY MADE. If you're using this program and find it helpful, you may register your copy by sending a contribution ($29.95 suggested) to: RWS & Associates 132 Alpine Terrace San Francisco, Ca. 94117 Registered users will be entitled to notice of any updates to the program, manual, etc. But, even if you don't register your copy, we encourage you to give a copy to friends/associates. IF I GOT A COPY FOR NOTHING, WHY SHOULD I PAY $29.95? That's a good question. Here's the answer. MAXI-READ is distributed as "user-supported" software. So you're getting lots of software for very little money. And you get to try it out to see if it suits your needs before paying for it (such a deal!). Finally, from OUR standpoint, your contribution makes it possible for us to continue developing helpful software. And from YOUR standpoint, you continue getting good stuff at reasonable prices, and you'll avoid feeling guilty for the rest of your life. WHAT MAXI-READ DOES FOR YOU 3 MAXI-READ is an easy-to-use, effective and fun tool to help you improve the IMPACT and UNDERSTANDABILITY of your message. By "message" we mean the "spoken word" as well as the "written word." MAXI-READ is just as useful helping you improve a speech you're about to give as it is helping you improve a letter or manual. MAXI-READ can help with: SPOKEN WORDS WRITTEN WORDS ============ ============= * Speeches * Memos, Letters * TV/Radio Ads or * Promotions, Announcements Announcements or Ads * Audio/Visual Instruction * Technical or User Manuals * Articles, Books, Stories * Things for Students/Things by Students MAXI-READ is NOT just a "readability" program (although it gives you a "Readability Summary"). Instead, MAXI-READ is a tool to help you improve the "impact" of your spoken or written message. The route to a message with high impact is - short sentences, short, easily understood words, and a "personal tone" set by using Personal Words (I, you, him, etc.). In other words, MAXI-READ gives you summary measures of both: UNDERSTANDABILITY or READABILITY PERSONAL STYLE ================== ============== * Readability Summary * Frequency (%) of * Grade Level Personal Words * Flesch Index * Percent of Words Which are Long * Average Sentence Length, etc. MAXI-READ will also print out SESQUIPEDALIAN WORDS, on request. (Did that send you scrambling for your dictionary?) These are "long, ponderous" words your audience may have trouble with. They deserve a "second look" to see if easier synonyms would be appropriate. And a List of Synonyms is available at a keystroke for many frequently used, long words. (Note: you CAN CONTROL the analysis of any word-discussed later.) In short, MAXI-READ gives you an analysis of what you've written, along with some benchmarks to help you interpret "the numbers." Together, these give you what you need to fine tune your work - to help make it clearer, crisper, more personal, and easier to understand. NOTE: "Good scores" on MAXI-READ's indexes do not mean your message is "good writing." Your message could score well, but still be "gibberish" to your audience. What MAXI-READ will do is help you improve your message by pointing out: ...Whether your message is understandable or complex ...Which (Sesquipedalian) words might throw your audience off ...Whether your message has or lacks a Personal Tone GETTING STARTED 4 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: MAXI-READ requires the following to run properly: * An IBM PC/XT/AT or very close * DOS 2.0, 2.1, 3.0 or 3.1 compatible (not IBM Convertible) * 128K of available memory * One or more 360k disk drive(s) * A color or monochrome monitor RECOMMENDED: * A hard disk (or RAM disk) allows MAXI-READ TO run =========== much faster (because of much faster "disk access") * A color monitor, allows MAXI-READ's colors to shine * A printer's needed if you want "hardcopy" of results/text DO YOU RUN PROGRAMS IN "WINDOWS"? Many programs now available allow you to run one or more programs inside "windows," or run 2 programs simultaneously. We recommend AGAINST running MAXI-READ inside a window (or as a "background" task). Reason: - MAXI-READ WRITES DIRECTLY TO THE SCREEN. This speeds things up - especially printing of your text on the screen. - But this also means MAXI-READ may not run, or may pro- duce unusual "screens" if you run it inside a "window." - We recommend you run MAXI-READ outside these windowing programs, or at the very least, run it in the "foreground." INSTALLING MAXI-READ AND GETTING STARTED (Just 3 Steps) MAXI-READ's disk is not copy-protected. That means you can run it from a floppy disk, a hard disk or a RAM disk (if you have enough memory and RAM-disk software). STEP 1. BACK UP your MAXI-READ disk Make a back-up copy of the disk you received, and store the original in a safe place. To make a copy, place the original disk in drive A. Have a formatted blank disk in or ready for the B: drive. Then, type: A>COPY A:*.* B:*.* or A>DISKCOPY A: B: Now, label the COPY and use it as your "working disk." To operate effectively, ALL the files that came on your MAXI-READ disk MUST BE ON THE SAME DISK OR IN THE SAME DIRECTORY! The files you ANALYZE can be on ANY disk or in ANY directory. HARD DISK USERS::: MAXI-READ CAN analyze files in any direc- tory on any disk. So, just copy ALL MAXI-READ's files to the location they'll be most convenient. STEP 2. To Print this manual, at the DOS prompt, type: A>PRINTMR (OPTIONAL) STEP 3. To run MAXI-READ, at the DOS prompt, just type: A>MR IMPORTANT NOTE::: Always start MAXI-READ by typing MR. This executes a "batch" file that first loads a special "screen loading" program, then starts MAXI-READ. If you run MAXI-READ directly, without first installing the screen loader, the program will run, but you probably won't be able to "see where you are." And none of the help screens will be available to you. HOW TO BEGIN 5 TWO MENUS MAXI-READ has two menus from which you select options. The first menu, which comes up when you start, asks you to choose to Begin Analyses or to Read various Help Screens. These Help Screens are also available once you've begun your analyses. The second menu comes up when you've asked to begin analyses. In the "4 boxes" of this menu, you'll be asked if you want: 1. To enter text DIRECTLY or IMPORT an existing file 2. To print Sesquipedalian Words along with your results 3. To print RESULTS on the: Screen, Printer, or Both To print TEXT on the: Screen, Printer, Both or Not At All 4. Finally, if you asked to Import a file, you'll be asked for the Name of the file. You'll then be asked if you want that file "stripped" of embedded, formatting symbols. If your file is a WordStar file, or you think it is NOT a standard ASCII file, enter "Y" - Yes I want it stripped. ENTERING YOUR MESSAGE MAXI-READ offers you two ways to analyze a message - you can type it in DIRECTLY, or you can IMPORT an existing text file. You can analyze as much as you like. But, usually, a sample of 10-15 lines (about 150-200 words) is enough - especially if you're typing it in directly. If you want to analyze a long piece, and you can't import it, we recommend you enter 3-4 samples (about 10-15 lines each), then compute an average of the results. Just be sure the samples were "randomly chosen." MAXI-READ can analyze any standard ASCII file, and can also read WordStar files by allowing you to "strip" WordStar's embedded formatting symbols. Most word processors have a feature allowing you to save files in standard ASCII format. If your word processor doesn't have this feature, try Importing a file, and answer "Y" when asked if you want embedded symbols "stripped." THERE'S MORE INFORMATION on entering text in the Help Screens available when running MAXI-READ. There are separate Help Screens for entering text Directly and for Importing Text. The basic guidelines are on the next page. GENERAL GUIDELINES 6 * MAXI-READ must be able to accurately count words, sentences, and syllables. It counts words by looking for a SPACE after each word. *** So be sure every word or punctuation mark is followed by a space. *** - "Sentences" are counted by looking for "end-of-sentence" marks. By "sentence" we mean a "complete" thought. So end-of-sentence marks includes ";" as well as "." "?" and "!". - DO NOT punctuate abbreviations (e.g. type "Mr" not "Mr."). If you do punctuate such words, they'll COUNT AS SENTENCES. - Syllables are counted by looking for vowels. This count is "approximate." The English language has no fixed rule which governs how many words are pronounced. For example, sometimes the suffix "es" is pronounced ("fixes") and sometimes it's not ("likes"). * Long, many-syllabled, Sesquipedalian words will be printed for you if you request it (up to 250 of them that is). These long words add to the complexity of your message. - Once these words are highlighted, you can decide if you should look for easier-to-understand synonyms. And, a List of Synonyms is available while you're viewing results. - But suppose a long word or phrase appears frequently in your text - a word you're sure your audience understands (like a company name "Harnisphluggel" or a technical term "mesenterium"). If left untouched, MAXI-READ would add to the syllable count (4 or 5 in these cases) each time the word was found. This could make your text appear much less readable than it actually is. - Fortunately, MAXI-READ lets YOU control how a word's counted. ANY WORD PRECEDED BY AN ASTERISK "*" WON'T be included when syllables are counted. So, after the word's occurred once, put an asterisk in front of it whenever it appears again, and it won't add to the syllable count. (There must be NO space between the asterisk and the word.) - NOTE: MAXI-READ will "flag" any word it thinks has 3 or more syllables. You may conclude that many of the "flagged" words aren't too complex after all. That's fine. In such cases, just ignore it and consider the next "flagged" word. We built MAXI-READ so it would "flag" more, rather than fewer words, so you'd receive as much input as possible. * You can STOP at any point by pressing the Function Key F9. * Help Screens for Entering Text, Interpreting Results, or Finding Synonyms are available at the Main Menu, while you're running analyses, and once you have the results. On the next page are specific guidelines for entering text. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR ENTERING TEXT 7 Below are some guidelines for entering text either Directly or by Importing an existing text file. These guidelines are summarized in MAXI-READ's Help Screens. ENTERING TEXT DIRECTLY IMPORTING AN EXISTING FILE ====================== ========================== * Type in whatever style you're * Your file should be in ASCII most comfortable with - all format. If it isn't (e.g. caps, upper/lower case, etc. a WordStar file), then enter "Y" when asked if you want * The cursor will "wrap around" embedded symbols "stripped." for you at the end of each NOTE: this feature will NOT line. But, if you want to remove WordStar's "dot commands". control the printing of your text on paper, you can press * You can request that your ENTER/<CR> at appropriate places. TEXT be printed: - Only on the Screen, or * You can correct a word by - Only on the Printer, or using the BACKSPACE or LEFT - On Both, or CURSOR keys, and re-typing - Not printed at all it --- AS LONG AS you haven't Printing your text along typed a space yet. with your results, makes it easier to "see" where improve- * As you're typing, MAXI-READ ments can be made. It also stores what you've entered makes it easier to "explain" in a file called READ.TMP. the results to someone else. If you've made a mistake that's too big to ignore, or you want * If you choose NOT to have your to edit/add to your text, just text printed, MAXI-READ will edit READ.TMP with your word show you graphically how far processor (or DOS's EDLIN). along it is in analyzing your Then just Import it. text. This is "approximate." The next time you run MAXI-READ, READ.TMP will be re-used. So, if * You can Import as much as you you want your text file saved, like. MAXI-READ takes .5-2 just RENAME READ.TMP. seconds per line of text. The exact time depends on your * To Quit and see your results, text's complexity, and your hard- type a space after the last ware (floppy, hard or RAM disk). end-of-sentence mark, then press ESC. * The FIRST LINE of your text MUST contain at least a space! If it doesn't, MAXI-READ will stop, and you'll get the message: "An ERROR occurred analyzing...". If you enter text DIRECTLY or "strip" an IMPORTED file, MAXI-READ saves your text in a file called READ.TMP. This is important for two reasons. First, suppose you entered text Directly, saw the results and decided to revise your text. You can just EDIT READ.TMP with a word processor. Then run MAXI-READ again, and Import READ.TMP. This allows you to experiment with different styles without having to re- enter the text each time. Second, if you run MAXI-READ with little room left on your disk, MAXI-READ might run out of space before READ.TMP is created. So check disk space before running a lot of text. INTERPRETING YOUR RESULTS 8 MAXI-READ gives you several "scores" you can use to analyze your message. It also gives you a graphic summary of the most important ones. Along with Your scores, MAXI-READ gives you some "benchmark scores" to help you interpret your own results. Here's an example of the format of MAXI-READ's results. I-------------------------| MAXI-READ Analyses |-----------------------------I I Readability VERY LOW LOW AVERAGE HIGH VERY HIGH I I Summary:::: |___________+___________+___________+___________+______#____+ I I-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------I I Approximate GRADE LEVEL: 8 | +-----[ Index Summary ]-----+ I I The FLESCH INDEX: 84 |P 0|______+______+______+_#____|100 GI I Percent PERSONAL WORDS: 5.3|O 0|______+______+_#____+______|10 OI IPercent of SESQUIPEDALIAN WORDS: 8.4|O 15|______+____#_+______+______|0 OI IAverage # of SYLLABLES PER WORD: 1.4|O 2.5|______+______+_____#+______|1.0 OI IAverage # of WORDS PER SENTENCE: 14 |R 18|______+__#___+______+______|7 DI I-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------I I # of "SENTENCES:" 17 # of WORDS: 187 Total # of SYLLABLES: 259 I I-------------------------+---------------------------------------------------I I SESQUIPEDALIAN WORDS | The Following Words ARE ADDING TO COMPLEXITY. I I-------------------------+---------------------------------------------------I MAXI-READ's analyses begin with the number of: Sentences, Words and Syllables - shown at the bottom of the Results Summary. It then computes the Average Number of: Words per Sentence and Syllables per Word. These are then used to compute the FLESCH INDEX - a widely used measure of "readability." GRADE LEVEL is "estimated" from the Flesch Index. Finally, the Percent of Personal Words and Percent of Sesquipedalian Words are computed. Note that the graphic Index Summary shows Poor/Good "benchmark" scores. These are useful when you're analyzing text meant for "the average adult." More on these benchmarks later. * The FLESCH INDEX, developed by Rudolf Flesch, usually ranges from 0 to 100. But, it can be less than 0, or more than 100. - A Flesch Index score of about 50 suggests your message has an "average" readability among "average" adults. * The GRADE LEVEL is estimated from the Flesch Index. - 12 = High School Graduate; 16 = College Graduate; etc. - MAXI-READ prints 999 for Grade Level as a "flag" when your message is very complex. - "Average" adults can comfortably understand text written at the 8-10th grade level. That's why popular newspapers and magazines are written at that level. People CAN under- stand text written at higher levels. But they have to concentrate much harder. And they find that tedious. * The Percent of PERSONAL WORDS gives you a reading on how "personable" your message might "feel." - A score below 5% may mean your message comes across as formal, cold or distant. - A score of about 7-10% may be "about right" for many things. * The Percent of SESQUIPEDALIAN WORDS indicates the overall complexity of WORDS you use. If your score's more than 10%, we suggest you consider using easier-to-grasp synonyms. - To help you find synonyms, MAXI-READ offers "3 Pages" of synonyms for about 150 commonly used long words. - These are available by pressing F7 when results are shown, or by entering 5 at the Main Menu. USING BENCHMARKS 9 It's often hard to interpret the meaning of a number with- out some benchmark. For example, suppose you heard the temperature outside was "150 degrees Regular." You might conclude it was "hot out" -- until you learned the "Regular" scale ranges from 0 to 1,000, and water freezes at 200. So benchmarks are very helpful. But, at the same time they should not be considered "the gospel." MAXI-READ's benchmarks are based on what the "average adult" is most comfortable with. For this reason, it's important that you CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE when interpreting your results and the benchmarks. For example, * A Flesch score of 35 or a Grade Level of 13 might mean your text is OK for College Professors. * But if you're text was actually a children's story, or a "Guide to Using Your New Toaster," the same scores could mean your text is inappropriate for your actual audience. So, if your audience is other than the "average adult," we urge you to "mentally adjust" the benchmark range for each index. Then, interpret your actual results against your "adjusted benchmarks." Here's a summary of MAXI-READ's benchmarks. INDEX/SCORE POOR/LOW GOOD/HIGH =========== ======== ========= Flesch Index 0 100 Percent Personal Words 0 10 Percent Sesquipedalian Words 15 0 Avg. # of Syllables/Word 2.5 1.0 Avg. # of Words/Sentence 18 7 LIST OF PERSONAL WORDS For your information and reference, here are the Personal Words MAXI-READ looks for in your message. Text that contains a "reasonable" percentage of Personal Words (5-10%+) often has a warmer, friendlier tone than text with few Personal Words. But, in some situations, a more formal approach is appropriate. Here, a high percentage of Personal Words might be INappropriate. Set the standard that best suits your situation and your audience. I, Me, My, Mine He, Him, His She, Her, Hers They, Them, Their, You, Your, Yours We, Us, Our, Ours Theirs NOTE::: This Manual, when run through MAXI-READ, showed a GRADE LEVEL of 9, and a FLESCH INDEX score of 66. But, the sentences could be shorter! ADDITIONAL READING ON EFFECTIVE WRITING 10 If you'd like further help improving your writing style and increasing the impact of your message, here are some books you may want to read. Many are available in both soft and hard cover editions. And they're available at libraries and many book stores. AUTHOR BOOK TITLE ====== ============================= Rudolf Flesch * How to Write Plain English * Say What You Mean * The Art of Readable Writing * Rudolf Flesch on Business Communications * Why Johnny Can't Read - And What You Can Do About It * How to Write, Speak and Think More Effectively Robert Gunning * Take the Fog Out of Writing +-------------------------+ | MAXI-READ | | TO ORDER AND REGISTER | ------------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------- To: RWS & Associates, Enclosed is my contribution for your MAXI-READ program. Please register my name as a contributor, and keep me informed of new releases of MAXI-READ and your other products. My Name is: ___________________________________ My Company's Name is: ___________________________________ My Street Address is: ___________________________________ My City/State/Zip are: ___________________________________ Today's Date is: ___________________________________ I've enclosed: $________________ ($29.95 suggested) (California Residents: Please Add Applicable Sales Tax) ------------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------- Please send your Order/Registration form, (and ANY comments or suggestions) to: RWS & Associates Please make your check payable to: 132 Alpine Terrace San Francisco, Ca. 94117 RWS & Associates ------------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------- What things could we do to improve MAXI-READ? To make it easier to use or more effective?___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What have you LIKED MOST about using MAXI-READ?______________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ What have you DISLIKED about using MAXI-READ?________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ (Use the other side if you need more space for your comments.......) . . . . . . . . . Thank you for taking the time to comment!