Why don't you simply run the writing through any grammar checker? The final statistics will yield some readability index in terms of readability or grade level. The formula itself is based on number of polysyllabic words, number of sentences per paragraph, and number of words per sentence. The calculation isn't entirely reliable. People who use incredible numbers of acronyms and abbreviations are likely to get great grammar-checker results and yet still produce extremely difficult writing. The advantage of this system is that almost all writers have a grammar checker at their fingertips; any other method is going to be either too abstract or too cumbersome. ==Reinhold On Wed, 24 Jan 2001, Ed Keer wrote: > Hi All, > > I hope this question is not too off topic. I am > working as an editor in a marketing department and as > part of their style some communications must be > written at a 6th grade reading level. What they mean > by this is that they should be fairly simple. > Unfortunately they do not define what they mean by 6th > grade level. Since I have a background in > linguistics, I volunteeered to try to come up with > some substantive guidelines for what is a 6th grade > reading level. Can anyone point me to relevant > references that address issues of reading difficulty > or levels or even make some suggestions about what > guidelines I can reccomend? > > > Ed Keer > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. > http://auctions.yahoo.com/ > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/