we conjugate verbs and constipate nerds.why use writing appraisal indexes? because they (1) reduce to simple formulas the complex work of writing (2) provide a convenient check and measure of the level of one’s writing (3) possess the glitter of mathematical exactness (4) can be calculated by word processing software. [link]



"the fog index is a proven method of analyzing written material to see how easy it is to read and understand." there are some other indexes, such as the flesch-kincaid grade level score and such. by using word and grammar check, you can get these evaluations for how "good" your writing is. heaven knows i have problems writing "professional" documents. my writing style is nothing if not the epitome of colloquial. so in trying to improve my "real" writing skills, i like to see what types of tools are out there to help. and the flesch indexes are already pre-installed with your microsoft word program. love bill gates for the smart man that he is. love him for turning uber-dorky into uber-rich. just love him period.



sadly most of the stuff i'm running through this flesch checker is at 80-90% readability and the fourth to fifth grade level. or rather, my blogs are at that level. which means if you are in the third grade or lower, you should not be reading this blog because it's too wordy and complex for you children. so unless you are a precocious prodigy, stick to dr seuss or something till you're ready.



actually, this particular blog entry is zero percent passive, 64.6 reading ease and not to be read below the eighth grade level. i'm already getting better, amazing.