An official website of the United States government
Quick-Click Results
Accessible:
able to get or reach; usable; findable
CDC Original Sentences:
Ensure that your facility is fully accessible (e.g., parking, exam tables, restrooms, etc.).
NOTE: Don't use "e.g." or "etc." because they are academic abbreviations. Use "such as" or "for example" instead. Also, "e.g.," means the list of examples cannot possibly include every item, and "etc." would be redundant.
There are a lot of ways to get involved. Just educating yourself about disabilities or making sure that your organization provides accessible educational materials for people with disabilities can make a difference.
Ensure that your facility is fully accessible (e.g., parking, exam tables, restrooms, etc.).
Plain Language Sentences:
Make sure people with disabilities can get to and use every part of your facility. Examples include the parking lot, patient exam tables, and restrooms.
Make sure your organization gives people with disabilities information they can understand and use. Educate yourself about their needs. You can also get feedback from people with disabilities while developing informational materials.
Make sure people with disabilities can get to and use every part of your facility, such as
• the parking lot
• the patient exam tables
• the restrooms
Entry Last Modified 31 December 2024
Acquire:
get
CDC Original Sentences:
Almost every sexually active person will acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
Plain Language Sentences:
If they don't get the shot to protect against it, almost everyone who is sexually active will get human papillomavirus, or HPV, at some time in their lives.
Entry Last Modified 3 November 2016
Activate:
begin, start, turn on, act
CDC Original Sentences:
If the worker does not exit or enter properly, a foot or hand control may be activated and may cause movement of the lift arms, bucket, or other attachment.
Plain Language Sentences:
You must get in or out in a safe manner, or you may accidentally start a foot or hand control that moves the lift arms, bucket, or other attachment.
Entry Last Modified 3 November 2016
Acute:
sudden; happen without warning; sickness that lasts a short time and goes away
CDC Original Sentences:
Mumps is an acute viral illness.
Plain Language Sentences:
Mumps usually causes the following symptoms for about 7 to 10 days:
* Fever
* Headache
* Muscle aches
* Tiredness
* Loss of appetite (not wanting to eat)
* Swollen glands under the ears or jaw
Entry Last Modified 3 November 2016
address:
fix, improve, increase, or decrease
CDC Original Sentences:
This solution will address the dangers of the problem.
NOTE: Address is vague. Using a more specific term that helps your readers understand the goal of addressing the issue.
Plain Language Sentences:
This solution will reduce the dangers of the problem.
This solution will fix the dangers of the problem.
Entry Notes: Address is vague. Using a more specific term that helps your readers understand the goal of addressing the issue.
Note: This does not apply to using "address" in terms of a location or speaking directly to someone.
Entry Last Modified 15 January 2025
Adhere and Adherence:
Sticks To
CDC Original Sentences:
Plain Language Sentences:
Entry Notes: Sticks to
Entry Last Modified 1 May 2018
Agent (biological):
natural or living thing that can cause an event or result
CDC Original Sentences:
The U.S. public health system and primary health care providers must be prepared to address various biological agents, including pathogens that are rarely seen in the United States.
Plain Language Sentences:
The U.S. public health system and primary care providers must be ready to identify and protect against diseases caused by many different germs. Even if they aren't common, we must be ready just in case.
Entry Notes: Instead of chemical agent, use chemical.
Entry Last Modified 3 November 2016
Angina:
Pain in the chest related to the heart that comes and goes; chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart; occasional chest pain
CDC Original Sentences:
Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease.
Plain Language Sentences:
Angina, chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart, is a symptom of the most common type of heart disease.
Entry Last Modified 30 December 2024
Anxiety:
worry, fear
CDC Original Sentences:
Someone who is depressed has feelings of sadness or anxiety that last for weeks at a time.
Plain Language Sentences:
Someone who is depressed feels sad, worried, or fearful for weeks at a time.
Entry Last Modified 3 November 2016
Assess or assessment:
act or process for collecting and analyzing information about a topic, group of people, or a place; information about size, quality, or value; frequently used for school health assessment, community (needs) assessment, workplace health assessment, health impact assessment, public health assessment; see also evaluate
CDC Original Sentences:
The last step in the assessment process is to present and report what was learned during the workplace health assessment to key organizational stakeholders and decision makers.
Plain Language Sentences:
After you have collected and analyzed the workplace information, write a report about what you learned and share the report with the people interested in the results.
Entry Last Modified 24 May 2017
Associated with:
linked to, related to, goes along with, is part of, happens with
CDC Original Sentences:
This study demonstrates that autism spectrum disorder is not associated with immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 2 years of life.
In addition to being a chronic disease in its own right, the burden of depression is further increased as depression appears to be associated with behaviors linked to other chronic diseases.
Plain Language Sentences:
This study shows that autism spectrum disorder is not related to shots given to children 2 years old and younger.
Depression is a disease or sickness that may last for a long time and often is much worse because of other long-lasting sicknesses that go along with depression. People who are depressed are more likely to act in ways that hurt their health and increase their chances of getting other sicknesses.
NOTE: You may be able to eliminate the term completely with a rewrite: Someone with depression may have it for a long time and act in ways that hurt their health and lead to other long-term sicknesses.
Entry Last Modified 4 November 2016
Attain:
meet a goal, get, reach, receive
CDC Original Sentences:
The CDC believes every person should have the opportunity to attain his or her full health potential.
CDC is the first federal agency to attain full accreditation of its emergency management program.
Plain Language Sentences:
CDC believes everyone should have the chance to be as healthy as possible.
CDC is the first federal agency to receive full accreditation of its emergency management program.
Entry Last Modified 4 November 2016
If you do audience testing of these words or other public health or medical words, please send your results to the health literacy staff in CDC’s Office of Communications at clearcommunication@cdc.gov.
Content Credential