Improving the Readability of Text with Automatic Phrase‐Sensitive Formating

These experiments demonstrate improvement in reading score as a result of computer‐generated syntactically formated text. In all experiments, the subjects took a subset of the Chapman‐Cook speed of reading test. In experiment 1, the space size between words reflected the major phrase structure boundaries. In experiment 2, the spacing corresponded to both the major and minor phrase structure boundaries. Experiment 1 indicates that poor readers are aided by syntactically formated text. Experiment 2 indicates that a more finely detailed formating also helps poor readers. The use of a microcomputer to prepare the material will make it practical to improve the readability of large amounts of text.