Following Simple Instructions in English

Instructions in English are written in a special, very simple style. Once you know the pattern, you can follow them even with a small vocabulary.

Instructions start with the verb

Normal sentence: You should press the green button. Instruction: Press the green button.

There is no you, no should, no please. The first word tells you what to do. So when you read instructions, look at the first word of each line — that is the action.

The verbs you will see most

Verb	Meaning
Press / Push	Push with your finger
Insert	Put in
Remove	Take out
Turn	Move it round
Fill	Put liquid in until it is full
Wait	Do nothing for a time
Repeat	Do it again
Select / Choose	Pick an option
Enter	Type it in
Confirm	Say yes to what you chose
Attach	Fix one thing to another

Order words

Instructions almost always come in order. These words mark the steps:

• First … Then … Next … Finally
• Or just numbers: 1. 2. 3.

Do them in the order written. In English instructions, the order is never a suggestion.

Warnings

• DO NOT / NEVER — this is dangerous or will break something.
• Make sure… — check this before you continue.
• CAUTION / WARNING — read the next line carefully.

If you understand nothing else on the page, read the DO NOT lines.

Machines: tickets, ATMs, self-checkout

Screens use a very small set of words, and the same ones everywhere:

SELECT · ENTER PIN · CONFIRM · CANCEL · BACK · PLEASE WAIT · REMOVE CARD · TAKE YOUR TICKET · INSUFFICIENT FUNDS · TRANSACTION CANCELLED · DO NOT REMOVE CARD

Two worth knowing before you need them: CANCEL stops everything and returns your card, and PLEASE WAIT / DO NOT REMOVE CARD means don't touch anything — pulling the card out here is what causes real problems.

Forms

Forms are instructions too, and they use their own verbs:

Instruction	Do this
Fill in / Complete	write your answer
Tick the box (UK) / Check the box (US)	mark it ✓
Delete as appropriate	cross out the one that doesn't apply
BLOCK CAPITALS	write in CAPITAL LETTERS
Please print	write clearly, not in joined-up writing
Sign here	your signature
Leave blank	write nothing

A real example

To make tea

1. Fill the kettle with water.

2. Press the switch and wait for the water to boil.

3. Put one tea bag in a cup.

4. Pour the water into the cup.

5. Wait 3 minutes, then remove the tea bag.

Do not fill the cup to the top.

Five verbs — fill, press, put, pour, remove — and one warning. That is the whole text.

One more, from a ticket machine

1. Select your destination.

2. Choose single or return.

3. Insert card or cash.

4. Take your ticket and receipt.

Please do not remove your card until instructed.

Four actions and one warning again — the same shape, in a completely different place.

Read every step before you start. Instructions are written in order for a reason, and step 4 often tells you something that changes step 1 — the tin you needed to grease, the card you shouldn't have inserted yet. Thirty seconds of reading ahead saves starting over, and it is much easier than it sounds when each line is only three or four words.

Test yourself

The quiz below gives you short instructions. Find the action verb and the order.