What each part of the prompt does
- Task in the first sentence
- Gemini follows a literal task best when it comes first. "Understand it on the first read" sets a test the rewrite has to pass, not just a style to imitate.
- Terms that must stay
- [KEEP TERMS] protects product names, legal phrases and button labels that readers have to match elsewhere, so the model explains them instead of swapping them out.
- Measurable steps
- A 20-word sentence limit and the switch from passive to active voice are concrete rules Gemini can apply line by line, which gives more consistent results than asking for "simpler" text.
- Fact check against the original
- Plain-English rewrites can quietly drop a condition such as "within 30 days". The quality check line makes the model compare both versions before it answers.
Variations to try
Same idea, one thing changed.
Help article with headings Rewrite the text below in plain English so that [AUDIENCE] can understand it on the first read. Inputs: - Text to rewrite: [TEXT] - Who will read it: [AUDIENCE] - Where it will appear: [PLACE] - Terms that must stay exactly as they are: [KEEP TERMS] Steps: 1. Find the main point of the text and put it in the first sentence. 2. Replace jargon and long words with everyday words. If a technical term must stay, explain it in a few words the first time it appears. 3. Split any sentence longer than 20 words. 4. Change passive sentences to active ones where it is clear who does what. 5. Keep every fact, number, date and condition from the original. Do not add new ones. Format: - The rewritten text first, split into short sections with question-style headings such as "What changes for me?". - Then a short list of the words you replaced or explained, each as: original word, new wording. Quality check: Before you answer, compare the rewrite with the original and confirm that no fact, number, date or condition was lost or changed.
Half the length Rewrite the text below in plain English so that [AUDIENCE] can understand it on the first read. Inputs: - Text to rewrite: [TEXT] - Who will read it: [AUDIENCE] - Where it will appear: [PLACE] - Terms that must stay exactly as they are: [KEEP TERMS] Steps: 1. Find the main point of the text and put it in the first sentence. 2. Replace jargon and long words with everyday words. If a technical term must stay, explain it in a few words the first time it appears. 3. Split any sentence longer than 20 words. 4. Change passive sentences to active ones where it is clear who does what. 5. Cut the text to about half its length by removing repetition and background the reader does not need. Keep every fact, number, date and condition that affects the reader. Do not add new ones. Format: - The rewritten text first. - Then a short list of the words you replaced or explained, each as: original word, new wording. Quality check: Before you answer, compare the rewrite with the original and confirm that no fact, number, date or condition was lost or changed.
If the result isn't right
- Name a real reader in [AUDIENCE], such as "a parent reading this on a phone at the school gate"; a concrete picture gives simpler wording than "general public".
- For legal or medical text, have the rewrite reviewed by whoever owns the original; plain wording can still shift a meaning.
- Read the replaced-words list first; it is the quickest way to spot a term the model misunderstood.