Quantitative indexes and rating systesm are used to give information about general trends and allow us to make comparisons and judgements.
The Fog Index is one measure of reading difficulty. Sometimes magazine and newspaper editors use it. Do any of our Education POE's have experience with something like this? The fog index uses word count, sentence length, and word size.
For our purposes we'll define words with three or more syllables as "big." "Big" words which are repeated will be counted each time. However, not all words with three syllables will be considered "big." Proper names are not "big," and neither are compound words formed from easy words (like "everything"), formed from a suffix (such as "ed" or "ing"), or connected with a hyphen.
The formula is:
FI = 0.4 * ( # of words / # of sentences + 100*( # of "big" words / # of words ) )
An FI of 9 would indicate a 9th grade reading level, an FI of 12 would indicate a 12th grade reading level, and FI of 14 would indicate college sophomore level, and so on.
Example 8.5
Find the Fog Index for the following passage:
When David M. O'Brien, a government professor at the University of Virginia,
took his students on a tour of the Supreme Court recently, they ended up in
a private question-and-answer session with a justice who abruptly turned to
presidential politics. He blurted out several hot-button issues involving feder-
alism, and said the future composition of the court would dramatically affect
the outcome of those cases.
"Vote carefully," the justice, a Republican appointee, implored the
students
assembled in a stately white oak conference room.
To this justice, and to interest groups on the left and the right, the 2000
presi-
dential campaign is not so much about whether Al Gore or George W. Bush
makes it to the White House. It's about whom Mr. Gore or Mr. Bush would
put on the Supreme Court, where vacancies are likely, if not in the next four
years, then certainly in the next president's potential second term. Three of
the nine justices are age 70 or older.
Solution
When David M. O'Brien, a government(1) professor(2)
at the University(no, proper name) of Virginia,
took his students on a tour of the Supreme Court recently, they ended up in
a private question-and-answer(no, compound) session
with a justice who abruptly turned to
presidential(3) politics(4).
He blurted out several(5) hot-button(no,
compound) issues involving feder-
alism(6), and said the future composition(7)
of the court would dramatically(8) affect
the outcome of those cases.
"Vote carefully," the justice, a Republican(9)
appointee, implored the students
assembled(10) in a stately white oak conference(11)
room.
To this justice, and to interest(12) groups on the
left and the right, the 2000 presi-
dential(13) campaign is not so much about whether
Al Gore or George W. Bush
makes it to the White House. It's about whom Mr. Gore or Mr. Bush would
put on the Supreme Court, where vacancies(14) are
likely, if not in the next four
years, then certainly in the next president's(15)
potential(16) second term. Three of
the nine justices are age 70 or older.
Note: In appointee,"ee" is a suffix, appoint -> appointed, or appointment, or appointee.
161 total words and 16 "big" words gives:
FI = (161/6 + 100*16/161)*0.4 = 14.7