You run into all kinds of problems when popularizing officialese. One such challenge stems from the fact that much official writing is based on the law. Such texts frequently follow the same presentation mode as the law itself. A common method is to divide instructions or explanations into sections, complete with the section symbol ( § ). Why should you avoid this? Average readers will feel this legal format distant and difficult to read. Specialized symbols and markings [ like § 1.401(a)(4)-1 ] create that distance; readers don’t see the symbols, or the excessive attention to multilevel numbering, in other kinds of writing. In everyday prose, writers may use chapter numbers, but also include standard numbering, headings and subheadings, or simply paragraphing. All these are tools to organize the content in a way that’s accessible to the reader. Could it be that the use of section symbols and other official hieroglyphics is not so much for sequence or organization, but to emphasize the authority of the law? Asserting that authority often contradicts any desire to increase readability and comprehension. If we want our audience to read, understand and follow official instructions, we shouldn’t start by marking boundaries with section symbols.