There are two FOG indices.
FOG1 is the number of syllables divided by the number of words. Scientists have high FOG1 indices. Your average schmuck like me loves Anglo-Saxon monosyllables. What could be more clear than: "He died. His throat was cut." Real brutal and real clear? It is possible to converse using only monosyllables. Gets tricky at times, but....
FOG2 is the number or words divided by the number of significant things said. Scientists have very low FOG2 indices. Deans are much higher and politicians' FOG2 indices approach infinity.
Thank you for posting that. I've seen references to FOG indexes and grasped the main point, but I've never seen them explained.
Why did Hemmingway's chicken cross the road? To die. In the rain.