To build drama, create rhythm & more
Short sentences are best. But make every sentence simple and short, and your copy will read like “See Dick run” primers.… Read the full article
Sentence length
4 ways to write short sentences
Commence with a conjunction, break it with bullets, more
I know, I know. Your third-grade teacher, Mrs. Webb, told you never to start a sentence with a conjunction.… Read the full article
Use more periods
How to write short sentences
The story goes that when future columnist James J. Kilpatrick was a young newspaper reporter, he wrote lots of deadly long sentences.… Read the full article
Write short sentences, like The New York Times
How long should sentences be?
How long should sentences be? Take a tip from the pros at The New York Times, and keep sentences short.
We analyzed 99 stories in a recent edition of the Times.… Read the full article
How short should sentences be?
‘The 25-word rule isn’t bad as long as you don’t follow it’
How short should sentences be? Ask the experts:
A “53-word sentence feels like my junk drawer — too much information crammed into too small a space.”
— Publication coach Daphne Gray-Grant
“For readable writing that doesn’t tax your readers, vary your sentence length, seek an average in the low 20s, and cut any sentence of 45 words or more.”
— Wayne Schiess, senior lecturer at The David J.
… Read the full articleHow long should sentences be?
American Press Institute correlates sentence length, comprehension
How long should sentences be? A better question might be: How much of your piece do you want your readers to understand?… Read the full article
Short sentences boost readability
Nearly 140 years of research proves it
Here’s the problem with long sentences: Every time you add a word, you reduce comprehension. Add another one, reduce it even further.… Read the full article
How to write short sentences
Check, find & cut long sentences with these Word tools
How to write short sentences? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
1) Check sentence length; 2) Find long sentences; 3) Cut long sentences.… Read the full article
The long and the short of it
Build drama, create rhythm by varying sentence length
But make every sentence simple and short, and your copy will read like “See Dick run” primers.… Read the full article
Search and destroy conjunctions
And, Or and So can increase sentence length
Sentences too long? Use Microsoft Word’s “find” function to search for conjunctions. They include:
- And
- Or
- Also
- But
- So
- Then
- Plus
When one of my writing coachees tried this trick, she found 23 “and’s” in a 500-word article.… Read the full article