Short Sentences

To ensure your ideas are expressed clearly, aim for an average sentence length of 18 to 24 words -- as a very rough rule of thumb -- and very few sentences longer than four lines of text. Keep in mind that we are suggesting averages; some sentences will necessarily be longer and some should be significantly shorter. Be particularly careful, however, to avoid runs of short sentences. The following diagram illustrates the pattern for short sentences.



 

Some readers unconsciously make assumptions about the competence or intelligence of writers based on the length of their sentences (among other things). Note how easily you can deduce the approximate age of the writer of the following letter:


I watched your show called Discovery. It was about spiders. Don't kill the spiders. I know you have to catch them for medicine. But only catch some spiders. I just don't think it's fair. Also, you have to be very, very careful around tarantulas and black widows. Another reason why is because if you hurt them they'll hurt you. I like spiders. But to tell you the truth, not very much.

The writer's age is probably quite close to her average sentence length -- about 7. If your sentences average less than 15 words, you may persuade readers that you are young and inexperienced. Or your readers could assume that you are oversimplifying things because you think their ability to understand is limited. Either way, too many short sentences can alienate readers.

On the other hand, if your sentences are too long, you risk confusing and frustrating readers. Writing is like a balancing act: you do not want to lean too far in either direction. However, what counts as too long or too short depends on a number of things, including the age, education, and prior knowledge of your readers.

The range of your sentence lengths is at least as important as their average length. If all your sentences are of roughly the same length, you risk putting your reader to sleep. You take the same risk if all your sentences are similarly structured. Variety helps maintain reader interest.

Some Pointers
  1. Avoid strings of short, unclearly related sentences, especially in introductory paragraphs.

  2. Sentences can easily be combined by using simple connections such as and, that, or which or by embedding parts of one sentence in another.

  3. The average sentence length in academic journals is 21-23 words.

  4. When writing for popular magazines, user manuals, or procedural instructions, shorten sentence length to 15-18 words.

  5. The occasional short sentence is a powerful technique to create emphasis.

Start Exercise

In the following example, note how all five sentences in the original are relatively short, begin with a subject (noun), have similar simple structures, and lack transitions.


Hint
1. Original:

Market conditions are very unstable. Business reacts quickly to the price of pulp and paper. Capital spending by pulp and paper mills is known to be cut off immediately that pulp prices drop. Engineering projects can be stopped with little notice. The technology is relatively stable. (Average sentence length = 9 words)

1.Hinted:

Market conditions are very unstable. Business reacts quickly to the price of pulp and paper. Capital spending by pulp and paper mills is known to be cut off immediately that pulp prices drop. Engineering projects can be stopped with little notice. The technology is relatively stable. (Average sentence length = 9 words)

1. Revised:

Explanation

In the solution, we combined two pairs of sentences (using as indicated by and because) and added a transition (however) to the last sentence to indicate a shift to a different point of view. We also rewrote the third sentence in the active voice. While the average sentence length in the revised version may still appear low, two of three sentences are within the 18 to 24 word range. The shorter, six-word sentence is now well placed at a natural point of emphasis where a shift from unstable market conditions to stable technology is indicated. Keep in mind that short sentences are generally more emphasized than long ones. In the first version, too many sentences are so short that this kind of emphasis is not possible.


Note the following example:


Hint
2. Original:

The culture of the organization is inconsistent with the rest of the world. The company values long-term employees. Provides generous remuneration, benefits, pensions, etc. The organization is too steep. It needs some flattening. The current organization encourages CYA and non-communication. This needs to be addressed. Failures rewarded, fence-sitters punished. (Average sentence length = 6 words)

2. Hinted:

The culture of the organization is inconsistent with the rest of the world. The company values long-term employees. Provides generous remuneration, benefits, pensions, etc. The organization is too steep. It needs some flattening. The current organization encourages CYA and non-communication. This needs to be addressed. Failures rewarded, fence-sitters punished. (Average sentence length = 6 words)

2. Revised:


Paying attention to sentence length is one way to improve the clarity of our writing. Others involve taking a close look at the kinds of words you use and identifying habits in your use of language. The next few strategies concentrate on language use.