3 Secrets for Better Sentences
- Mar 21, 2014
- 2 min read
Secret #1
Vary The Length of Your Sentences!
I often read sentences out loud to students to illustrate the point that their sentences are far too long. Long sentences make your ideas seem busy and clouded. The ultimate killer is also not being able to use our beloved semi colons and colons effectively to make your essay more academic. Before we proceed, we must first agree on what is considered to be a long sentence. Believe it or not, English sentences are approximately 5-25 words long.
E.g. of a long sentence
"Ultimately, I doubt that human robot cohabitation to the extent that we see in sci-fi movies will come to pass within the next 50 years due to technology limits, the myriad of ethical issues and the social controversy that it would initially (and continue to) cause but as the lines between man and machine slowly become blurred, living alongside robots or at least cyborgs will be the norm."
This sentence was in an academic essay! I am sure you will agree that it is way too long!
E.g of varying your sentence length
"Within the British Isles, only 3% of the population speak with a Received Pronunciation accent and according to Crystal (1987), the rest of the population speak with a regional accent.(long) Regional accents are almost always discussed along geographical lines. (short)"
Secret #2
Use Different Words to Start Your Sentences
Use different words to start your sentences. Imagine eating pepperoni pizza every day for 3 months. As much as I like pepperoni and pizza, I would hate to eat it 3 months in a row! Wouldn’t you? It's the same in writing. Using the same overused words to start your sentences or paragraphs will make you an ineffective writer and bore your reader/marker to death!I have a friend who loves to start her sentences with the word 'basically'. Although it is acceptable in speech, in an academic piece such as a dissertation or an assignment, it screams unprofessionalism.
Quick Tip:
To see if you are using the same word to start more than one paragraph, go through your essay and circle the first word in every sentence. If you find two words that are the same in a paragraph, change one of them.Click here to access a list of transition words to help sole this problem. If this is tedious to do manually, press Ctrl + F and type the word you think you have used the most and it will show the frequency in your essay.
Secret #3
Pack Your Sentences... But Wisely!
See the following examples:
The author Smith is against the concept. (ok)
The author Smith, who is against the concept claims “education is now irrelevant”. (good)
The controversial author, Smith Johnson, who is against the concept claims “education is now irrelevant”. (Even Better)
Conversely, the controversial author, Smith Johnson, who is against the concept claims “education is now irrelevant” (2013, pg 13). (Spot on!)
The bottom line is that everyone can write effectively. You’ll be surprised at how much better your sentences when you followthese three simple rules. Give it a try and see for yourself.
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