Tag Archives: sentences

Average 15 words per sentence

Plain language / Plain English, writing tip

Lots of really long sentences will tire your reader.

Readers have to keep all the words you have written in their mind until they get to a full stop and consolidate the idea. It’s easy to lose your message in a long sentence. 

Yet lots of short sentences can make your writing choppy.

The Australian Government style manual gives this advice: Include a mix of sentence lengths in your document – readers like variety and rhythm.

Keep sentences to an average of 15 words and no more than 25 words.

But there’s nothing wrong with an occasional 35 word sentence; nothing wrong with a 3 word sentence. Just don’t write them at that length all the time.

You can start a sentence with And, But

Plain language / Plain English, writing tip

You can start a sentence with ‘And’ and ‘But’, despite what your second grade teacher told you.

But do it sparingly. Using these conjunctions can add energy, rhythm and vibrancy to your writing. They can also help inject a conversational tone. And using them can be a good way to break up long sentences.

Little rules like these learnt in our early school days were likely helpful advice at the time, as we learn to put our thoughts down in writing. But they are not rules for life.

As you mature as a writer you gain the freedom to bend and reshape those old guidelines to suit your voice and purpose, and to increase the clarity of your message.

Use parallel structures in sentences to smooth the flow

Plain language / Plain English, writing tip,

Good writing sounds good to the ear.

The sentence “Mary likes hiking, swimming and to ride a bicycle” is understandable; most readers will know exactly what it means.

However, the sentence feels uneven because the three activities do not share the same grammatical shape.

“Hiking” and “swimming” are -ing forms, while “to ride” shifts suddenly to an infinitive. Revising the sentence in this way, “Mary likes hiking, swimming and cycling,” is smoother because each item follows the same pattern.

This is called a parallel structure. It helps a sentence sound balanced, clear and natural.

Good writing is not only just about being correct; it is also about rhythm.

When sentences are read aloud, repeated patterns guide the ear, reduce awkwardness and make the message more pleasing to hear. 

How to write sentences

Plain language / Plain English, Thinking & writing, writing tip, ,

Never begin a sentence until you are sure of what you want to say in it and how it will end.If that means you only write short, simple sentences for a while, that’s OK.

Think clearly before committing words to paper or screen so that every word serves a purpose. Rushing ahead without clarity can lead to confusion, both for you and your reader.

And usually just write one single, focused thought per sentence. This makes your writing easier to follow. Readers can process single ideas more effectively than complex, multi-layered statements that weave together several concepts.

But, if you choose to include more than one point in a sentence, place the most important thought first. Your reader will find your main message immediately, even if they stop reading mid-sentence.

If you do this, over time you’ll develop a writing style that is both powerful and easy to follow. You’ll be able to communicate complex ideas clearly and succinctly.

Write short sentences

Plain language / Plain English, writing tip

Short sentences are usually easier to understand.
And short sentences are more lively.

If you write a really long sentence containing lots of different ideas the reader has to wait until they reach the full stop before they can take a quick mental break to process all the ideas and all the things you have told them and then they have to make sense of it all and figure out how they should respond. (that sentence was longer than it needed to be – 61 words)

Joining words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘then’ are good places to consider breaking a long sentence into two or more sentences.

On average, aim for about 15-20 words per sentence. But don’t make all your sentences that long – readers like variety. There is nothing wrong with a 3 word sentence, and nothing wrong with a 35 word sentence. Just don’t write them all the time