How to Write Shorter Sentences
Know the idea you want to communicate., Write a draft of your sentence., Cut out the fluff., Focus on nouns and verbs., Practice and perfect your skills.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the idea you want to communicate.
Before you put pen to paper, know what you are about to say. If you're vague on your subject, think it out. If you don't, your thought process will end up cluttering your writing. , Don't worry about brevity yet.
Get your idea and any important points down so you will not lose them., Many writers say in twenty words what they could in five.
Take this sentence, for example: "In this day and age, many students find themselves faced with a seemingly insurmountable number of homework assignments." Maybe it sounds intelligent, but as Shakespeare once said, "brevity is the soul of wit." This sentence can be cut down to "Today's students are overwhelmed by homework." How? Some phrases can be replaced by a single word. "In this day and age" was replaced by "today." Modifiers like "very" and "most" are often unnecessary. "Many students" became "students." Many verbs can be made more active. "Find themselves faced with a seemingly insurmountable" became "overwhelmed." Often people use redundancies without realizing it. "Homework assignments," for instance, can be cut down to just "homework" or "assignments."
Short sentences focus on actions.
The most basic sentences consist of a noun and a verb/subject and predicate
- "Jane walked" or "Max barked," for example.
While a whole passage of these sentences would be awkward and childish-sounding, they serve as a basis for quality short sentences
- "Jane walked to work that day," or "Max barked at something outside."
Brevity is something you need to develop.
One exercise you could try is limiting yourself to a certain number of words
- the "six-word story" is one popular variant of this.
As the name implies, you must tell a story, usually your life story, in exactly six words.
Reading the work of masters of the short sentence, such as Ernest Hemingway, could also help.
And above all, practice. -
Step 2: Write a draft of your sentence.
-
Step 3: Cut out the fluff.
-
Step 4: Focus on nouns and verbs.
-
Step 5: Practice and perfect your skills.
Detailed Guide
Before you put pen to paper, know what you are about to say. If you're vague on your subject, think it out. If you don't, your thought process will end up cluttering your writing. , Don't worry about brevity yet.
Get your idea and any important points down so you will not lose them., Many writers say in twenty words what they could in five.
Take this sentence, for example: "In this day and age, many students find themselves faced with a seemingly insurmountable number of homework assignments." Maybe it sounds intelligent, but as Shakespeare once said, "brevity is the soul of wit." This sentence can be cut down to "Today's students are overwhelmed by homework." How? Some phrases can be replaced by a single word. "In this day and age" was replaced by "today." Modifiers like "very" and "most" are often unnecessary. "Many students" became "students." Many verbs can be made more active. "Find themselves faced with a seemingly insurmountable" became "overwhelmed." Often people use redundancies without realizing it. "Homework assignments," for instance, can be cut down to just "homework" or "assignments."
Short sentences focus on actions.
The most basic sentences consist of a noun and a verb/subject and predicate
- "Jane walked" or "Max barked," for example.
While a whole passage of these sentences would be awkward and childish-sounding, they serve as a basis for quality short sentences
- "Jane walked to work that day," or "Max barked at something outside."
Brevity is something you need to develop.
One exercise you could try is limiting yourself to a certain number of words
- the "six-word story" is one popular variant of this.
As the name implies, you must tell a story, usually your life story, in exactly six words.
Reading the work of masters of the short sentence, such as Ernest Hemingway, could also help.
And above all, practice.
About the Author
William Griffin
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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