Writing for understanding
Clear and short
How to write short, clear sentences to help people understand.
Write short sentences
Express only one idea in each sentence. Long, complicated sentences often mean that you aren’t sure about what you want to say. Shorter sentences can help convey complex information. They break the information up into smaller, easier-to-process units.
Sentences loaded with dependent clauses and exceptions confuse the audience and lose the main point. Resist the temptation to put everything in one sentence. Break up your idea into parts and make each one the subject of its own sentence.
Say | Instead of |
|---|---|
Once we establish your goals, we identify one or more potential employers. We prepare a preliminary proposal to present to an employer who agrees to negotiate a job that meets both his and your employment needs. | Once the candidate’s goals are established, one or more potential employers are identified. A preliminary proposal for presentation to the employer is developed. The proposal is presented to an employer who agrees to negotiate an individualized job that meets the employment needs of the applicant and real business needs of the employer. |
Suppose that one month you pay royalties on your full share of production but take less than your entitled share. In this case, you may balance your account in one of the following ways without having to pay more royalty. You may either:
| If you take less than your entitled share of production for any month, but you pay royalties on the full volume of your entitled share in accordance with the provisions of this section, you will owe no additional royalty for that lease for prior periods when you later take more than your entitled share to balance your account. This also applies when the other participants pay you money to balance your account. |
Complexity is the greatest enemy of clear communication. You may need to translate complicated information into more manageable language. In the following example, we have made an “if” clause into a separate sentence. Beginning the first sentence with “suppose” (that is, “if”) and the second sentence with “in this case” (that is, “then”) preserves the relationship between the two.
Write short paragraphs
Short paragraphs are easier to read and understand. Long paragraphs can discourage users from trying to understand your material.
Writing experts recommend paragraphs of no more than 150 words in three to eight sentences.
Paragraphs should never be longer than 250 words. Vary the lengths of your paragraphs to make them more interesting. Like sentence length, if all paragraphs are the same size your writing will be choppy.
There is nothing wrong with an occasional one-sentence paragraph.
Using short paragraphs is an ideal way to open up your writing and create white space. In turn, this makes your writing more inviting and easier to read. Consider adding headings for each paragraph as we did in the following example.
Cover one topic in each paragraph
Limit each paragraph or section to one topic. This makes it easier for your audience to understand your information. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that captures the essence of everything in the paragraph.
Putting each topic in a separate paragraph makes your information easier to digest.
Write short sections
Short sections break up material so it appears easier to comprehend. Long, dense sections with no white space are visually unappealing. They can also make your writing more difficult to understand. Short sections also help you organize your thoughts more effectively.
In short sections, you can add useful headings to help the reader skim and scan the page. Each heading can give the reader a clear picture of what’s in that section. Long sections can make it harder to summarize meaningfully in a heading.
