How to write shorter sentences without sounding choppy
Long sentences make readers hold too much in their heads at once. Here are six reliable ways to cut them down, and why the goal is variety, not uniform shortness.
A long sentence asks the reader to hold the beginning in mind until the end arrives. Every clause you add stretches that wait. Past a certain point, readers lose the thread, reread, or skim. Shorter sentences fix that, and they are also the single biggest lever on almost every readability score, since most formulas weigh words per sentence heavily.
The Op-Ed Insight editor flags a sentence of 25 words or more as long and 35 or more as very long. Those are prompts, not rules. A 30-word sentence with a clean structure can read better than two clumsy 15-word ones. But when a sentence is flagged, it is worth a second look, and the techniques below cover most of what you will find.
1. Give each sentence one main idea
Most overlong sentences carry two or three ideas that happen to be related. The writer felt the connection and kept going. The reader would rather get one idea, a full stop, and then the next.
Before: Our new billing system, which went live in March after two years of planning, has reduced late payments by a third, although some customers have complained that the invoices are harder to read.
After: Our new billing system went live in March. It has cut late payments by a third. Some customers say the invoices are harder to read.
The two-years-of-planning detail went too. Ask whether a detail serves the point of this paragraph. If it does not, it belongs somewhere else or nowhere.
2. Split at “and”, “but”, and “which”
Conjunctions and relative pronouns are the joints of a long sentence. They are also the easiest places to cut. When “and” joins two complete clauses, you can often replace it with a period. When “which” introduces a whole new fact rather than identifying something, that fact can usually stand on its own.
Before: The library will close at noon on Friday for staff training, and the book drop will remain open, which means you can still return items over the weekend.
After: The library will close at noon on Friday for staff training. The book drop will stay open, so you can still return items over the weekend.
Not every “and” should go. “Salt and pepper” is fine. The target is “and” joining two sentences that were each complete.
3. Cut the preamble
Many sentences spend their first eight words warming up. “I am writing to let you know that”, “It is worth pointing out that”, “As you may already be aware”. These openers delay the point and add length without adding meaning. Delete them and start with the subject.
Before: I just wanted to reach out to let you know that the report you asked for is now ready for your review.
After: The report you asked for is ready.
For a longer catalog of these openers and their short forms, see words to cut.
4. Turn a series into a list
A sentence that names five steps, four requirements, or six dates is a list pretending to be prose. Readers scan lists faster, and each item can be short. Use a bulleted or numbered list when the items are parallel and the reader may need to find one again.
Before: To apply, you will need to submit a completed form, a copy of your photo ID, proof of address dated within the last three months, and a check or money order for the fee, all of which must arrive by May 1.
After: Send these by May 1: the completed form, a copy of your photo ID, proof of address from the last three months, and the fee.
In a web page or email, the After version could go further and become a bulleted list under a short lead-in.
5. Move qualifications out of the middle
Writers often wedge conditions and exceptions into the middle of a sentence, between the subject and the verb. The reader has to suspend the main clause while processing the aside. Move the qualification to the end, or give it its own sentence.
Before: Employees who, because of a medical condition or a family emergency, are unable to attend the training session in person may request a recorded version.
After: Employees who cannot attend the training in person may request a recording. This applies to medical conditions and family emergencies.
The general principle is to keep the subject and verb close together. When ten words separate them, the reader is waiting.
6. Replace phrases with words
Some length comes from wordy phrases rather than extra ideas. “In the event that” is “if”. “Has the ability to” is “can”. “Make a decision” is “decide”. Each swap saves only a few words, but across a sentence they add up, and the shorter forms are easier to read.
Before: In the event that the shipment is delayed, we have the ability to make a decision about refunds on a case-by-case basis.
After: If the shipment is late, we can decide on refunds case by case.
Two related guides cover this in depth: nominalizations (verbs hidden inside nouns) and words to cut.
Variety matters more than shortness
Cutting every sentence to eight words does not produce clear writing. It produces a drumbeat. Readers notice the monotony, and the relationships between ideas disappear because nothing connects them.
Watch out: If you split a sentence and the two halves now need “This means” or “As a result” to reconnect them, the original join may have been doing real work. Keep it, or rejoin with a shorter connector.
Good prose mixes lengths. A short sentence after a long one lands with force. A longer sentence can carry a careful argument when each clause follows naturally from the last. What you want to avoid is the run of long sentences, one after another, each packed with clauses. That is where readers tire.
A useful target for most general writing is an average somewhere around 15 to 20 words per sentence, with individual sentences ranging from very short to the mid-20s. That range is a convention, not a law, and technical or academic writing often runs longer. The average sentence length guide covers the numbers in more detail.
A quick routine
When you are editing a draft:
- Paste it into the sentence length checker and look at the flagged sentences first.
- For each one, ask: how many ideas is this carrying? If more than one, split it.
- Look for “and”, “but”, “which”, and “because” as split points.
- Delete any opening phrase that only announces what is coming.
- Read the paragraph aloud. If it sounds choppy, combine two of the shortest sentences.
The last step matters. Shortening is a means, not the goal. The goal is a reader who gets your point on the first pass.
Try it on your own text
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