Crafting clear, easy-to-understand sentences is a cornerstone of plain language. There are many ways to go about structuring sentences, but this article focuses on four areas to keep in mind:
- Four Sentence Types
- Dangling Modifiers
- Noun Strings
- Active Voice
The Four Types of Sentences
Simple Sentences
- Definition: A simple sentence has one independent clause (a subject and a verb) and expresses a single complete thought.
- Example: “I wrote the report.”
- When to Use: Use simple sentences for direct statements or instructions. They’re ideal when your audience needs clarity without extra detail.
- When Not to Overuse: Too many simple sentences in a row can sound choppy or abrupt. Vary your sentence types to keep the reader engaged.
Compound Sentences
- Definition: A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon.
- Example: “I wrote the report, and she presented it to the team.”
- When to Use: Use compound sentences to show a relationship or equal importance between two ideas.
- When Not to Overuse: If both ideas are closely related or one idea depends on the other, consider a complex sentence instead.
Complex Sentences
- Definition: A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause (which cannot stand alone).
- Example: “I wrote the report before I left for the conference.”
- When to Use: Use complex sentences to express cause and effect, conditions, or more nuanced relationships between ideas.
- When Not to Overuse: If you have multiple dependent clauses, the sentence can become unwieldy. Break it up or consider different constructions.
Compound-Complex Sentences
- Definition: A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
- Example: “I wrote the report, and she presented it to the team after we discussed the findings.”
- When to Use: Use compound-complex sentences to convey detailed relationships among multiple ideas.
- When Not to Overuse: These sentences can easily become long and confusing. Make sure each clause is necessary to the overall meaning.
Dangling Modifiers
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. Often, the sentence starts with a modifying phrase, but the subject that should follow is missing or incorrect.
- How to Fix It:
- Place the subject immediately after the modifying phrase.
- Rewrite the sentence so the modifying phrase clearly refers to the correct subject.
Below is a table of 20 dangling modifiers with corrections.
| Dangling Modifier | Corrected Version |
|---|---|
| 1. “Walking through the park, the flowers looked beautiful.” | “Walking through the park, I saw beautiful flowers.” |
| 2. “While driving to work, a car almost hit me.” | “While I was driving to work, a car almost hit me.” |
| 3. “After reading the book, the ending felt abrupt.” | “After I read the book, the ending felt abrupt.” |
| 4. “Hiking the trail, the birds sang cheerfully.” | “While I hiked the trail, the birds sang cheerfully.” |
| 5. “Upon entering the room, the conversation stopped.” | “Upon entering the room, I noticed that the conversation stopped.” |
| 6. “After finishing my coffee, the mug was rinsed.” | “After I finished my coffee, I rinsed the mug.” |
| 7. “To qualify for the grant, the application must be submitted.” | “To qualify for the grant, you must submit the application.” |
| 8. “Watching the sunset, the air felt cooler.” | “As I watched the sunset, the air felt cooler.” |
| 9. “Without completing the form, our office can’t process it.” | “If you don’t complete the form, our office can’t process it.” |
| 10. “Thinking about the problem, a solution suddenly came to me.” | “While I was thinking about the problem, a solution suddenly came to me.” |
| 11. “By adhering to these rules, mistakes will be minimized.” | “By adhering to these rules, you will minimize mistakes.” |
| 12. “Sprinting to catch the bus, the driver closed the doors.” | “As I sprinted to catch the bus, the driver closed the doors.” |
| 13. “Having worked all day, dinner was eagerly anticipated.” | “Having worked all day, I eagerly anticipated dinner.” |
| 14. “After researching the topic, the data seemed incomplete.” | “After I researched the topic, the data seemed incomplete.” |
| 15. “Climbing the ladder, the top rung felt unstable.” | “While I climbed the ladder, the top rung felt unstable.” |
| 16. “Painted in bright colors, he admired the landscape.” | “Painted in bright colors, the landscape caught his eye.” |
| 17. “While sorting the mail, a letter fell to the floor.” | “While I was sorting the mail, a letter fell to the floor.” |
| 18. “Exhausted from the long flight, the bed seemed inviting.” | “Exhausted from the long flight, I found the bed inviting.” |
| 19. “Having forgotten my keys, the house was locked.” | “Having forgotten my keys, I realized the house was locked.” |
| 20. “By checking your work carefully, errors are fewer.” | “By checking your work carefully, you can reduce errors.” |
Noun Strings
A noun string is a series of nouns placed one after another to modify a final noun (e.g., “employee performance appraisal document”). This can confuse readers because it’s not always clear how each noun relates to the next.
- How to Fix It:
- Identify where you have multiple nouns in a row.
- Insert prepositions or other words to clarify relationships.
- Reorder the sentence to reduce confusion.
Below is a table of 20 noun strings and clearer alternatives.
| Noun String | Rewritten Version |
|---|---|
| 1. “Employee performance appraisal document” | “Document for appraising employee performance” |
| 2. “Customer support policy guidelines” | “Guidelines for our customer support policy” |
| 3. “Website user password security settings” | “Security settings for website user passwords” |
| 4. “Data entry error detection process” | “Process for detecting data entry errors” |
| 5. “Marketing plan budget analysis report” | “Report analyzing the marketing plan budget” |
| 6. “Company employee training schedule” | “Training schedule for company employees” |
| 7. “Office supply inventory management system” | “System for managing office supply inventory” |
| 8. “Project timeline completion estimate” | “Estimated completion time for the project” |
| 9. “Health insurance benefit enrollment form” | “Form for enrolling in health insurance benefits” |
| 10. “Software update user instruction manual” | “Instruction manual for updating the software” |
| 11. “Budget request approval procedure” | “Procedure for approving budget requests” |
| 12. “Meeting room booking confirmation email” | “Confirmation email for booking a meeting room” |
| 13. “Research article peer review guidelines” | “Guidelines for peer reviewing a research article” |
| 14. “Website content management interface” | “Interface for managing website content” |
| 15. “Student scholarship application deadline” | “Deadline for student scholarship applications” |
| 16. “Product safety inspection protocol” | “Protocol for inspecting product safety” |
| 17. “Disaster recovery plan checklist” | “Checklist for a disaster recovery plan” |
| 18. “Tax document submission deadline reminder” | “Reminder about the deadline for submitting tax documents” |
| 19. “Sales target performance metric” | “Metric for measuring sales target performance” |
| 20. “User account registration verification” | “Verification for new user account registration” |
Active Voice
Active voice places the subject of your sentence before the verb—so the subject performs the action, rather than being acted upon.
- Why It Matters:
- Creates a clear, direct tone that helps readers understand who is doing what.
- Makes your writing more concise and engaging.
- When to Use Passive Voice:
Occasionally, passive voice is acceptable if you want to focus on the action rather than the actor (e.g., “The results were published online.”). However, for most plain language writing, active voice is clearer.
Below is a table with 20 examples, converting passive voice to active voice.
| Passive Voice | Active Voice |
|---|---|
| 1. “The report was written by James.” | “James wrote the report.” |
| 2. “The documents were filed by the assistant.” | “The assistant filed the documents.” |
| 3. “A mistake was made.” | “We made a mistake.” |
| 4. “The software was updated by the team.” | “The team updated the software.” |
| 5. “New guidelines were introduced by the board.” | “The board introduced new guidelines.” |
| 6. “The application was submitted by Maria.” | “Maria submitted the application.” |
| 7. “Mistakes were corrected by the editor.” | “The editor corrected the mistakes.” |
| 8. “The package was delivered by the courier.” | “The courier delivered the package.” |
| 9. “The feedback was provided by clients.” | “Clients provided the feedback.” |
| 10. “The building was renovated by the company.” | “The company renovated the building.” |
| 11. “The final proposal was approved by the CEO.” | “The CEO approved the final proposal.” |
| 12. “Lunch was prepared by the caterer.” | “The caterer prepared lunch.” |
| 13. “The test results were released by the lab.” | “The lab released the test results.” |
| 14. “The invitation was sent by the organizer.” | “The organizer sent the invitation.” |
| 15. “An error was discovered by the auditors.” | “The auditors discovered an error.” |
| 16. “Rules were enforced by the authority.” | “The authority enforced the rules.” |
| 17. “The memo was circulated by HR.” | “HR circulated the memo.” |
| 18. “A decision was reached by the committee.” | “The committee reached a decision.” |
| 19. “The plan was designed by the architect.” | “The architect designed the plan.” |
| 20. “A deadline extension was granted by the manager.” | “The manager granted a deadline extension.” |
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