It’s a Matter of Style Part 2: Sentence Complexity

Style can be one of the trickiest parts of the “Polishing Stage” of writing. You get to make it your own, but you still have to consider your audience and their needs/wants. 

One place where your style shows through is in the complexity of your sentences. You’ve probably noticed these differences when you read. Some authors like long, flowing sentences that go on and on. Others prefer simple, short sentences that get right to the point. 

In general, creative writing is more likely to have long, complex sentences than business writing. Writing designed for general audiences is more likely to have simple sentences than writing designed for academic experts. 

Deciding how complex to make your sentences is part of your “Polishing Stage” work. 

Watch the Video

Practice It

The best way to practice changing sentence complexity is with a piece of your own writing. 

After you have written a rough draft, find a sentence that’s short and simple. See how you could make it more complex by combining it with another sentence or adding to it. 

Find a sentence that’s long and complex and see how you could break it up to make it simpler. 

Read aloud before and after your edits and listen for differences in the flow. 

If you don’t have a draft of your own writing (or you find it too hard to revise your own sentences), you can do the same exercise with someone else’s work. Pick an essay, short story, newspaper article, etc. and read a paragraph aloud. 

Listen for a sentence that’s long and complex. See how you could break it up to make it simpler. (Actually write it down/type it out the original way and in your revised way.) 

Listen for a sentence that’s short and simple. See how you could add to it or combine it with another sentence to make it more complex. (Write it down/type it out the original way and your revised way.) 

Think about why the writer made the choices they did and who their audience likely is. 

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