Short and simple sentences
Posted January 5th, 2009 by David Hamill
When you’re writing for the web, try to keep your sentences under 20 words in length. Your content will be easier to read this way. This is because it’s easier to read a few short sentences than it is to read one big one.
Write a long sentence first
It’s often quicker and easier to write the sentence as you normally would and then change it after you’ve finished. Look for commas, semi colons and instances of the word “which” as opportunities to begin a new sentence.
You will rarely need to use more than one or two commas in a sentence. Have a go at splitting your sentence in two if you find you’ve got more than two commas in it. You might need to reword it a little.
It’s not always possible
Sometimes your sentence will need to be longer than 20 words. If so that’s fine. As long as you’re trying to keep your sentences short then you’ll be making a big difference.
Do this so as to not write badly
When people try to sound intellectual, they often use the term “as to” when something like “of” would be better. Using “as to” often complicates the sentence unnecessarily. It’s not just an extra word that’s the problem. An extra word won’t make a massive difference. The problem is caused by the extra thought required to translate the sentence back into plain English. Here’s an example:
The results should be clearly structured with a relevant title and also a brief description as to what is contained in the listing…
Yes very clever, but the following sentence is easier to read:
The results should be clearly structured with a relevant title and a brief description of what is contained in the listing…
All I did was remove the word “also” and replaced “as to” for “of”. I haven’t dumbed this sentence down at all. I just made it easier to read and understand.
Favour simple over short
Don’t make your sentences complicated just so that you can lose a few words. A long simple sentence will often be easier to read than a shorter complex one.
Did you find this useful?
If so, you might like to read:
- Trigger words versus Customer Carewords
- Sub-headers are navigation
- Is it web writing or just good writing?
Tags: quick tips, web writing
10 Responses to “Short and simple sentences”
January 5th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Grand tips and no mistake, well done!
Keeping copy simple and understandable is key to writing well for the web. Short and simple sentences are the backbone of it.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Thanks Andrew. I was half expecting to see your comment in French :0)
January 7th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Thank you, some great tips and your example works really well.
January 10th, 2009 at 2:27 am
David, looks like you have some good advice here. Thanks for visiting my site and telling me how wrong I am. I’d like to publish your comment on my site, but it’s not for the debate that would perhaps ensue. Perhaps if your comment was a bit more constructive.
You might be right: I need to work on my own site’s usability, but it does conform to most of the points I link to. Some do not. Perhaps this is the consequence of being an academic?
I’m going to peruse your site and may direct my students to some of your entries. Thanks, again.
January 10th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Thanks Dr Lucas,
I can understand why you wouldn’t want to publish the comment. It struck me that you probably talk in the same way you write. This must make you quite an interesting person to listen to. However, even the most educated of us will have problems reading the same words, particularly on a computer screen.
I’ll try to be a little more constructive with my comments in future. Point taken.
February 6th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
[...] of the information you are requesting of the user. I read a great article the other day about the length of sentences on blogs. How keeping them keep them shorter than you would normally as this is easier reading on screen. It [...]
February 11th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Good one.. This gives me the interest to know there, one can think of writing even on sentences. Generally people make mistakes, but if they come across your blog, m sure they wont be repeating that again.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am
[...] 11 Quick Tips for More Usable Content – UX Booth Tips for writing Website Copy – Directory One Short and Simple Sentences – Good Usability Posted on 7.04.2009 at 8:34 am. See other posts by Sarah Hyne [...]
April 30th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
[...] Good Usability » Short and simple sentences When you’re writing for the web, try to keep your sentences under 20 words in length. Your content will be easier to read this way. This is because it’s easier to read a few short sentences than it is to read one big one. (tags: usability content) [...]
November 30th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
Excellent tips and I will keep them in mind for article writing. I recently watched an interview with the web designer for the BBC news website, his advice was very similar to yours.
Comment on this article