Simplifying sentence structure

Page contents:

  • Unnecessary there is, there are, it is, it seems constructions

  • Wordy noun forms

Using simple grammatical structures will often strengthen your sentences considerably.

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Deleting unnecessary words and replacing five words with one tightens the sentence and makes it easier to read.

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Combining two sentences produces one concise sentence.

Unnecessary there is, there are, it is, it seems constructions

In general, do not use there is, there are, it is, it seems, or similar phrases unless you are introducing an idea to give it extra emphasis:

It is for us, the living, to ensure that We the People shall become the powerful.

—JUNE JORDAN, “Inside America”

Here, it is slows down the opening of the sentence and sets up a formal rhythm that emphasizes what follows. Often, however, writers merely overuse expletives. Note how the following sentences are strengthened by deleting the expletives:

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Wordy noun forms

Forming nouns from verbs, a process sometimes called nominalization, can help make prose more concise—for example, using abolition instead of the process of abolishing—but it can also make a sentence wordy and hard to read. Using noun phrases when verbs will do can bury the action of a sentence and force the writer to use weak verbs and too many prepositional phrases. Too often, writers change verbs to nouns not to simplify a complex explanation but to make an idea sound more complex than it is.

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The original sentence sounds pretentious, and the noun phrases cloud the message. In contrast, the edited version is clear and forceful.