1. Using one item.   When you use just one, you’re effectively declaring a singular action or quality.    Saying “She cried,” for instance, declares one and only one action, just as “It’s a sunny day” declares just one characteristic.  This is the best route to take when you want to show a subject in an absolute light.
2. Using two items.  When you use two items, such as in “It’s a dull but sunny day,” you force the reader to compare and contrast those two elements (dull, sunny).  In doing so, they might be able create a clearer picture of the message in their head.
3. Using three items.  Three represents a magic number in many forms of communication.  When comedians rattle off a funny list, they usually do it in threes, with two items that are expected and the last one for punch line.  The same happens with most any type of written list — such as in “faith, hope and love” or “bewitched, bothered and bewildered” — three just seems to communicate a sense of wholeness.
4. Using four or more.  When you use four or more elements, you’re essentially rattling off a list.  Your purpose is to detail information, such as when enumerating inventory, rather than hook the reader or create a strong effect.

1. Strong words make sentences shorter.  Because they are more specific, they remove the need for adjectives and adverbs to more clearly communicate an idea.  As such, strong verbs and nouns make your sentences shorter and more concise.
2. Strong words let the reader know exactly what is going on.  Strong nouns and verbs communicate more to the reader than their weaker, imprecise counterparts.  With strong words, the reader gets a vivid picture of what’s really going on in a sentence, instead of having to fill in the blanks.
3. Strong words are more descriptive and engaging.  Bland words create bland reactions.  Consider the two words “walked” and “inched” — the latter has strong connotations that tell the reader exactly what happened.  As such, they make for more interesting, livelier reading.
4. Strong words help your writing become memorable.   Readers remember things that stand out, such as a poignant illustration, a powerful conclusion and a dramatic passage.  A strong word can help all of those achieve their emotional goals while a weak one will merely hold them back.

Take these three examples, for instance:

• “The aspect of the software I am most concerned with is the security.”
• “Please improve on the quality of the software, especially the user interface and the backend processing speed.
• “Different problems came out during testing, prompting the developers to scale back the target dates.”

In all three sentences, a catch-all word is used in place of a more a straightforward expression (“aspect” in the first, “quality” in the second and “problems” in the third).   While that makes the sentences sound a little more formal, they also make them excessively wordy, ending up as difficult to understand in parts (especially when inserted in a paragraph with sentences just like them).

To fix the above, simply remove the catch-all word and rewrite the sentences to express the thought directly.  The sample sentences below are a better way to write them, for instance:

• “I am most concerned about the software’s security.”
• “Please improve on the user interface and backend processing speed.
• “Testing results prompted the developers to scale back the target dates.”

Subordinate clauses are important in conveying the complete meaning of some sentences, though.  While they can be done without, removing them can lead to loss of information, leading to an incomplete picture for the reader.  Specifically, they are typically used to do the following:

1. Describe nouns and pronouns.  When you want to give the reader more information about a noun or pronoun, you normally employ subordinate clauses to convey it.
2. Describe verbs, adjectives or adverbs.  Similar to the way they can describe nouns and pronouns, subordinate clauses can also describe verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
3. Act as subjects or objects inside another clause.  Subordinate clauses can do most any job that a noun can do in a sentence, such as acting as subjects, objects or appositives within another clause.

If you want to learn more about the use of subordinate clauses and similar constructions, you can check out the guide included in your favorite writing software.

Avoiding that last result, of course, is always in your best interest.  What things should you check for?

Punctuation. Long sentences are always at risk of rattling thoughts off like a rabid dog that can’t stop barking.  Make sure you have adequate punctuation to give readers enough time to process the ideas you present.  Try seeking the advice of your grammar correction software.

Compressed meaning. In an effort to write shorter, more succinct sentences, some writers end up obscuring their meaning.  If you notice a lack of clarity in an introduction or topic sentence, try to see what happens when you add a few extra words.  Longer can be better if it makes your thoughts clearer.

Strings of nouns. One area to keep a close eye on are nouns strung together.  These types of constructions almost always lead to awkward sentences with exact meanings difficult to ascertain.   Try moving a verb, a modifier or something else in there.

1. Make every word relevant.   Wordiness is a serious problem that plagues even the best writers.  That’s why it’s important to keep a close watch for purposeless words that manage to sneak in to your writing.
2. Keep modifiers to a minimum.  Some writers steer clear of modifiers for their tendency to add unnecessary words into the text.   Unfortunately, adjectives and adverbs do serve a very useful purpose.  Instead of eschewing them, work towards minimizing use to when they’re absolutely necessary, avoiding most empty intensifiers, such as very, really and such.
3. Don’t just choose a word for its literal meaning, consider factors such as sound, rhythm and mood as well.
4. When choosing between words, pick out those that tend to appeal to most senses.
5. Choose the action forms of verbs over noun forms and nominalizations.
6. Opt for plain versions of words, avoiding more formal and obscure forms.
7. Draw from a broad range of words, using synonyms and synonymous phrases to your advantage.  This not only helps you be more precise, it aids in making your work more readable as well.

An absolute phrase is a group of words that modify an entire sentence. Contrast this to adjectives and adverbs that normally wield their ability to change meaning in individual words.

It usually consists of a noun plus one other word at a minimum, as in “BA Baracus drove the van into the fence, his gang of bandits screaming in protest the whole time.” Looking at that sentence, you can see how the entire second phrase right after the comma changes the entirety of the scene. That’s an example of an absolute phrase.

Absolute phrases let use move from a description of a whole event (or person or place or thing) down to one or more of their parts. It’s a way to change the meaning of a sentence creatively – one that many beginning writers can use to improve their own work.

Many sentences can be converted into one that uses an absolute phrase. While we don’t recommend doing it with every single one in your writing, using this several times can help lend your work with some creativity that makes it read better. Provided, of course, that you basic writing mechanics don’t stink. We have software for writing improvement that can handle that, though.  Make sure to use it.

Write With Ambiguity

Sometimes, we want to write with intentional ambiguity. In such an instance, the passive voice can be a godsend. Of course, it doesn’t help the reader understand things more clearly, but it does give the writer an out to potentially awkward situations.

Wait..Wait..Wait

I know. You’re confused. Aren’t we supposed to compose text with as much clarity as possible? Sure, even the most trusted writing software will say so. When you’re producing documents for the real world, though, things are rarely as black-and-white.

Situations Where Ambiguity Is Necessary

Listen to politicians speak. Notice how they avoid tackling controversial issues by the use of passive verbs. You should do the same thing when writing clearly can get you in trouble.

When asked to write a business memo where you’re supposed to detail what went down in a company disaster, for instance, it isn’t too far out to come across information that can ruffle some feathers. If you want to lay the blame in a cordial, diplomatic manner, using the active voice can prove too bold, showing how someone erred in a manner that is too descriptive for comfort. The passive voice, with its natural tact and diplomacy, should make for a better alternative.

Many of those that your software-based tools don’t catch, you will likely notice by reading the piece aloud.  Fragments are usually easy to see; one glance through them and you immediately notice that something just isn’t right.

However, not all sentence fragments are as effortless to identify.  Occasionally, you’ll run across one that masks the fragment behind several clauses and multiple punctuations.  Welcome to the world of fragmented writing, masked as compound and complex sentences.  Check out this example below:

The doctor, whose stay in the hospital was short-lived as a result of problems created by both staff and management alike.

Notice how it felt wrong when you read it, but somehow appeared to be right.  Upon close inspection, however, you should notice the problem: the subject (who, in this instance, is the doctor) doesn’t have a matching verb.  As such, it’s an incomplete sentence – albeit one that went a whole other train of thought, confusing you into merely glazing at its inherent problem.

Funny enough, this type of fragment is very common, especially in writing that has been hurried as a result of deadlines.  Class essays, newspaper fillers and similar writing accomplished under tight schedules are ripe with this type of issue, so make sure to be on the lookout for them in your own writing.

That’s because in writing, bad punctuation will leave your text unclear and indefinite.  Try imagining text that’s laid out without a period, comma or hyphen.  More than likely than not, any idea expressed can be identified in any variety of ways, diluting the overall meaning that the writer is trying to convey.

Most people know how to use a period.  Any time that a long pause makes sense, you throw one in.  However, there are many other punctuations that can help reduce ambiguity in writing that a lot of regular folks simply leave out.

• A hyphen, for instance, can make various word combinations less daunting.
• A double hyphen can prepare the reader to pay close attention to what comes next.
• A comma can be used to indicate a short pause, allowing the reader to process the previous thought briefly.
• A colon can introduce information that is crucial to a previous clause.
• A semicolon can substitute for a period when an extended pause is not in order.

If you learn proper punctuation with no other additional adjustments in your writing (apart from a good grammar software), you’ll see massive improvements.  That’s how powerful good punctuation is.  Before experimenting with any advanced instruments or techniques, try mastering this element of writing and turn up surprising results.