What are long sentences?

Sentences convey ideas. There may be multiple ideas in one sentence, with detail added to help make the idea clear to the reader. Sentences can often be classified as simple (1 idea), or compound and complex (more than 1 idea). Below are some examples:

• Science explores phenomena (simple = 1 idea)
• Science explores phenomena and seeks to develop understanding (compound = 2 ideas linked by and)
• Science explores phenomena and seeks to develop understanding, which can lead to scientific and technological advancements (compound – complex = 3 ideas linked by and + which)

The sentences above do not contain more than 3 ideas, but if too many ideas are added within one sentence then it becomes difficult for the reader to process the information.

Why should you avoid using overly long sentences in academic writing?

Academic writing is about precision and clarity. Sentences that are too long reduce clarity and make it hard for the reader to follow the information. Consider the following:

• Science explores phenomena and seeks to develop understanding, which can lead to scientific and technological advancements, but these advancements, such as nuclear fusion, can have detrimental impacts, especially if ethical considerations, informed by philosophical and sociological frameworks, are not factored in when considering whether the technology should be developed and whether any restrictions should be placed on these developments

How many times did you have to read this sentence for it to be clear? The sentence is grammatically correct but there are 8 clauses or ideas presented here. Ask yourself could this be presented more clearly to the reader?

How can we avoid using long sentences?

Try to limit your sentences to 3 lines or 35 words. If you find you have written a long sentence, think about where you could divide it so that the information is presented across 2 or 3 sentences. One way in which you can do this is by identifying the linkers in your sentence. In the above sentence the following linkers are used:

• Science explores phenomena and seeks to develop understanding, which can lead to scientific and technological advancements, but these advancements, such as nuclear fusion, can have detrimental impacts, especially if ethical considerations, which are informed by philosophical and sociological frameworks, are not factored in when considering whether the technology should be developed and whether any restrictions should be placed on these developments

Once you have identified these, you can substitute them for conjunctive adverbs (e.g. however, therefore, in addition). This would allow you to start a new sentence but keep the link between the ideas. Look at the revised sentences below:

• Science explores phenomena and seeks to develop understanding, which can lead to scientific and technological advancements. However, these advancements, such as nuclear fusion, can have detrimental impacts. Therefore, ethical considerations should be a factor when considering whether the technology should be developed and whether any restrictions should be placed on these developments. These ethical considerations could be informed by philosophical and sociological frameworks

This revision includes the same information but across 4 sentences, meaning the information can be processed in chunks.

So, to achieve clarity, write shorter and more precise sentences.