Improving Sentence Style
1. What style of sentences can you find? List the number of loose, balanced, parallel,
and periodic sentences. If you have no sentences of one of these types in your
paper, rewrite some sentences in that style.
2. How long are your sentences? Count words in the paper, count sentences, and
divide to arrive at an average length.
3. Find your longest sentence. What is the length of the sentence before it? After it? If
that long sentence is not either preceded or followed by a short sentence, change
one of them to a short sentence.
4. What forms are your sentences? Count simple, compound, complex, and compoundcomplex sentences. If you do not have variety, rewrite some sentences to include
these sentence types.
5. Count the number of to be verbs (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been). Find
three that can better be expressed as action verbs and rewrite the sentences that
way. Example: “Fred was infuriated by Joe’s accusation.” “Joe’s accusation
infuriated Fred.”
6. Count parallel constructions. If there are fewer than three in the paper, rewrite
three sentences so they contain parallel elements.
7. How do your sentences begin? If more than half of your sentences begin with the
subject, rewrite them in a way that varies the beginning.
8. Check your comma use by applying these four rules:
a. Use a comma before and, but, for, or, not, so, yet, and still when those words
join independent clauses.
b. Use a comma between all terms in a series.
c. Use a comma(s) to set off parenthetical openers and afterthoughts.
d. Use a comma after introductory clauses or phrases.
9. Have you used any semicolons? If not, find a sentence or a pair of sentences that
would be better punctuated with a semicolon and rewrite.
10. Have you used any dashes? If not, find a sentence that would improve with a dash
and rewrite.
11. Have you inverted any sentences? If not, rewrite one to do so.
12. Find all which clauses and rewrite half of them to eliminate which.
13. Eliminate as many of, in, to, and by’s as you can.
14. Find all instances of there is or there are and eliminate as many as possible.
15. Find all instances of that and eliminate as many as possible.
16. Find all instances of it with no antecedent and eliminate.
17. Find all instances of this used without a noun. Add a noun or rewrite.
18. Have you used quotation marks? Check for correctness.
19. Have you used apostrophes or colons? Do you need to?
20. Is your diction appropriate for your audience? Check for slang, trite expressions,
and garbage words. Eliminate as necessary.