Clear writing isn’t about fancy words. It’s about making your reader’s job easy. These seven habits work for emails, essays, reports and blog posts alike, and you can start using them today.
1. Put one main idea in each sentence
Long sentences that carry two or three ideas make readers work hard. When a sentence starts to feel crowded, split it.
Before: The meeting has been moved to Thursday because the manager is travelling on Wednesday and we also need more time to prepare the figures, which are not yet ready.
After: The meeting has moved to Thursday. The manager is travelling on Wednesday, and we need more time to prepare the figures.
2. Say who is doing what
Sentences are clearest when the person or thing doing the action comes first, followed by the action. This is called the active voice.
Passive: The report was approved by the committee.
Active: The committee approved the report.
The passive voice isn’t wrong. It’s useful when the doer is unknown or unimportant: “My bike was stolen.” But if you can name who did something, try putting them first.
3. Get to the verb quickly
Readers look for the action. If the subject and verb are buried behind a long opening, the sentence feels heavy.
Before: Due to the fact that a large number of customers, particularly those in rural areas with slower connections, have been experiencing problems, we are changing the app.
After: We are changing the app because many customers have had problems, especially in rural areas with slower connections.
4. Cut words that do no work
Many common phrases can be shortened without losing any meaning.
- “due to the fact that” → “because”
- “in order to” → “to”
- “at this point in time” → “now”
- “a large number of” → “many”
- “make a decision” → “decide”
Words like “very”, “really”, “actually” and “basically” can often go too. Try deleting them. If the sentence still says what you mean, leave them out.
5. Choose concrete words
Vague words make readers guess. Specific words paint a picture.
Vague: The event had a lot of people and was quite successful.
Concrete: Over 200 people came, and we sold every ticket.
Where you can, replace general words like “things”, “stuff”, “issues” or “aspects” with the actual thing you mean.
6. Vary your sentence length
A page of short sentences feels choppy. A page of long ones feels tiring. Mix them. Use short sentences for key points. Use longer ones to explain, give examples or connect ideas. The change in rhythm keeps readers with you.
7. Read it out loud
Your ears catch problems your eyes miss. If you run out of breath, the sentence is too long. If you stumble, the order of the words probably needs fixing. If you wouldn’t say it that way to a friend, there may be a simpler way to write it.
A quick before-and-after
Here is a typical work email sentence, rewritten using the habits above.
Before: It would be greatly appreciated if all members of staff could make sure that the forms that have been sent out are completed and returned at their earliest convenience, as this will enable the process to be finalised in a timely manner.
After: Please fill in and return the forms by Friday so we can finish the process on time.
The second version is shorter and clearer, and it tells the reader exactly what to do. It also adds a deadline, which the original only hinted at.
The takeaway
Clear sentences come from small choices: one idea at a time, the doer up front, the verb early, no padding and specific words. Read your work aloud, and cut anything your reader doesn’t need.