Sentence length is an important factor which affects the quality and readability of writing.

Shorter sentences are

often better sentences. If you keep your sentences the right length, you can improve the readability of your
writing. In other words, people will more easily understand what you write. This workshop is for all students who
want to make their writing easy to read.

Take a long sentence for instance:

Tom Cruise, one of the finest actors in the whole world, is perhaps the most powerful
celebrity to exist ever according to Time Magazine, but many people still dispute this fact
and point out that there are more powerful and popular actors than Cruise, though they
were unsuccessful in providing the total number of fans, who liked the films of those
actors.

This is a long sentence and it is very confusing. Though it has a logical construction and
conveys a meaning, it falters in many occasions and seems to be in need for parentheses
(to indicate which pronoun means what). A reader is likely to be bored reading several of
such sentences.

The long sentence we saw could be broken down into two or three smaller sentences as
follows:

Tom Cruise, one of the finest actors in the whole world, is perhaps the most powerful
celebrity according to Time Magazine.

Many people dispute this fact and point out that there are more popular actors than Cruise.

But they could not provide any proof for it.

Here I cut down the sentence into three and expressed the third sentence a bit differently,
and that avoids the need for parentheses.

The Reasons
People tend to write longer sentences due to two major reasons.

1. The Ego of the Writer: Trying to be as Dickens is one thing, but being Dickens is an
entirely different thing. Many new writers believe that writing long, complex sentences is
an academic elegance. But I believe otherwise. Simpler writing is better, clearer, and more
comprehensible to the readers. It is always better to be plain than clog the reader’s brain
with unnecessary constructions.

However, there are situations in which you cannot go short. In such situations, writing two-
line or three-line sentences with appropriate constructions and no confusion in meaning is
good.

2. Lack of Vocabulary: The second major reason behind longer sentences is writer’s lack of
vocabulary. Some writers are very good in sentence construction, but they may lack words.
Not knowing which word to use in a particular place may make their sentences weird. Here
is an example:

The woman who came to help deliver the child found out that the child had already died
inside the womb.

Rewritten:

The midwife found that it was a miscarriage.

The second sentence is far more powerful and conveys clearer meaning than the first
wordy, inelegant one. A writer would attempt the first if he/she is not familiar with
‘midwife’ and ‘miscarriage’.

If the writer is very knowledgeable (like Dickens) and can pull off the long sentences
successfully, without confusing the readers, then it is good. Otherwise, it is far more
effectual to have sentences short. Introduction of new words and constructions make them
powerful.

Why Long Sentences Fail?

One popular thought is that the reader forgets the beginning as he reaches the end of the
long sentence. Also, the longer sentences can confuse the readers a lot. Some of them need
read it time and again to comprehend. So, if you shower such a reader with long, complex
sentences, he would soon be bored and would stop reading. So, the trick is to keep it
simple.

The writer’s ego to show to the readers that he is capable of creating weird (but correct)
constructions with language may not go down well with the readers. Playing with language
is good, but playing with words is better. If you have short sentences with new words, it is
an indication that your vocabulary is rich. And possession rich vocabulary is an indication of
an experienced writer.

Thesaurus and Sentence Fragments

If you read great writers, you will encounter so many new words. Finding and using correct
words for a situation is an art by itself. Most writers suggest keeping a thesaurus handy
when you write. The thesaurus helps find the appropriate word for a particular situation. On
substituting that word, your writing will be a lot smoother.

So, short sentences with powerful words make your writing powerful.

You may have read my last post on sentence fragments. In it, I had told to avoid using
sentence fragments, which are longer than three words. Really short sentence fragments,
when used properly, can strengthen the situation (mainly in fiction). But remember, longer
sentence fragments are not shorter sentences. So, they must be avoided.

Chop Down the Clutter

Why would you want to clutter your reader’s mind with more crap? The whole thought in
this post is not against long sentences. It is against muddled sentences as in the example
above. A well trimmed down sentence is powerful, whether it’s long or short (for this,
please read my post on superfluity). We tend to use so many redundant words in our
writing. Expurgating the redundant words would shape up the sentence. For instance:

He was not well, and that’s the reason why he didn’t attend the class.

Consider the italicized words. “Reason why” is redundant. Both words mean the same.
Scrubbed, the sentence would be:

He couldn’t attend the class because he was unwell.

Or Better:

Illness caused his absence.

Cut the sentence down to as few words as possible, and it will look beautiful. Another
advantage of cutting the sentence down is that you can express more in less space. For
instance:

Illness caused his absence yesterday.

Fever caused his absence yesterday.

These sentences are shorter than the original above; still they convey far more meaning
than that. So, as good writers, you should write such shorter, more powerful sentences.
Overview

Verbal communication is important for children during their development.

Communication at home will help children speak clearly and to the best of their abilities
at daycare, school and socially. A child with numerous communication opportunities is
able to enhance her vocabulary, develop self-esteem and effectively explain her
thoughts to others.

Toddlers

Toddlers begin with babbling and move on to transition into full sentences. Use short,
simple sentences while communicating with toddlers. Quickly respond to any situation
that seems like a language learning opportunity. For example, if your toddler is walking
toward your dog, acknowledge it by predicting what the toddler will do. Say the toddler’s
name and the name of the object, and follow with a question: Is Ayden going to pet
Shaggy the puppy?

Say everything you do as you do it, such as, "Mommy is getting fruit from the fridge” or
“Here is Ayden’s oatmeal, fruit and juice.”

Offer explanations to toddlers by saying what you want and why, suggests the
University of Missouri. “Ayden, I want you to eat your oatmeal so you are not hungry.”

Visual Communication Service Provider Solutions for IP & 3G Visual Communication

www.RADVISION.com

Sponsored Links
Play Years

Preschoolers are able to speak in full sentences, although the sentences are generally
grammatically incorrect. Preschoolers tend to over-generalize language. They
understand verbs that happened in the past end with “-ed,” so they say words like
standed, eated and goed. As language progresses, they begin using the rules properly.

Give plenty of opportunities for pretend play and social interaction. Pretend play helps
preschoolers establish communication styles when they play different roles. A child
playing a mother may speak softly to children, and a child playing a police officer may
be more direct and assertive. Playtime should be strongly encouraged at this age.

Elementary School

School-age kids can speak in full sentences and know the general rules of language.
During this time, kids are expanding their vocabularies, so encourage children to
expand on their thoughts. Children make comments like “I hate that movie” or “That was
the best movie I’ve ever seen.” Ask why they hated or loved the movie and to explain
their favorite or least favorite parts. This encourages them to think of an answer and
boosts their confidence because someone else is interested in their opinion.

Adolescents

A teenager feels like the world is her stage, so a zit can ruin her reputation, a bad hair
day causes social anxiety, and an accidental burp will be “remembered” by peers for
years to come. Adolescents become more distant from their parents and begin
connecting more with their friends.

Communication is important during this time, because peer pressure is at its worst. In
addition, adolescents feel like adults, although their brains have not fully matured. They
are often impulsive and have an “It won’t happen to me” attitude. Be open to
communicating by never judging, ridiculing or talking at your adolescent. Offer a safe
environment where your child can feel comfortable approaching you about anything
during this time.

Start talking about topics like sex, alcohol, drugs, smoking and safe driving skills while
children are in early adolescence. Do not focus on the negatives of these topics. For
example, saying “Don’t have sex because you will get a disease or get pregnant” will set
your teen up for conflicting information from peers. Your teen will wonder why
everybody else is saying sex is great and none of them have diseases or babies.

Respect

If children of any age are talking, listen to what they have to say or politely tell them you
have to finish something and then you will give your undivided attention.

If you feel your temper taking over, do not yell. Give yourself five minutes to take deep
breaths quietly, and then go back to the conversation. This not only keeps you in
control, but teaches children that yelling is unacceptable. According to Keep Kids
Healthy, withholding privileges as a consequence of bad behavior is a more effective
way to get your message across than yelling.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/160437-verbal-communication-with-

children/#ixzz1KEMXCsVQ