Golden Rules for Clear Sentences

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Article Title: Golden Rules for Clear Sentences

Article Description: Some say God is in the details; others argue it’s the devil himself! Where do you stand when challenged to write clearly? Do you know the rules? Are you keeping them? Learn the ideals for “who does what, when” and be Clear from the bottom up.

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Word Count: 828 (not including resource box) Category: Writing S.p.a.m check rating: Low

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Golden Rules for Clear Sentences

© Copyright Content Wheel, All Rights Reserved

"Active voice, second person, present tense," I overheard Meryle say to a young writer. "I'm sure you've heard that you can't break the rules until you know the rules," she continued. "And well, those are the rules. Make sure every sentence you write keeps the rules until they're a habit and you don't have to fix sentences anymore. Then you can break them." I smiled with the pleasure I always feel when young writers are learning. Then Meryle added, "That's how Susan taught me to write twenty years ago, and I've been a writer ever since." Suddenly, I felt way too old, but still in awe that these three pillars of Clear are as fresh and fundamental as the day I learned about them.

Do you know what they are? Are you keeping the rules?

Active Voice.

Verbs give sentences life. When you choose an active verb, your sentence does something and gives the reader an immediate experience.

Beware of the deadening "is" and its relations, "there is," "here are," "it was," "have been" and the other ilk of "to be." These intransitives don't do anything; they just indicate that the subject is equivalent to the predicate. In other words, they're boring! Examples abound. A quick Google of "pancakes" almost instantly exposes this wooden construction:

"These pancakes have long been a standard in our household."

Forgive me for not feeling enlightened. "Pancakes" equal "standard." So what? Active verbs can paint a much livelier picture.

"My family pines for these pancakes, so I flip stacks of them every Saturday."

In most cases, you won't need imagination to pick active verbs. They almost always lurk in the predicate, masquerading as nouns. Hmm. I wonder how many clicks I'll need to find an example. Ah. I Googled "content management" and didn't have to click at all to expose this wreck in the fourth result:

"There are a huge number of vendors and products in the CMS market, and comparing them is difficult."

I see five candidates for active verbs hidden in those nouns. How many do you see? Play half of the Jeopardy! think theme in your head (that's 15 seconds) while you take a look.

Finished? Okay, here they come: vend, market, compare, produce, and for extra credit, exist. If you see "there are" and don't immediately think "exist," as in "vendors exist in the market," you are not yet ready to break the rules. (If you did think of exist and are now worried that I missed the technocrat's failure to make "There are" agree with "a number," congratulations--you're a stickler! Be sure to read "Eats Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss for a good giggle.)

Do the rules say you have to use the hidden verbs? Certainly not! In this case, I'm picking better ones.

"When you start comparing content management systems, the number of vendors and products might overwhelm you."

Why are start and overwhelm better? Because they work with the second person, "you."

Second Person.

Talk to your reader. She believes you can help or entertain her or she'd stop reading. Just tell her what you want to say as simply and directly as you can.

Don't drag anyone else into it. Imagine only one reader. While I trust many people will read your work, only one person reads it at a time. For example, is mommy reading this aloud as your bedtime story? If not, your experience right now is that I'm talking to you.

So say "you." Use imperative verbs--commands that imply you. Take advantage of the intimacy your reader offers when he welcomes your words into his mind.

Present Tense.

Notice you are reading this now. Everyone reads it now, whether now is July 2005 or 2025 or anywhere in between. So harmonize with the reader's experience: write in present tense as much as you can. Pitfalls of the other tenses include boring your reader with long descriptions of the past, or straining your credibility with predictions of the future. Don't use the future to signify cause and effect: "When you turn up the volume, the music will get louder." You experience the effect as a simultaneous response, so simply say, "the music gets louder."

So, are you keeping the rules? I admit "active voice, second person, present tense" is editorial jargon and perhaps a bit hard to remember. If so, try: "Hey You! Do Something! Now!"

When you keep the rules, you draw yourself into your reader's perception as tight as a close-up. Someday, you might want to break the rules to zoom out to a distance-- a handy effect, especially for contrast. But when you're starting out, practice creating clear, lively images in your reader's mind until you automatically take advantage of the unique cerebral intimacy that only the written word delivers.

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Award-winning writer Susan Raab is the creative force behind hundreds of business titles, bringing the Power of Clear to corporations and small publishers. For FR*EE articles and writing tips, visit www.ContentWheel.com.

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