I.

This sentence has five words. Here are five more

words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several
together become monotonous. Listen to what is
happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it
drones. Its like a stuck record. The ear demands some
variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I
create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant
rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I
use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I
am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a
sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns
with energy and builds with all the impetus of a
crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the
cymbalssounds that say listen to this, it is important.

II.

Long sentences are also problematic in writing because,

even if they are punctuated properly, they can be hard to
read since readers often want a pause, and writers need
to be aware of this and consider the effect that any
writing has on the reader. Writing that contains long
sentences can seem wordy, even if this isnt the case, for
the information in long sentences, like in short ones, can
be hard to understand and connect.

III.

Overly long version: In the classical theory of gravity,

which is based on real space-time, the universe can
either have existed for an infinite time or else it had a
beginning at a singularity at some finite time in the past,
the latter possibility of which, in fact, the singularity
theorems indicate, although the quantum theory of
gravity, on the other hand, suggests a third possibility in
which it is possible for space-time to be finite in extent
and yet to have no singularities that formed a boundary
or edge because one is using Euclidean space-times, in
which the time direction is on the same footing as
directions in space.

IV.

V.

VI.

III.
Too many short sentences can hurt an essay. It can make
the writing seem choppy. The writing may seem like it is
below college level. Readers may lose interest. They
may not want to continue reading.

Example: My grades continue to suffer. I am not

studying as much as I should. I hope to pass. I am not
sure I will.

Example revised through subordination: My grades

continue to suffer because I am not studying as much as
I should. Even though I hope to pass, I am not sure that
I will.

This sentence has five words. Here are five more

words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several
together become monotonous. Listen to what is
happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it
drones. Its like a stuck record. The ear demands some
variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I
create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant
rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I
use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I
am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a
sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns
with energy and builds with all the impetus of a
crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the
cymbalssounds that say listen to this, it is important.
Long sentences are also problematic in writing because,
even if they are punctuated properly, they can be hard to
read since readers often want a pause, and writers need
to be aware of this and consider the effect that any
writing has on the reader. Writing that contains long
sentences can seem wordy, even if this isnt the case, for
the information in long sentences, like in short ones, can
be hard to understand and connect.

Notice how the writing in this example seems choppy

and doesnt flow well. Now, look at how this writing
can be improved by joining some of these sentences
together with coordinating conjunctions:

Overly long version: In the classical theory of gravity,

which is based on real space-time, the universe can
either have existed for an infinite time or else it had a
beginning at a singularity at some finite time in the past,
the latter possibility of which, in fact, the singularity
theorems indicate, although the quantum theory of
gravity, on the other hand, suggests a third possibility in
which it is possible for space-time to be finite in extent
and yet to have no singularities that formed a boundary
or edge because one is using Euclidean space-times, in
which the time direction is on the same footing as
directions in space.

Too many short sentences can hurt an essay, for it canIV.

make the writing seem choppy and seem like it is below
college level. Because of this, readers may lose interest
and may not want to continue reading.

Too many short sentences can hurt an essay. It can make

the writing seem choppy. The writing may seem like it is
below college level. Readers may lose interest. They
may not want to continue reading.

Another way to connect short sentences together is

through the use of subordinating conjunctions.

Notice how the writing in this example seems choppy

and doesnt flow well. Now, look at how this writing
can be improved by joining some of these sentences
together with coordinating conjunctions:

Too many short sentences can hurt an essay, for it can

make the writing seem choppy and seem like it is below
college level. Because of this, readers may lose interest
and may not want to continue reading.

VI.

Another way to connect short sentences together is

through the use of subordinating conjunctions.

Example: My grades continue to suffer. I am not

studying as much as I should. I hope to pass. I am not
sure I will.

Example revised through subordination: My grades

continue to suffer because I am not studying as much as
I should. Even though I hope to pass, I am not sure that
I will.