Sentence Clarity

Sentence Clarity

By Elizabeth Rauscher

​Sentence clarity

The key to a good sentence is clarity, not length. Your goal is to communicate your ideas in the clearest way possible so your reader understands exactly what you mean. This lesson will focus on word placement and correcting unclear sentences.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Sentence Claritiy

​example 1

During summer camp, I would talk to the other campers about friends back home living in the cabin.

​

What is unclear about the above sentence?​

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

During summer camp, I would talk to the other campers about friends back home living in the cabin.

The best placement for the underlined portion would be:

• where it is now

• after the word talk.

• after the word campers.

• after the word friends.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 2

As young kids, we would hide from our parents in the kitchen next to the river of the abandoned house.

​

What is unclear about the above sentence?​

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

As young kids, we would hide from our parents in the kitchen next to the river of the abandoned house.

• No Change

• next to the river in the kitchen of the abandoned house.

• in the kitchen of the abandoned house next to the river.

• in the kitchen of the river next to the abandoned house.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 3

Many strains of microbes found in the deep ocean deadly to life have evolved to survive in conditions on the planet's surface.

​

What is unclear about the above sentence?​

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

Many strains of microbes found in the deep ocean deadly to life have evolved to survive in conditions on the planet's surface.

The best placement for the underlined portion would be:

• where it is now

• after the word conditions.

• after the word survive.

• after the word surface.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 4

Roulette wheels are a game of pure chance on the house, and no amount of memorization will help you get an edge.

​

What is unclear about the above sentence?​

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

Roulette wheels are a game of pure chance on the house, and no amount of memorization will help you get an edge.

​

The best placement for the underlined portion would be:

• where it is now

• after the word memorization.

• after the word get.

• after the word edge.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 5

In the current economy, downsizing our workforce would not be advisable.

​

Some phrases can be used in multiple places, but you want to select the placements that make the sentence the most clear.

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

In the current economy, downsizing our workforce would not be advisable.

Assuming capitalization is revised accordingly, all of the following would b e acceptable placements for the underlined portion EXCEPT:

• where it is now

• after the word workfoce.

• after the word advisable.

• after the word downsizing.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 6

The managing director at the accounting firm declared a schedule to modernize its operations during the board meeting with all the staff.

​

​What is wrong with this sentence?

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

The managing director at the accounting firm declared a schedule to modernize its operations during the board meeting with all the staff.

Select the sentence that is the most clear.

• No Change

• The managing director at the accounting firm, during the board meeting with all the staff, declared a schedule to modernize its operations.

• During the board meeting with all the staff, the managing director at the accounting firm declared a schedule to modernize its operations.

• The managing director at the accounting firm declared that its operations were scheduled to be modernized during the board meeting with all the staff.

Sentence Claritiy

​example 7

Timothy swung his racquet just as his tennis teacher instructed over and behind his left shoulder. ​

​

​What is wrong with this sentence?

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

Timothy swung his racquet just as his tennis teacher instructed over and behind his left shoulder. ​

Select the sentence that is the most clear.

• No Change

• Over and behind his left shoulder, Timothy swung his racquet just as his tennis teacher instructed.

• Just as his tennis teacher instructed, swinging his racquet over and behind his left shoulder, as did Timothy.

• Timothy swung his racquet over and behind his left shoulder, just as his tennis teacher instructed.

Let'​s Try It

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Multiple Choice

Over the past several years, schools have strived to meet the new education guidelines of exams for the development.

• where it is now

• after the word strived.

• after the word meet.

• after the word guidelines.

Multiple Choice

That country is so impoverished that most students can pay barely for lunch in school

• where it is now

• after the word students.

• after the word can.

• after the word school.

Multiple Choice

Check with the landlord of the building to see if the apartment will be available for viewing at night before your trip.

• where it is now

• before the word check (assuming proper capitalization and punctuation).

• after the word available.

• after the word viewing.

Multiple Choice

On the campus map was for researchers a lab in the main building next to the park.

• where it is now

• after the word map.

• after the word lab.

• after the word park.

Multiple Choice

This bill set the quantitative goal of raising the minimum wage in the country from eight dollars to eleven dollars.

• where it is now

• after the word goal.

• after the word wage.

• after the word country.

Multiple Choice

Scientists are thinking about various methods for slowing the accumulation of high levels of the atmosphere in methane.

• No Change

• of high levels of methane in the atmosphere.

• of the atmospher in high levels of methane.

• of methane in ghih levels of the atmosphere.

Multiple Choice

The fire station was located by the river that was made of red brick.

Which is the LEAST acceptable?

• No Change

• Made of red brick, the fire station was located by the river.

• The fire station that was made of red brick was located by the river.

• Located by the river, the fire station was made of red brick.

Multiple Choice

I gave the scraps of meat to the dog which had been left on the dinner plates.

• No Change

• which had been left to the dog on the dinner plates.

• which had been left on the dinner plates to the dog.

• to the dog on the dinenr plates which had been left.