Use Shorter Sentences to Avoid Readability Issues

We’ve all been in that awkward position where our essays exceed the required word count. The default response is to try to cut out our sentences. Essentially, we need a shorter sentence generator.

A pair of glasses placed on a folded paper.
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

These tools remove fluff from your sentences and make them concise and straight to the point. 

A shorter sentence generator will remove the last five words of the previous sentence “…and straight to the point.” You’re asking why? It does not add any new information.

However, it is important to note that shortening sentences is not only about chopping off random words. It is about removing words and phrases that bloat up our writing. 

How to Avoid Lengthy Sentences

If you can avoid lengthy sentences, you’ll probably not need to use a shorter sentence generator. Let’s check some tips for keeping sentences as short and informative as possible.

Since the basic idea of shortening sentences is to eliminate unneeded words, how do you spot them? Let’s dive right in!

1. Split Lengthy Sentences

We often fall into this trap when we get into our full flow. Writing on and on, our sentences become unnecessarily long. Such long sentences make your article unreadable. The best thing to do is to split such sentences into two or more independent sentences. 

2. Avoid Filler Words and Redundancies

Some phrases are unnecessarily long, but they say so little. Some refer to them as “padding words.” They sometimes have alternatives, and removing them from your sentences doesn’t alter their meaning. Look at these examples:

  • He came late due to the fact that he woke up late.
  • He came late because he woke up late.

In the second example, “because” replaces “due to the fact that” without changing the meaning of the text. Look out for filler words and phrases and cut them out of each paragraph.

Other examples of redundancies are:

  • I’ll call you by twelve noon – twelve is redundant here.
  • The time is twelve midnight – twelve is redundant here.
  • I want to see you by 7 a.m in the morning – a.m suffices.
  • Help me to check his past history – past is redundant because there is nothing like future history.
  • Things have evolved over time – over time is redundant.

3. Write in the Active Voice

Passive voice makes your sentences unnecessarily wordy. It inverts the position of the subject and object. The idea is to switch the focus of the sentence from the subject to the object. For instance:

  • Smith is playing the piano. (5 words)
  • The piano is being played by Smith. (7 words)
  • He gave me a brilliant idea. (6 words)
  • A brilliant idea was given to me by him. (8 words)

The meanings of each pair of sentences are the same. However, the passive sentence constructions make the second part of each pair lengthier.

Repeated usage of the passive voice makes your content cumbersome. It takes your reader more concentration to understand it. People find sentences written in the active voice easy to read.

4. Adverbs Weaken Your Verbs

Adverbs are words that qualify verbs. But most times, they weaken your verb. More importantly, they take up space and bloat your work. As a writer, it is better to avoid them except when necessary. 

How Does a Shorter Sentence Generator Work?

Concise sentence generators are AI tools that analyze sentences to spot redundancies. They are programmed to understand language structure and use their algorithm to remove superfluous words from sentences. 

Depending on the tool, it may suggest multiple ways of shortening the sentence. Some tools simply create a shorter version of your original sentence with the click of a button.

Most of these tools have a free version, allowing you to generate shorter sentences up to a certain limit. 

The Best Tools for Generating Short Sentences

Your search for a tool to generate simple sentences should not be a Herculean task. This section provides you with all the help you need. Go through our recommendations and choose the tool that best suits your needs.

INK

When it comes to reducing the length of your sentences, few tools can compete with INK. The unique thing about INK is that you’re not only getting a tool to paraphrase sentences.

You’re also getting an all-around writing assistant. This tool is a favorite of professional writers because it has a number of excellent features that produce awesome results.

It can generate good meta descriptions for blog posts and web pages. You can also use it to improve your article’s chance of getting well-ranked on search engine result pages. It has an advanced AI that uses the context of what you’ve written to generate new text when you hit a brick wall.

Quillbot

Quillbot is another quality tool to use for paraphrasing your text to make it concise. Like INK, it uses advanced artificial intelligence for text rewriting. You can use the free plan to rewrite and paraphrase your sentences before opting for the paid plan. 

Summarizing.biz

This tool affords you two options. You can use the online text summarizer by copying your text into the box. Conversely, you can hire a human writer to shorten your text. 

Grammarly

Many know Grammarly as an editing tool that spots grammar and punctuation issues in content. However, it can help you make your sentence more concise. It spots fluffs and offers paraphrasing suggestions.

To Wrap Up

Shorter sentences enhance readability. Online short sentence generators are a great way of creating readable blog posts and other creative content.

Students can also use them to condense their essays and vary the essay’s structure. Many tools, including INK, Quillbot, and Grammarly, work in different ways to generate shorter sentences with a click.

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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