OnlyMovHow to Make Your Sentences Clearer
By OnlyMov Editorial Team · · Editorial policy
Unclear sentences are rarely a vocabulary problem — they are a structure problem. The meaning is buried under a noun pile, the actor is hidden by passive voice, or three ideas are fighting inside one sentence. Each of those has a mechanical fix. Here are the seven that repair most unclear sentences.
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Fix 1: Put the actor before the action
Passive voice hides who does what.
Unclear: "The report was reviewed and several issues were identified." Clear: "Legal reviewed the report and found three issues."
Passive has legitimate uses (when the actor is unknown or irrelevant), but as a default it forces readers to reconstruct the sentence. Subject, verb, object — in that order — is the clearest machine ever invented.
Fix 2: Unbury the verb
Writers smother verbs by turning them into nouns ("nominalizations") and propping them up with weak verbs:
- "make a decision" → decide
- "conduct an analysis of" → analyze
- "provide a summary of" → summarize
- "reach a conclusion" → conclude
The buried-verb version is always longer and always weaker. Search your draft for "make", "conduct", "provide", and "perform" — a stronger verb is usually hiding nearby.
Fix 3: One idea per sentence
Overloaded: "The new system, which we started rolling out in March after the vendor delays that pushed the original timeline, should reduce processing errors, though training is still ongoing in two regions."
That's three sentences wearing a trench coat:
"We began rolling out the new system in March, after vendor delays pushed the original timeline. It should reduce processing errors. Training is still ongoing in two regions."
If a sentence needs more than one comma-clause, it usually wants to be two sentences.
Fixes 4–7: the quick hits
- Replace abstractions with specifics — "improve performance" → "load pages one second faster"
- Cut throat-clearing — "It is important to note that", "Basically", "In terms of" — delete and the sentence starts at its point
- Keep subject and verb close — words wedged between them ("The proposal, which after several rounds of internal review and stakeholder feedback, was approved") make readers hold their breath
- Read it aloud — anywhere you stumble or take a breath mid-clause, the reader will too; restructure that spot
Step-by-step summary
- 1
Find the actor and the action
Ask: who does what in this sentence? Make them the subject and the verb.
- 2
Unbury verbs and cut filler
Fix "make a decision" verbs and delete throat-clearing openers.
- 3
Split overloaded sentences
One idea per sentence; a second comma-clause is a exit sign.
- 4
Read aloud and repair stumbles
Your ear finds what your eye forgives.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the ideal sentence length?
- Averages of 15–20 words read easily; the key is variation. A short punch after two longer sentences keeps rhythm. Sentences over 35 words almost always benefit from splitting.
- Is passive voice always wrong?
- No — it is right when the actor is unknown or beside the point ("The window was broken overnight"). It becomes a problem as an unconscious default, because it systematically hides who does what.
- How do I clarify a sentence without changing its meaning?
- Structure changes — actor first, verb unburied, splits — preserve meaning while improving delivery. Read the before and after side by side; if a fact went missing, restore it.