Clarity in Writing: Tips to Sharpen Your Text

A good writer needs two things: compelling ideas and exemplary writing. It goes without saying that the latter must be grammatically flawless — but it takes a lot more than correct grammar to communicate your ideas in a way that readers can understand.

Of course, clarity isn’t always the goal; some characters simply don’t speak clearly, and some jokes rely on ambiguity.

Q: Why do birds fly south in winter?

A: Because it’s too far to walk!

However, the vast majority of the time, you should strive to write as clearly as possible — if not in your first draft (for fear of interrupting the flow of ideas), then later during the self-revision stage. 

Read on for tips to improve the clarity of your writing, all the way from word-level to full-text considerations.

Choosing the right words

The first step to clear writing is to choose each word carefully. While you write, I recommend having a dictionary and thesaurus open — in your browser, of course, as we’re no longer living in the ’00s!

Balance precision with comprehension

In general, you should select the most specific phrase with which your audience is familiar. If you’re writing a nonfiction book for experts in a particular niche, for example, you can use precise jargon. If you’re writing “wide” commercial fiction, on the other hand, you should steer clear of technical terms (or define them if you must use them) and pick the most specific word(s) in common usage.

📝 Example

❌ People say long sentences are bad.

This sentence is far too vague. Who says it? How long is long? Why are they bad?

❌ Neurolinguists say sentences with more than 25 lexemes impede cognitive processing.

For a general audience, this sentence contains too many unfamiliar terms. What’s a lexeme? What does a neurolinguist do? How do you define cognitive processing?

✔️ Language experts say sentences with more than 25 words are difficult to understand.

This sentence gets it right. All our questions are answered using words we understand.

It’s not always obvious which expression is the most precise. To make this judgment, look not just at a word’s definition, but also at any connotations it may have — positive, negative, or neutral. 

📝 Example

❌ Amy’s reply was short.

It’s not wrong, but this sentence could tell us more about the narrator and/or Amy by using a synonym for “short” with more specific connotations.

✔️ Amy’s reply was concise.

Because “concise” has positive connotations, this sentence tells us that the narrator is pleased with the shortness of the reply.

✔️ Amy’s reply was curt.

“Curt” has negative connotations, so we know the narrator thinks the reply is lacking in length — and Amy herself is probably angry or upset.

Wield powerful verbs

Another way to improve precision is to replace the boring verb “to be” with something more colorful — and more specific. Almost every sentence containing “to be” can be rewritten using a more powerful verb. I’ve tried it for the opening lines of Holes by Louis Sachar:

Original: There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas. 

Rewritten: Camp Green Lake does not feature a lake. It once boasted a very large one, the largest lake in Texas. 

While there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the original, the second version is arguably more evocative. The positive connotations of “boasted” make it clear that having a lake was good, and “feature” strengthens the irony of a camp being named after something that doesn’t exist (any longer).

You can’t avoid every instance of “to be”, but swapping it out where you can will make your writing more precise — and help you avoid the diabolic passive voice (more on that later).

Use as few words as possible

After precise, the next priority is to be concise. As Thomas Jefferson (allegedly) said: “The most valuable of talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” (Personally, I find that ironically wordy, but maybe that’s just me!)

The key part of Jefferson’s quote is “when one [word] will do.” It’s often the case that one word won’t do. Take our very first example: “long” may be shorter than “with more than 25 words,” but it’s far less precise and therefore not as clear. On the other hand, “long” would be superior to “of great length,” because the latter is merely a wordier synonym.

Take particular care when it comes to qualifiers. We use them without thinking about them, but a lot of qualifiers are unnecessary. Next time you catch yourself using “actually,” “very,” “really,” etc., ask yourself:

1. Is the qualifier adding meaning to the sentence? (If not, get rid of it.)
2. Can I say the same thing in fewer words?
   

📝 Example 1

❌ They completely demolished the office block.

“Completely” doesn’t add any meaning to this sentence, as the word “demolished” already implies something being destroyed in its entirety.

✔️ They demolished the office block.

📝 Example 2

❌ Linda was very happy.

“Very happy” is not only less concise than a single adjective, but also more vague. Was Linda simply “thrilled,” or was she “euphoric”?

✔️ Linda was thrilled.

Of course, qualifiers (and fillers like “um” and “ah”) are very natural in speech, and can make dialogue more realistic. You can also use convoluted phrases as a deliberate euphemism, for humor, or for some other stylistic effect. But if you don’t have a good reason to beat around the bush, then don’t beat around it.

Structuring your sentences

All that said, it’s pointless knowing the right and wrong words to use unless you also know how to combine them into well-structured sentences.

Your sentences should not typically contain more than 20-25 words, as longer sentences are more difficult to comprehend.

Prioritize (active) verbs

The focal point of every sentence is its verb. Verbs are our friends, and active verbs are our best friends. Unless the doer of the verb is genuinely unknown, you should avoid the passive voice.

📝 Example

❌ Clarity is enhanced by active voice.

✔️ Active voice enhances clarity.

You should also avoid turning verbs into nouns, or putting more than two nouns in a row. A string of nouns can be tough to decipher, as well as clunky to read. Always opt for the verb form over the noun form.

📝 Example 1

❌ Have you had any luck with the identification of the criminal?

We can understand this sentence, but it doesn’t read smoothly out loud.

✔️ Have you had any luck with identifying the criminal?

Using the verb form of  “identify” instead of the derived noun takes up fewer words and is nicer to read.

📝 Example 2

❌Did you hear about that novel development workshop scandal?

Four consecutive nouns are difficult to read (especially out loud) and not easy to understand at a glance.

✔️ Did you hear about that scandal at the workshop on developing your novel?

Rewriting the noun string with prepositions and turning “development” back into a verb makes the sentence flow a lot better.

Don’t interrupt the main clause

Another big no-no is interrupting the main clause, particularly in between the subject and the verb. Instead of embedding additional information in an awkward aside, append it to the beginning or end of the sentence.

📝 Example

❌ Writers, to communicate effectively, should avoid interrupting the main clause.

✔️ To communicate effectively, writers should avoid interrupting the main clause.

Use parallel structures for lists

You can squeeze a lot of information into a list. To maximize its clarity, choose one grammatical category and stick to it for each item in the list.

📝 Example

❌ I like reading, to cycle, and art.

We have an -ing form of a verb, an infinitive form of a verb, and a noun all in the same list. It’s stylistically poor and jars the reader.

✔️ I like reading, cycling, and creating art.

All the items in the list have the same -ing verb form.

✔️ I like to read, cycle, and create art.

All the items in the list are infinitive verb forms.

Avoid double negatives

One grammatical construction to avoid is double negatives. These structures can be hard to understand, so it’s clearer if you rephrase them positively.

📝 Example

❌ Cinderella didn’t want to not go to the ball.

✔️ Cinderella wanted to go to the ball.

Even when you think you need a double negative for emphasis, you can usually still rephrase it positively and retain the same effect.

📝 Example

❌ I didn’t want to go to the ball, but I also didn’t want to not be invited to it.

It’s tempting to think the double negative belongs here, because the focus is less on the speaker wanting an invitation and more on them not wanting to feel excluded.

✔️ I didn’t want to go to the ball, but I still wanted to be invited to it.

However, this sentence conveys the desire to not be excluded without the use of a confusing double negative.

Building logical paragraphs

The next step to writing a clear and coherent text is to join your sentences together smoothly.

Create smooth transitions

You’ll doubtless already know how to use transition words like “and,” “but,” and “because.” These words are the simplest ways to move between ideas, and they tend to come naturally, particularly in speech. 

📝 Example

❌ I like watching movies. I love thrillers. The adrenaline rush is exciting. I don’t like rollercoasters.

✔️ I like watching movies. I especially love thrillers because the adrenaline rush is exciting. That said, I don’t like rollercoasters.

To achieve maximum clarity, you should also follow the linguistic principle of old before new. Start your sentence by referring back to something the reader already knows, then introduce brand-new information afterward.

📝 Example

❌ I like watching movies. It reminded me of my first date with Brad when I saw Paddington in Peru last week.

In this example, the change of topic to “my first date with Brad” is jarring and feels out of place.

✔️ I like watching movies. When I saw Paddington in Peru last week, it reminded me of my first date with Brad.

Here, bringing up the date with Brad isn’t out of place at all. The first half of the second sentence relates back to the previous sentence and bridges the gap to the new topic.

It’s worth noting that every sentence should introduce something new. Otherwise, it’s a redundant statement that should be cut.

📝 Example

❌ I like watching movies. I see them for fun. I particularly enjoy the immersive experience of the cinema.

The second sentence repeats the first sentence in different words and doesn’t add anything new. It should be removed.

✔️ I like watching movies. I particularly enjoy the immersive experience of the cinema.

Avoid ambiguous pronouns

When you’re referring back to something old, you might be tempted to use a pronoun. But beware! A pronoun’s referent is often less obvious than you think. 

Every single time you employ a pronoun, read back over your paragraph and ask yourself: is there definitely only one person, place, or thing the pronoun could refer to?

If you can’t answer “yes” confidently, repeat the word for clarity, or find a synonym to add variety — but only if it sounds natural. Don’t call a carrot “a popular orange vegetable” for the sake of avoiding repetition!

📝 Example

❌ Ramona went to watch her sister in a dance competition. When Tilly won, she was surprised.

“She” is ambiguous. Who was surprised: Tilly or Ramona?

✔️ Ramona went to watch her sister in a dance competition. When Tilly won, Ramona was surprised.

Demonstrative pronouns like “these” and “that” can be equally confusing. For maximum clarity, add an appropriate noun to spell out what’s being referred to.

📝 Example

❌ Lots of writers use clichés in their novels. These reduce the originality of a text.

✔️ Lots of writers use clichés in their novels. These expressions reduce the originality of a text.

Creating a coherent text

We’ve mainly talked about clarity at the “micro” level, but how can you make sure you remain coherent at the “macro” level? First off, you need a logical structure for whatever you’re writing. If it’s anything more complicated than an email, it warrants an outline to ensure the structure flows well. 

Yet, good planning will only get you so far. You also need to break up the text in the right places and maintain a consistent voice.

Break up your text to indicate a change

Readers will understand your writing better if you follow genre conventions. In most genres, readers expect writers to signify a change in time, place, topic, or POV with a scene (or chapter) break.

Make sure you highlight what exactly has changed. In One Of Us Is Lying, Karen M. McManus titles every scene with the new narrator, date, and time. However, you can also explicate the shift more subtly. In Circe, Madeline Miller uses time phrases like “when I woke,” “it was midday,” and “the next morning” at the start of some of her chapters to inform the reader of how much time has passed.

Ensure the style/tone is consistent throughout

The final step to writing a clear text is to read it through and note any inconsistencies in word choice, style, or tone. Try to put yourself in your reader’s shoes, and read your manuscript out loud so you can hear how fluent (or clunky) the writing sounds.

Even better than reading it from an outsider’s perspective is to get an actual outsider to read it for you. Everything will feel clear to you already because you wrote it, so someone else might be better equipped to spot inconsistencies or unclear language that you’ve missed.

And if you have the capacity, the best option of all is to make that “someone else” a professional editor! They’ll tell you exactly where you can improve the clarity of both your ideas and your writing, offering tips that are specific to your genre, audience, and author voice.

Once you’ve mastered the art of clear communication, you’ll be able to better control the effect you have on readers. Whether you want them to nod sagely or shed a single tear, these tips for greater clarity should help you get there!