Article Writing Tips Readability II

One way to achieve this is to write in short paragraphs. Paragraphs should be snappy and each should make its point. A paragraph should make a statement, or present a question or suggest a solution. An article with no paragraphs can contain exactly the same words but be virtually impossible to understand since there is no delineation between concepts or arguments presented in the article.

Your sentences should not be too short. However, they should be so long that the reader runs out of breath while trying to read and make sense of what you are writing. Check out this paragraph coming up. Can you easily make sense of it?

You want your article to read well. You should write short sentences. Then they are understood. That is because there are fewer words to read. You can understand them better. You have time to read them. Write short. Don't write long words. Your words should be understood.

Compare it with this, saying exactly the opposite: If your articles are to be easy to read, your sentences should flow together and not be too short; otherwise they may not be easily understood.

Everybody is conditioned to regard periods as a stopping point. They pause in their reading, and then look on the next sentence as referring to something different. Short sentences are excellent if you want emphasis, such is in: "He walked tentatively into the graveyard. He heard a sound. He stopped. He heard it again – a scratching noise. He saw something move! He screamed!"

That is much better than "He walked into the graveyard, heard a noise, and then stopped, but on seeing a movement, he screamed."

You can structure sentences and whole paragraphs to intensify the point you are trying to make. If you are writing an article to provide information, which is the objective of most articles, it should be written in a flowing manner, and each sentence should be constructed so the reader can continue reading without having to stop.

If you feel that individual short sentences are appropriate, but know that they won't read well presented that way, use bullets. In article directories that do not allow html, you can use the * sign in place of a bullet, or simple numbers or letters such as

1. This number is first.

2. This number is higher.

Finally, conclude the article with a summing up paragraph or sentence containing your keyword, such as: if you follow these article writing tips, you will make your article more readable, even to people whose first language is not that in which you are writing.