Most weak writing isn't the result of bad ideas. It's the result of sentences that bury those ideas in filler, vagueness, and unnecessary length. The fix is almost always editorial, not creative — you already have the thought, you just haven't finished expressing it yet.
Here's how to diagnose what's wrong with a sentence and fix it.
# The Six Most Common Sentence Problems
# Filler Openers: Cut the Throat-Clearing
The most common weakness in professional writing is sentences that delay their own point. These openers add length without meaning — delete them and the sentence starts stronger immediately.
| Cut this opener | Start here instead |
|---|---|
| It is important to note that | Note: / Just start the sentence |
| There are a number of reasons why | Several reasons explain this |
| In order to | To |
| Due to the fact that | Because |
| At this point in time | Now |
| It should be noted that | [delete entirely] |
| For the purpose of | To / For |
| In the event that | If |
# Weak Verbs: Swap "To Be" for Action
Sentences built around "is", "was", and "are" hand the action to a noun instead of a verb. Replacing them with a precise action verb makes the sentence shorter and more direct.
The new system is a significant improvement over the previous version in terms of processing speed.
The new system processes data three times faster than the previous version.
She is someone who has a deep understanding of the subject matter.
She understands the subject deeply.
# Nominalisations: Resurrect the Verb
When you turn a verb into a noun, you need an extra verb to carry the sentence — and the result is heavier, more formal, and harder to read. Nominalisations are the primary cause of that bureaucratic "corporate writing" tone.
We need to make a decision about whether to proceed with the implementation of the new process.
We need to decide whether to implement the new process.
The pattern to watch for: make a ___, give a ___, have a ___, do a ___. "Make a recommendation" → "recommend". "Give consideration to" → "consider". "Have a discussion about" → "discuss".
# Vague Qualifiers: Be Specific or Cut
"Very", "quite", "extremely", "somewhat", "rather", "fairly" are almost always cuttable. When they're not cuttable, it usually means the underlying word isn't specific enough.
The results were very positive and showed quite significant improvement across most metrics.
Results improved across seven of nine metrics, with engagement up 34%.
The second version is better not just because the qualifier is gone — it's better because it's been replaced with an actual fact. When you cut a vague qualifier, you create space for a specific detail. Use it.
# The Specificity Fix
Vague sentences and weak sentences share a root cause: lack of specificity. "The project took a long time" tells the reader almost nothing. "The project ran four months over deadline" tells them exactly what happened.
For every abstract claim, ask: what's the number? What's the name? What happened exactly? Concrete details make sentences shorter and more credible at the same time. Vagueness takes up more words than precision.
# The One-Edit Test
Take any sentence you've written and ask: what is this sentence actually saying? Write the answer in as few words as possible. If your answer is shorter than your original sentence, rewrite the original to match the answer. Most sentences survive this test fine. The ones that don't were never finished.
# What Good Sentences Have in Common
They say one thing. They say it with the most direct verb available. The subject arrives early. Every word carries weight. And they're as short as the idea allows — not shorter, not longer.
You don't need to apply all of this simultaneously. Pick one problem — filler openers, or nominalisations, or weak verbs — and spend one editing pass finding and fixing only that. One focused pass beats five unfocused ones.
Paste your draft into ReadCalc to check grade level and sentence count — a lower score usually means cleaner sentences.
$ open readcalc.com →