The 40 tells · Shape and punctuation · No. 39
Very long sentences in your writing: why readers notice
Smell Long sentences
Sentences over about 28 words are hard to follow on a phone, where most pages are read. Machine-written text tends toward long, evenly built sentences joined with "and", "while" and commas.
Break each one at its first "and". Mix in a short one. It gives the reader a place to breathe.
Before
Our platform helps businesses of all sizes manage their customer relationships more effectively by bringing together email, chat and phone into one place while also giving managers the reports they need to make decisions.
After
Email, chat and phone in one inbox. Managers get a weekly report on response times.
The fix
Break it at the first "and".
What the checker matches
Any sentence over 28 words, and an average over 18 words a sentence.