Edit yourself: Judicious rearrangement and punctuation

ClearTips: Edit yourself

Judicious rearrangement and punctuation

Even if the length of a sentence stays much the same, judicious rearrangement and punctuation can give shape to otherwise amorphous elements.

Striking a bit of terror in the hearts of all taxpayers, planting smiles on the faces of congressional staffers, and putting frowns on the faces of tax shelter buffs, who have long benefited from loopholes and loose collection practices, have been the three immediate effects of the IRS's draconian policies for assessing penalties.

TRY

The IRS's draconian policies for assessing penalties have had three immediate effects: they have struck a bit of terror in the hearts of all taxpayers, planted smiles on the faces of congressional staffers, and put frowns on the faces of tax shelter buffs, who have long benefited from loopholes and loose collection practices.

Dashes should occasionally be used to set off parenthetical material that separates a subject from its verb.

Long sentences, which can be defined as those of more than, say, twenty words, often are hard to read.

CHANGE TO

Long sentences-those of more than, say, twenty words-often are hard to read.

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