For the most part, text that lack clarity can be fixed up by using grammar software.  That’s because majority of writing weaknesses  are frequently related to a lack of adherence to best practices and language rules.  When you’ve done due diligence on this end to no avail, it’s time to check the way your presentation is organized.  Often, a lack clarity can be remedied by rearranging the way ideas are shown.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How would the piece work if you rearrange paragraph order?
• Does the introduction work to generate interest or does it reveal too much that can best be presented towards the end, instead?
• Do you need to build up tension before going into the details?
• Is your closing strong enough to answer any unasked questions?

Many times, simply rearranging the paragraphs to a more logical sequence can do the trick.  Sometimes,  beefing up the introductory groundwork or trimming it down can facilitate a more successful version.  Experiment with cut-and-paste technology, rearranging the way your ideas are presented, and you might eventually hit upon the desired spot.

1.  To separate a series of words and phrases of the same kind

When you’re listing words and phrases, it is mandatory to punctuate with a comma to show the separation between items.  This is true when listing nouns as with verbs, adverbs and others figures of speech, as with a sentence like this:

“I wrote, produced and directed the play.”

If it’s intended to itemize, always punctuate for clarity.

2. At the end of a list (before the word “and”), use a comma only when it’s necessary for legibility.

The last item on a list should be done without a comma (although most English writing software will let it pass).  The only exception to this is when a comma clarifies the statement such as with the following sentence:

“Breakfast choices include salad, bacon and eggs, and fruits.”

3. Words that address someone or something

When a word or phrase addresses an audience or an object, use a comma to separate the intended subject, such as in:

“How are you today, dear readers?”

4. Use a comma between two sentences joined by a conjunction when you want to force a pause

When combining two sentences that are linked by a conjunction (e.g. “but”, “because”), always add a comma between them.

“He wanted to leave the party, but I begged him to stay.”

5. Use a comma to mark off introductory words, phrases and clauses

When a part of the sentence is used to introduce its actual body, use a comma to force a pause.  These two examples illustrate it clearly:

“However, we knew it wasn’t true.”

“Despite the resulting uproar, we knew it wasn’t true.”

1. Use descriptive titles

When you’re writing an email, descriptive titles can get your email read immediately (if the subject is valuable to them) instead of slotted in with a pile of unimportant correspondences.   Emails that carry subject lines like “Hello,” “Greetings” and the like are not just lame, they tend to look like spam.

2. State your reason for writing in the first sentence

Don’t waste your reader’s time with a full paragraph of pleasantries.  Instead, state immediately why you’re writing to them in the first sentence.

3. Use proper punctuation, capitalization and paragraph separation

Make it easy to read your correspondences by following the most basic rules of grammar.  When in doubt, fire up the trusty English writing software to help you sort things out.

4. Use proper tone

When writing business correspondences, it’s important to match your writing’s tone with your message.  If you’re addressing a complaint, try to sound professional and service-oriented.  When catching up about last week’s corporate golf tournament, be friendly and light.

5. Let the reader know how to respond

Towards the end of your correspondence, make sure to let the recipient know what next step is.  Whether that be emailing you back or submitting a report, state it politely.

English writing software, for the most part, can catch common grammar errors.  It can even give suggestions when you’re trying to write in a particular style.  We all know, though, that good writing is more than just about avoiding double negatives and bad punctuation.  In many ways, writing well has to do with clarity and how well you impart your message.

Here’s a little secret: you can intentionally write the most garbled statements using flawless grammar and fool any writing software into thinking that you’re writing is good.  It sucks, but it’s true.  When you’re using English grammar software to help you, put faith that it can clean up bad entries in your copy, but it won’t change the core ideas that you use to express your message – that bit is all up to you.

All software are based on algorithms.  The best English grammar software are usually derived from “learning” systems that read millions of different copy (from newspapers to business reports to blog posts) and processes those input to develop its core set of good practices.

Personally, I’ve seen what grammar software can do with large writing projects and I’m amazed with its results.  If you take care of the job at your end, making sure your ideas express your message the best it can, the software can usually manage the rest.

When you run a grammar software to fix up your copy, it will show you all the changes you can make to improve your writing’s clarity and overall quality.  These intelligent pieces of software can take any written work, put them through the rules of grammar and show you the offending parts.

Of course, not all grammar rules are set in stone.  Some can actually be passed over, without affecting the clarity of your work.  In fact, intentionally breaking them might make it even more sense.

Here are a few situations where you can actually break grammar rules and get away with it.

1. Beginning sentences with conjunctions

I used to break this rule incessantly.  I have since tempered myself, but some sentence transitions just work better when you start a new sentence with “And,” “But” and other similar conjunctions.  When used to drive a point home, it creates a much stronger impact than most any other way you can arrange your sentence.

2. Ending sentences with prepositions

The practice of ending sentences with prepositions is formally regarded as incorrect, but remains constantly used across many forms of writing from newspapers to academic reports.  Some sentences simply work better that way.

3. Splitting infinitives

The word “to” plus its corresponding verb is the standard infinitive of the English language and, for a long time, it was considered sacred – you were not allowed to insert any word in between them.  Often, though, sentences do read better with split infinitives, especially when enriched with a descriptive adjective between them.

Nominalizations are nouns that have been derived from adjectives and verbs.  Words such as evaluation, qualification and clarity fall in this category when employed as the main subject in a sentence.  Their use often entails adding more helping verbs and passive constructions into your copy to properly express ideas.  As such, it can lead to dragging content that can prove confusing in parts.

Some English writing software can capably detect excessive use of nominalizations and suggest alternative ways of expressing them.  However, you’ll need to watch out before triggering the change as the meaning can also be altered when it isn’t handled correctly. In fact, fixing excessive nominalizations is left difficult because most alternative ways of expressing the same ideas often involve some form of workaround.

When looking to update sentences that use nominalizations, the easiest way to get it done is often to do away with it.  Instead of using the word as a noun, bring it to its original verb or adjective format and express it that way.  A phrase like “my evaluation of the matter” can be altered to “I evaluated the matter;”  an expression like “all participants qualified for the next course” can be written in place of “their qualifications are sufficient to make it to the next course.”

Nominalizations do have their place, though, and should only be trimmed if paragraphs read too clumsily by excessive use.  As always, employ with care.