How long can a grammatically correct sentence be?
Table of Contents
- 1 How long can a grammatically correct sentence be?
- 2 What is the longest possible grammatically correct sentence?
- 3 How long can sentence be without punctuation?
- 4 Can a sentence be infinitely long?
- 5 Is long sentence length bad?
- 6 Can a sentence be one word long?
- 7 Are run-on sentences always wrong?
- 8 Are You struggling to follow a grammatically correct sentence?
- 9 Is there an upper limit to the length of a sentence?
- 10 What are the rules for building a grammatically correct sentence?
How long can a grammatically correct sentence be?
Most sentences should contain no more than 30 or 40 words. “Medium-sized” means minuscule by Proust’s standards. Most sentences should have no more than 30 or 40 words.
What is the longest possible grammatically correct sentence?
One of Molly Bloom’s soliloquies in James Joyce’s epic novel ‘Ulysses’ features a sentence of 4,491 words. The Guinness Book of Records lists the longest proper sentence as one from William Faulkner’s novel ‘Absalom, Absalom!’ (1,287 words).
How long is a sentence too long?
When is a sentence too long? It is difficult to come up with a magic number or formula for determining when a sentence is too long. A 12-word sentence that minces words can be too long, while a crystal clear, beautifully-composed 22-word sentence is sometimes just perfect. In general, though, never go beyond 30 words.
How long can sentence be without punctuation?
Try to aim for no more than 15 to 20 words in a sentence. Remember that no matter how many commas, semicolons and colons you put in, long sentences can be confusing.
Can a sentence be infinitely long?
No, it’s not possible. There can be no infinite-length sentence that is correct because it could never be parsed, hence the grammaticality could not be determined.
What is the longest simple sentence?
A sentence consisting of 13,955 words in English novelist Jonathan Coe’s book ‘The Rotters’ Club’ is believed to be the longest English sentence. The single sentence spans a length of 33 pages.
Is long sentence length bad?
A sentence is too long if, upon reaching the end, your reader cannot remember how the sentence began. Even writers who opt to aim for an average sentence length of, e.g., 20 to 25 words should mix long and short sentences to keep their reader’s interest.
Can a sentence be one word long?
In fact a lot of words in English can be one-word sentences, it all depends on the context. A complete sentence, even a one-word sentence, needs to have a noun and a verb. In one-word sentences the subject (noun) or the action (verb) of the sentence is implied. Here is a list of some common one-word sentences.
Are run-on sentences grammatically incorrect?
A run-on sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses that are not joined correctly or which should be made into separate sentences. A run-on sentence is defined by its grammatical structure, not its length. Incorrect: My favorite band is in town they are performing now. Correct: My favorite band is in town.
Are run-on sentences always wrong?
It is almost never a good idea to use run-on sentences in writing. Writers and poets sometimes use them to repeat something important or to imitate the way people talk. But run-on sentences are usually incorrect. They make it too difficult to understand your writing.
Are You struggling to follow a grammatically correct sentence?
Just because a sentence is grammatically correct doesn’t mean it’s easy to follow. You’ve probably experienced this. Have you ever caught yourself rereading a sentence over and over but unable to really absorb it? The problem isn’t necessarily with you. There’s a good chance that the sentence is wordy, overly complex, and unclear.
How do you check a sentence for correct grammar?
When you check the sentence for correct grammar, you need to analyze the relationship between each word, the clauses, the punctuation used, and how the structure of the sentence comes together. It takes not just time and effort but a level of knowledge that people often don’t have. Of course, you can try to check the word choice using different
Is there an upper limit to the length of a sentence?
As long as you punctuate correctly, there is no upper limit. Short sentences are a modern fashion; nineteenth century novels had sentences that went on for a page or so (have you read any Henry James?) You can keep going until you run out of ink. In English you can string together as many clauses as you want and never stop.
What are the rules for building a grammatically correct sentence?
5 Rules for Building a Grammatically Correct Sentence The sentence must contain a subject and a verb, otherwise, it will be considered a sentence fragment, not a complete… Two complete sentences cannot be joined without proper punctuation. Such a mistake is called a run-on sentence. Even if… The