How long should sentences be and why?

Question

If there is no rule for how long sentences can be then how long or short should they be and why?

Answer 1

It's not the length that counts! It's the definition of a complete sentence that counts. If you know that a sentence includes a subject and a type of verb you have a sentence. If you understand that a sentence contains a complete thought you have a sentence. For instance, the sentence "birds sing" is a complete sentence. It has a subject and a verb, which can be either an intransitive or transitive verb. It is also a complete thought. The subject can be any word, any part of speech that acts as the subject. It's a matter of style. Famous authors who are known for their excellence in writing may use long sentences. For example, Scott Fitzgerald, you know- the Great Gatsby author, wrote, “Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” Too long-absolutely, too complex, yes, too confusing, yep, but it worked for him and the rest of the world. Can you find the subject and the verb? 

However, I wouldn’t try this in class. You might get a response like, “too long, a run-on.” Or you might get a “too wordy,” Not really sure what that means. Then there are award winning authors who write very short sentences. Hemingway wrote with simple genius. Perhaps his finest demonstration of short sentence prowess was when he was challenged to tell an entire story in only 6 words: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Take a look at different types of sentences just for the fun of it!

After all, sometimes any sentence is just a sentence.

 

Answer 2

A sentence has to have at least two words, a subject and a verb. The subject is the thing the action refers to and the verb is the action taking place. For example, 'I run' is a sentence. At one time the longest known literary sentence in English was written by William Faulkner in the book 'Absalom, Absalom'. The sentence was 1,288 words long. This inspired other modern authors to try to break the record which is currently held by Johnathan Coe in 'The Rotter's Club' and is 13,955 words long. Somewhere in between these two extremes is usually a good rule of thumb. Most importantly create a sentence that holds meaning and is easily understood. Secondarily, consider style. Hemingway is known for his brevity and concise precision. James Joyce on the other hand tended to use sentences that were a long stream-of-consciousness. Today, the average sentence is around 15 to 20 words long. I hope this helps!