Shorter is not automatically clearer. “The results prove it” is brief, but it hides which results, what they establish and how certain the claim should be. A good sentence edit removes unnecessary work while preserving the distinctions a reader needs.
Begin with a sentence that feels heavy, then ask what it is trying to help someone understand.
Find the person or thing doing the action
Consider this invented draft: “The implementation of a review of the notices was undertaken by the committee.” A plainer version is “The committee reviewed the notices.” The revision makes the actor and action easier to find.
This is one useful option, not a ban on passive constructions. If the actor is unknown or irrelevant, a different arrangement may suit the purpose. Purdue OWL’s sentence-clarity guide discusses the value of clear actions and connections between familiar and new information.
Remove words that perform the same job
Look for pairs such as “completely finished” when the context needs only “finished,” or a sentence that states a conclusion and immediately repeats it in slightly different words. Decide whether the repetition adds emphasis worth keeping.
Do not remove a phrase just because it is long. “Among the twelve people interviewed” may be essential if it prevents a small observation from sounding universal.
Test the revision against the original claim
Compare “some participants reported difficulty” with “participants struggled.” The second is shorter but changes the evidence and the scope. Keep words such as “some,” “reported” or “in this sample” when they carry necessary limits.
Then read the sentence in its paragraph. A compact phrase may become confusing if it removes the noun that tells the reader what “this” refers to.
Stop when the reader’s work is easier
There is no prize for the fewest words. Your test is whether a reader can identify the action, follow the connection and understand the strength of the claim. Do this pass after the larger changes in our revision guide, so you are not perfecting sentences that the next draft will remove.