Position the Sentence Topic Appropriately

The sentence topic is clearly stated in well-composed sentences. If the topic appears only after a long preamble of several words, the reader has difficulty identifying it. Aim to state the topic as soon as possible.

::: State the Topic at the Beginning of the Sentence

Alternatively, attention can be drawn to the topic of the sentence by focusing the action of the sentence on it.

The first sentence begins with a long preamble before stating the topic. It has less impact than the second.

Due to the small sample size and the presence of several confounding variables, the statistical power of the test was reduced.

The statistical power of the test was reduced due to the small sample size and the presence of several confounding variables.

Focus action on topic of the sentence

The topic of all three sentences is the relatedness of humans and chimpanzees. The first sentence is unfocused because the topic is located in the dependent clause (after the comma).

There is a high degree of DNA sequence identity between the human and chimpanzee genomes, which illustrates the close relatedness of these species.

An improvement focuses action on the topic by using the passive voice and making it the grammatical subject.

The close relatedness of human and chimpanzee is illustrated by the high degree of DNA sequence identity between their genomes.

However, another possibility would be to use the active voice and make the topic the grammatical object. This works well, despite placing the topic at the end of the sentence. The choice depends on the specific context of the sentence.

The high degree of DNA sequence identity between the human and chimpanzee genomes illustrates the close relatedness of these species.

Exercise - Optimal word order

If necessary, rearrange the elements in these sentences into the clearest order for the reader. Use punctuation where necessary.

  • Among the factors which influence X / particularly important / are P and Q.
  • This was associated / in the USA / with changes in the environment.
  • However / only / for some Xs / this operation is defined.
  • From now on / since the two cases are almost identical / we will only refer to the first case.
  • With each operation / is associated / a number / which refers to the ranking.
  • At any time / it is possible to put / on hold / the application / by doing X.
  • It is thus possible / to select / from the database / only useful data.
  • Important parameters / are / both X and Y.

In summary, being considerate means taking the reader’s expectations of how information should be presented into account. We change word and clause order to serve the needs of the reader.