Text & Writing
How To Rewrite A Sentence
A rewrite is not a translation of meaning but of register. The facts stay where they are; what changes is how much space they take and who they sound like they are for.
Quick Answer
rewrite = apply the strategy's substitution table in order, then delete its filler list
- strategy
- The register being targeted: concise, formal, casual, plain or direct
- n_sub
- How many substitutions the table actually applied
- R
- The reduction in word count, as a percentage
The default sentence runs 25 words and 131 characters. The concise strategy turns it into 15 words and 74 characters, a 40.0% cut, from five substitutions. One passive construction, 'is located', is flagged and left alone.
What Is How To Rewrite A Sentence?
A rewrite changes the register of a sentence rather than its content. The facts stay where they are, and what moves is how much space they take and who they read as being for.
Wordiness has a small number of causes. Padding phrases that carry no information, latinate words where a short one exists, and hedges that protect the writer instead of helping the reader decide.
The single most productive edit is replacing a phrase with one word. In order to becomes to, due to the fact that becomes because, and at this point in time becomes now. None of these costs a reader anything.
Fillers are a second family. Basically, actually, really, very, just and simply all signal that the writer was unsure, and they delete cleanly without touching the claim.
Formal register is the mirror image. Contractions are expanded, casual verbs become their written forms, and hedging is removed. It is the right register for a contract and the wrong one for a support email.
Casual register contracts the auxiliaries and shortens the vocabulary. It reads as speech, which is right for a chat message and wrong for anything that will one day be quoted back at you.
Plain language is a third target again: latinate words go back to their everyday equivalents. Utilise becomes use, commence becomes start, and ascertain becomes find out.
The direct register removes dummy subjects. It is important to note that, there are and in my opinion all sit in front of the sentence rather than in it, and deleting them is usually the largest single saving available.
Every substitution should be reversible in principle. A rewrite that cannot be put back has changed the claim rather than the phrasing, and that is an edit the writer has to own rather than a tool.
The passive voice is a separate problem. It hides who did the thing, and turning a passive clause back into an active one needs to know who that was, so it is flagged rather than rewritten automatically.
Word and character counts make the trade visible. A tenth of the words for the same meaning is a good result, and a tenth of the words because half the meaning was dropped is not.
The rewriter applies five strategies as ordered substitution tables, lists every change it made, and reports the word count, the character count, the percentage saved and any passive constructions it found.
Read the output once before sending. Rule tables are precise but narrow: they catch the known wordy patterns and leave everything else alone, which is the intended behaviour rather than a limitation.
Formula
output = the input with each phrase in the strategy's table replaced, applied in table order
Order matters because the tables overlap: replacing a long phrase first can remove the context a shorter one needed, and a table applied out of order produces different text from the same input.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| s_in | Input sentence | text | The sentence pasted in, before any edit. |
| table | Substitution table | pairs | The ordered list of from-and-to pairs for this strategy. |
| s_out | Output sentence | text | The sentence after every substitution has been tried. |
output = the text with each filler word and the space in front of it deleted
Deleting the preceding space rather than the following one is what stops a double space appearing in the middle of the sentence, which is why the removal is specified as a unit.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Filler list | words | The words the strategy deletes outright. |
| s_out | Output sentence | text | The sentence after removal, before tidying. |
reduction = (1 - words after / words before) x 100
A percentage of the original word count, not of the result. Two rewrites of different lengths cannot be compared on absolute words saved, only on this ratio.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| w_in | Words before | count | Word count of the pasted sentence. |
| w_out | Words after | count | Word count of the rewritten sentence. |
| Delta | Reduction | percent | The percentage of words that disappeared. |
How To Calculate How To Rewrite A Sentence
- 1
Paste one sentence
One sentence at a time, because the tables are phrase-level and a paragraph produces a wall of separate changes that cannot be reviewed. Paste the sentence you are least sure about first.
- 2
Pick the register you need
Concise for cutting, formal for a contract, casual for a chat, plain for a wide audience, direct for starting on the point. The four other strategies are one dropdown away, so trying a second one costs nothing.
- 3
Read the output
The rewritten sentence is the first thing on the panel. Read it as a sentence rather than as a diff, because a substitution that is individually correct can still leave an odd rhythm.
- 4
Check the change list
Every substitution the table applied is listed, source and target, so you can put back anything you disagree with. A change you did not expect is usually a table entry you did not know about.
- 5
Look at the counts and the passive flag
Words, characters and the percentage saved make the trade measurable, and the passive count tells you how much of the sentence avoids saying who did the thing.
Examples
Example 1: The default sentence, cut down
- Sentence
- In order to utilise the software, it is necessary for you to basically click on the button that is located in the top right corner.
- Strategy
- Concise
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Words before | the pasted sentence | 25 |
| Words after | after the table and the filler list | 15 |
| Characters before | the pasted sentence | 131 |
| Characters after | the rewritten sentence | 74 |
| Words saved | (1 - 15 / 25) x 100 | 40.0 |
Result: The concise strategy rewrites the sentence to 'To use the software, you must click on the button in the top right corner.' — 25 words become 15, 131 characters become 74, and the reduction is 40.0%. Five substitutions did it: in order to to to, it is necessary for you to to you must, that is located in to in, utilise to use, and basically removed. One passive construction, 'is located', was flagged and left exactly as it was.
Example 2: A longer sentence, same strategy
- Sentence
- Due to the fact that a large number of customers has the ability to purchase prior to the launch, it is necessary for you to commence the marketing campaign at this point in time.
- Strategy
- Concise
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Words before | the pasted sentence | 34 |
| Words after | after the table and the filler list | 15 |
| Characters before | the pasted sentence | 179 |
| Characters after | the rewritten sentence | 92 |
| Words saved | (1 - 15 / 34) x 100 | 55.9 |
Result: Seven table entries fire on this sentence, and it collapses to 'Because many customers can buy before the launch, you must start the marketing campaign now.' — 34 words become 15, 179 characters become 92, and the reduction is 55.9%. Because, many, can, buy, you must, start and now each replace a longer phrase: due to the fact that, a large number of, has the ability to, prior to, it is necessary for you to, commence and at this point in time.
Calculator
Prefer a full-width tool? Open the How To Rewrite A Sentence calculator page.
Common Mistakes
Rewriting a paragraph in one go
Phrase-level tables produce one change per phrase, so a paragraph returns dozens of diffs at once and nobody reviews them. One sentence at a time is slower and produces output somebody actually reads.
Assuming the longest saving is the best edit
The direct strategy cuts the most by deleting hedges, and some of those hedges were carrying a real qualification. A larger percentage is not automatically a better sentence.
Trusting the table to fix a passive clause
The passive check only reports; it never rewrites. Turning was written into an active clause needs to know who wrote it, and that information is not in the sentence.
Applying two strategies in sequence by hand
Concise then formal on the same text can undo each other, because the casual-to-formal table expands exactly what the concise table contracted. Pick one register per pass.
Editing the meaning along with the register
A rewrite that changes the claim is an edit, not a rewrite. If the change list contains something that alters what the sentence says, put it back before sending.
Chasing a word count instead of a reader
A percentage is a proxy, not a goal. Stopping at a round number by deleting a clause that carried the point makes the sentence shorter and the document worse.
Ignoring the case and spacing cleanup
Substitutions leave double spaces, a space before a comma and a lowercase opening letter. Tidying is a separate pass, and skipping it makes even a correct rewrite look unfinished.
FAQ
What is the difference between rewriting and editing?
Rewriting changes the register while keeping the content, and editing changes the content. A rewrite can be judged by the counts; an edit has to be judged on whether the claim is still true.
Which strategy cuts the most?
Direct, because it deletes dummy subjects such as it is important to note that and there are. It is also the one most likely to remove a qualification you needed, so read the change list.
Can a rewrite fix the passive voice?
No. Passive is detected and counted but never rewritten, because converting it needs to know who performed the action. Fix it by hand once you have decided who that was.
Why does my sentence come out with a capital letter changed?
The tidy pass capitalises the first letter and removes any leading punctuation, because a substitution at the start of a sentence can leave the rest of the text in the wrong case.
Does rewriting count as plagiarism?
Rewriting your own sentence does not, and rewriting someone else's sentence to avoid attribution does. The register change is cosmetic when the idea and the structure are still theirs.
How many words should a rewrite save?
There is no target. Anything from five to sixty per cent is normal depending on how wordy the original was, and a very small saving usually means the sentence was already tight.
Can I use this on anything other than English?
The tables are English phrase pairs, so a non-English sentence will pass through almost untouched. The word and character counts still work, but the substitutions do not.
References
- [1]plainlanguage.gov, Plain language guidelines — https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/
- [2]Purdue Online Writing Lab, Conciseness and cutting clutter — https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/conciseness/index.html
- [3]The Writing Center, University of North Carolina, Active and passive voice — https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/passive-voice/