The content of these guidelines is taken from the Vives University Network’s Interuniversity Style Guide for Writing Institutional Texts, an interuniversity project in which the UPC participated with the support of the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia.
Sentences
- There are four main types of sentence in English: simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.
- Simple
| Registration begins on 14 September. |
- Compound
| Registration begins on 14 September but courses do not start until 1 October. |
- Complex
| Although registration starts on 14 September, courses do not start until 1 October. |
- Compound-complex
| Although registration starts on 14 September, courses do not start until 1 October and payment is not due until the middle of November. |
- For texts to be interesting, readable and easily understandable, they must do the following:
- Combine sentences of the four types mentioned above: simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.
- Have sentences of different lengths.
Although short sentences are more understandable than long ones, avoid a telegraphic style by writing short, medium and (sometimes) long sentences. Aim for an average sentence length of between 15 and 20 words and beware of excessively long sentences with more than one subordination and too many parenthetical elements.
- Contain sentences that begin in different ways. You can, of course, begin with the subject followed by the verb, but there are other options: for For example, a short prepositional:
Subject + verb
Professor Clarke will speak in the main lecture theatre.
Prepositional phrase
During the meeting this morning, we discussed the new procedure.
Infinitive phrase
To register correctly, log into the official website.
Participle phrase
On arriving at their host university, mobility students should get an appointment with their tutor.
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