Avoiding too many short sentences

A short sentence can draw attention to important information. → Films can change people’s lives. They have the power to inspire, educate and inform people about the world and they can do this in a number of different ways. Too many short sentences can reduce the impact of a key idea. → Films can affect people in a number of different ways. They can inspire people to achieve great things. They can also educate people about events. Films are a useful way of providing information about the world. Films can change people’s lives. Writing Tip Too many short sentences can create a bad impression, especially if there are several together. Read this extract from an essay on cinema. Orson Welles was a prodigy in the world of film. He directed Citizen Kane at the age of 26. He starred in it too. Many people think it is the greatest film ever made. That was in 1941. He made a number of other films then. Some of them are considered masterpieces as well. What’s wrong: The information is given in a series of short and simple sentences. It reads like notes and does not flow. Some of the sentences need to be joined together, using appropriate ways of linking.