Long sentences and short sentences from an intuitive point of view, long sentences refer to sentences with many words and complex structures; Short sentences refer to sentences with fewer words and simpler structure. But the length of a sentence is relative, and there is no clear boundary. From a professional point of view, long sentences and short sentences can be distinguished from the following three aspects.
1. More or less modifiers.
The reason why long sentences look shorter is mainly because the modifiers used are more complicated, and there are more prefix words in the three main components of subject, predicate and object, and the attributes, adverbials and complements are longer.
For example, this long sentence: On a sunny winter morning, on the street in Paris, I actually met my old monitor in primary school. I met the old monitor. From the comparison of these two sentences, it is obvious that there are many modifiers, many words and long sentences.
2. Complex or simple sentence structure.
The distinction between long and short sentences should not only look at the number of words and the length of sentences, but also analyze the structure of sentences.
For example, this long sentence: all our students have the same understanding, that is, to achieve all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique and beauty, we must study hard, unite and be friendly, and create a positive class atmosphere. Converted into a short sentence is: students' general understanding of * * *. The object after the long sentence "yes" is as long as 32 words, which is a complex sentence form and accurately and closely summarizes the students' common understanding.
The structural forms of long sentences generally include four situations: first, there are many modifiers, second, there are many joint elements, third, the structure of a certain element is complex, and fourth, there are many levels of clause structure. For example, he is a good student who is helpful, United with his classmates, diligent and ambitious.
There are many modifiers in this long sentence, and an attribute before "student" is a multi-level joint phrase. He is a good student. The structure of short sentences often has only a simple subject-predicate object, and the structure is simple, so the complexity or simplicity of the structure is the key method to distinguish long and short sentences.
3. Accurate or concise decorative effect.
Whether it is a long sentence or a short sentence, the ultimate goal is to convey an appropriate message. As far as the modification effect is concerned, long sentences are thoughtful, rigorous and meticulous, while short sentences are concise, lively and powerful.
For example, a long sentence: Mr. Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice" in China, has "four breakthroughs": super hybrid rice has a high yield per mu; High seed setting rate of rice; High 1000-grain weight of rice; Two new aromatic rice varieties suitable for planting in South China were screened out. This long sentence accurately describes Yuan Longping's identity and status, and describes his four major breakthroughs in detail. On the contrary, the short sentence is: Yuan Longping has made a breakthrough. The different rhetorical effects of long sentences and short sentences are obvious at a glance. Long sentences are more precise and short sentences are more concise.