Manage the load, not a counter
Embedding supports precise writing, but a reader finds it harder to retain an unfinished main idea while another unfolds inside it. Begin editing by identifying the main message and the details delaying its completion.
A guideline of two or three levels is not a universal permission or prohibition: a short embedding may be clear, while a single long one may be awkward. Needing to reread signals that the text should be checked for this audience, not that it is ungrammatical.
The recommendation that our external assessor submitted remains under consideration.
The recommendation that our external assessor submitted remains under consideration.
A complete single embedding can remain if it does not prevent the reader from locating the main idea.
Bring the main action forward
If a long modifier separates subject and predicate, check whether the described object can move after the main verb. Sometimes an active construction helps; sometimes another natural presentation of the same action does.
Rightward expansion is an editing tool, not a requirement to begin with a new actor every time. Preserve roles and check whether the new opening fits the paragraph’s topic.
The instrument that the conservators developed detects surface damage.
The instrument that the conservators developed detects surface damage.
The modifier delays detects; the sentence is grammatical.
Surface damage can be detected with the instrument that the conservators developed.
Surface damage can be detected with the instrument that the conservators developed.
The main relationship appears earlier and the instrument’s origin expands to the right; the focus is now on damage.
Unpack the embedding, preserve the claim
Move a background clause into a separate complete sentence if it needs its own explanation. After splitting, do not leave a relative-pronoun fragment without a main clause.
Check actors, negation, causation and degree of certainty separately. A report of someone else’s opinion must not silently become the author’s established fact. Do not add a cause where there was only a temporal or descriptive relationship.
The association commissioned an appraisal. Its authors caution that the collection may be overvalued.
The association commissioned an appraisal. Its authors caution that the collection may be overvalued.
The separate sentence retains the caution and modality; splitting does not remove responsibility for accuracy.
Punctuation marks boundaries, not every solution
Short additional information can be set off with commas, paired dashes or parentheses. Parentheses often give a quieter aside, while dashes highlight a remark. If the sentence continues after the insertion, both boundaries must be visible.
Mentally remove the insertion and check the main framework. Adding punctuation does not reduce the number of embedded clauses; a very long insertion may benefit more from splitting the sentence.
The coastal archive (which reopened in February) now accepts visiting researchers.
The coastal archive (which reopened in February) now accepts visiting researchers.
Parentheses set off the background information; the predicate accepts remains outside them.
Our latest simulation — an exploratory exercise — raises further questions.
Our latest simulation — an exploratory exercise — raises further questions.
A short noun-phrase aside does not need another subordinate clause.
Do not turn a selection condition into an aside
A modifier can determine which objects a claim covers. Do not automatically put it in parentheses or commas just to ease reading: that may change its scope.
For a complex selection criterion, restructure the whole message while explicitly preserving the restriction. A grammatical sentence with a different meaning is not an equivalent edit.
Only specimens that show signs of contamination require isolation.
Only specimens that show signs of contamination require isolation.
The modifier defines a subset, so it is not optional background information here.
Reconnect the text after splitting
Several short sentences can also be unclear. Check every it, they and this: once two referents are possible, repeating a name is often more precise than a pronoun. Naming the action or result helps carry the preceding idea forward.
On the final pass, compare the meaning with the initial facts, read without the insertions and assess the text as a whole paragraph. The aim is manageable complexity, not the maximum possible number of short sentences.
The foundation asked the gallery for an inventory. The gallery supplied a provisional list.
The foundation asked the gallery for an inventory. The gallery supplied a provisional list.
Repeating gallery identifies the actor in the second action unambiguously.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:The register (which contains confidential entries requires restricted access.
Correct:The register (which contains confidential entries) requires restricted access.
An unclosed parenthesis hides the return to the main predicate; the insertion needs paired boundaries.
Incorrect:The specification — despite the minor revisions — remain binding.
Correct:The specification — despite the minor revisions — remains binding.
After the insertion, the predicate agrees with specification, not revisions.
Incorrect:The curator obtained a certificate. Which confirmed the object’s provenance.
Correct:The curator obtained a certificate. The certificate confirmed the object’s provenance.
The full stop leaves a relative-clause fragment. Repeating the subject restores a separate sentence.