Awkward Sentences

Background

Sentences normally consist of smaller units of meaning--phrases or clauses. When the writer combines these units in a confusing manner, the reader may not get the point, even if each part is clear when read separately. Example: The following two clauses are clear when read separately:
I read in a magazine ...
Scientists believe they have discovered a new subatomic particle.

When we combine these two clauses with the wrong word, however, we create a slightly confusing sentence:
I read in a magazine where scientists believe they have discovered a new subatomic particle.

The word "where" normally refers to a "place where"; in this sentence, however, the location of the magazine is not important. A more accurate way to combine the clauses is to use the work "that":
I read in a magazine that scientists believe they have discovered a new subatomic particle.

A sentence that combines two or more segments in a confusing or inaccurate manner is normally called an awkward sentence. (Some grammars use the term "sentence unity" to describe what these sentences should (but don't) have.

Because there are thousands of ways to combine phrases and clauses, there can be no single rule to help writers avoid awkward sentences.

And because while composing the essay, the writer is normally focusing on the content of the sentence, not its structure, he or she may not notice a lack of sentence unity. During the proofreading stage, the writer may still not catch the problem, because instead of reading the sentence the way it is actually written, the writer may instead "hear" the thought as separate components, each of which is clear.