Stacked phrases: breaking up chains of “of the”
Small connecting phrases such as “of the” and “that the” are invisible one at a time. Stacked together, they bury the point. This guide shows how to spot and break up the chains.
Why it matters
Chains like "the review of the history of the department" make readers track several layers before reaching the point.
What you can do
Break up "of the" chains
Use a possessive, a compound or a verb instead of stacking "of" phrases.
Ask yourself: Can the reader follow each "of the" back to what it belongs to?
Show an example
Beforethe review of the history of the department
Afterthe review of the department's history
Replace "is a" definitions with action
Say what the subject does instead of what category it belongs to.
Ask yourself: Where you say what something is, could you say what it does?
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BeforeThe new policy is a way of reducing costs.
AfterThe new policy reduces costs.
Cut "the fact that" and "that the" where possible
Many "that the" clauses can become a shorter phrase.
Ask yourself: Does each "that the" carry meaning, or could the sentence stand without it?
Show an example
BeforeIt is clear that the change was popular.
AfterThe change was clearly popular.
When to leave it as it is
The phrase is a fixed name or title, or rewording would change the meaning.
See it in a real text
Prosemetry raises this in paragraph 6 of First Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln. Open the sample at that paragraph to see the note as a writer would, read-only.
See it in your own draft
Prosemetry reads your Word document and marks the passages where this happens, so you know where to look. It doesn’t rewrite anything; the revising stays yours. Free to try, no account needed.
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