Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:42:18 EDT
Consider This Sentence
The following sentence occurs in Reuters on Apple News. “Rioting erupted in cities across France on Saturday as demonstrations against rising living costs and declining public services spiralled out of control in some of the worst violence the country has witnessed for decades.”
Too long.
I dislike present participles. They feel weak to me. Therefore I will ditch the gerund rioting. In the same spirit, I will ditch rising and declining.
Rioting erupted…as demonstrations…spiralled out of control is two clauses. I will reduce this to protests turned into riots.
Some of the worst violence is editorial. I will ditch it.
I will gather some specific details from other sources.
My rewrite: “On Saturday, protests against the high cost of living and cuts to public services turned into riots in several French cities. Rioters set fire to buildings, looted businesses, and vandalized government offices.”