---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [The] defining characteristics of good…"
description: "\"“[The] defining characteristics of good prose [are]: a preference for short sentences diversified by an occasionally very long one; a tone that is rela..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/f-w-bateson-237073_language_the-defining-characteristics-of-good-pro_2171085.jpg"
---

#  \[The\] defining characteristics of good prose \[are\]: a…

![“[The] defining characteristics of good prose [are]: a preference for short sentences diversified by an occasionally very long one; a tone that is relaxed and almost colloquial; a large vocabulary that enjoys exploiting the different etymological and social levels of words; and an insistence on…” quote by F.W. Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/f-w-bateson-237073_language_the-defining-characteristics-of-good-pro_2171085.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/f-w-bateson-237073_language_the-defining-characteristics-of-good-pro_2171085.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/f-w-bateson-237073_language_the-defining-characteristics-of-good-pro_2171085.jpg)

> ““\[The\] defining characteristics of good prose \[are\]: a preference for short sentences diversified by an occasionally very long one; a tone that is relaxed and almost colloquial; a large vocabulary that enjoys exploiting the different etymological and social levels of words; and an insistence on verbal and logical precision.””

[F.W. Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-w-bateson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Good prose uses varied sentence length, relaxed tone, rich vocabulary, and precise logic.

**In simple terms:** Good prose = varied, relaxed, precise, rich.

Key Takeaway

Apply these writing principles.

Themes

writing prose style clarity precision lexicon tone

Mood

educational analytical

Type

instructional literary

When to use this quote

- essay writing
- creative writing
- editing
- academic papers

Key Concepts

linguistics rhetoric educational theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does sentence variety affect readability?
- When to prioritize precision?

A Different Perspective

May be ideal for formal contexts only.

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[Characteristics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/) [Characteristics Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics-good-2536007/) [Defining Characteristics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining-characteristics-1367335/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Prose Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-preference-4649524/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

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