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Left-Branching Overload
Flags sentences where too many words appear before the main subject and verb, exhausting the reader's working memory.
What It Does
Counts the number of words (introductory clauses, participial phrases, prepositional chains) that precede the sentence's main subject and verb. Flags sentences with 15+ words of preamble before the reader learns who is doing what.
Why It Matters
Readers hold the opening of a sentence in working memory while waiting for the main clause. Long left-branching structures force them to juggle too much information before they reach the core action — leading to confusion, re-reading, and disengagement.
What Gets Flagged
| Severity | Example | Why | Suggested Revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | "After walking through the long winding corridor that led to the ancient throne room past the guards who stood at attention, she sat." | 15+ words before "she sat" | "She sat in the throne room, having passed the guards along the corridor." |
Configuration
No configuration options. Skips sentences shorter than 10 words.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Sentence-level
- Method: POS-based subject/verb identification; counts tokens before first noun+verb pair