Letter: Passing sentence

Sir: Stephen Ward's report on the Major proposals for Ireland ("Major takes rhubarb rap for Ulster gobbledegook", 4 December) describes them as gobbledegook because the average sentence length is 35 words. He tells us that for moderately complex subjects, the average sentence length should be less than 20 words. A swift calculation shows that his own score, disregarding quotes, is 28 words. Is this, therefore, minor gobbledegook, as distinct from Major?

Yours sincerely, at 15 words a sentence,

Stephen T. G. Butterworth

Staplehurst, Kent