Short sentences! 1. Over a thousand small companies went to the wall during the Great Depression. 2. It's not every day that making an investment in real estate goes great guns. 3. He has a bad habit of pouring money down the drain, so his wife is always telling him to tighten the belt in preparation for retirement. 4. We should test the waters before starting this big project on a full scale. Just two my cents. More common this way. Or you can merge the sentences as follow : Just my two cents but we should the waters... 5. We are under no illusions that the plan will come to nothing.