Don't use the Passive Voice
Definition = when the subject receives the action. The passive voice is usually expressed in two ways: 1) the subject is not mentioned, or 2) the subject and object are reversed.
Examples:
1) The life jacket was thrown into the water.
The subject is not mentioned. We don't know who threw the life jacket.
2) The life jacket was thrown into the water by the captain.
The captain is the subject—the person who threw the life jacket—but the order of the sentence has been reversed to put the object (the life jacket) before the subject.
Why we should avoid the passive voice
- Active verbs are stronger and descriptive, which makes the writing more vivid.
- The helping verb diverts some of the attention away from the main verb, which minimizes the action.
How to Fix the Passive Voice
Add the subject and make the verb active.
The captain threw the life jacket into the water.
Another Way Writing Becomes Passive:
When a form of "to be" links the subject with a description in the predicate (the part of the sentence after the verb).
Example: The kingdoms were at war.
"At war" tells us something about the kingdoms.
Correction = Use a strong, active verb to describe the action
The kingdoms warred with each other.
The kingdoms engaged in war.
Watch for passive voice in your writing and weed it out. Using active verbs will make your writing more vivid and descriptive.
TOP 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING - PART 2
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Suzanne Hartmann - 2012
AUTHOR OF PERIL: Fast Track Thriller #1
1 comments:
Hey, I like this! I know we're always told not to use the passive but sometimes it's hard to find a simple fix for it. Thanks for sharing.
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