Avoid passive voice
How often have you heard the advice (or command): “Write in active voice, not passive!”
Probably about as often as you hear “Never use an adverb!”
Like with most topics in this 10-part series on making every word count, these aren’t “always do this, never do that” rules. They are advice, tips, and techniques to make your writing tighter, smoother, and more engaging to readers.
There are situations where passive voice is absolutely called for. We’ll get into that in a bit.
If you’re writing fiction or creative nonfiction, the vast majority of the time (never say always), keep your writing in active voice.
First, a teeny-tiny grammar lesson (boring, I know), a definition, and then a couple of quick examples so we’re all on the same page when we discuss active vs. passive sentence construction.
Grammar Dude
Let’s take a simple, straightforward sentence in active voice, and names its parts… ya know, just for fun.
Suzie kicked the ball.
Told you it would be simple. Let’s break do…
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