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Check for Action

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader- not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon” -E.L. Doctorow. Check for Action. Active Vs. Passive Voice. Passive voice tells what is done to the subject

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Check for Action

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  1. “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader- not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon”-E.L. Doctorow Check for Action

  2. Active Vs. Passive Voice • Passive voice tells what is done to the subject • Too much use of passive voice makes writing dull and wordy. • You want ACTIVE writing!! Use ACTION verbs!

  3. Passive Voice • indicates what is receiving the action rather than explaining who is doing the action • two indicators • "to be" verbs—is, are, was, were • "by ________” Examples: • Mistakes were made. • The cats were brushed by Laura.

  4. How might you improve the following sentence? The decision that was reached by the committee was to postpone the vote. Better: The committee reached the decision to postpone the vote. Best: The committee decided to postpone the vote.

  5. How might you correct the following sentence? The disk drive of the computer was damaged by the electrical surge. Better: The electrical surge damaged the disk drive of the computer. Best: The electrical surge damaged the computer's disk drive.

  6. Use Caution with “There” or “It” • For a lean, direct style of writing, rewrite sentences that begin with “there” or “it” • This type of construction most often leads to passive voice.

  7. How might you improve the following sentence? • There was a discussion of the tax increase by the politicians. • The politicians discussed the tax increase.

  8. How might you improve the following sentence? • It is a fact that Arnold is proudly displaying a new tattoo. • Good: Arnold is proudly displaying a new tattoo. • Better: To display his new tattoo, Arnold proudly wore a cut-off shirt.

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