Essay Verbs - Continued

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Essay Styles and Tone Categories:

Sentence Variety | Word Choice | Verbs | Transitions | Essay Clichés

When Passive Voice is Acceptable

There are generally two cases when passive voice is acceptable: 1) when there is no defined or tangible subject; 2) when the emphasis really should be on the object of the action. In these cases, the alternative is often awkward and sounds less natural.

Case 1: He is called 'the great one.'"
Awkward alternative: "The general public calls him 'the great one.'"

Case 2: "For the fifth time this year, Johnson was hit by a pitch."
Awkward alternative: "For the fifth time this year, a pitch hit Johnson."

Achieving Active Writing

Active language comes not just from avoiding passive voice but further requires the use of strong action verbs. In addition to avoiding to be verbs, you should try to replace helping verbs such as have, had, has, do, does, did and other vague verbs like got and get.

Before: "I had opportunities to develop my skills."
After: "I sought opportunities to develop my skills."

Before: "I got the promotion through hard work."
After: "I earned the promotion through hard work."

Before: "She did well in this competitive environment."
After: "She thrived in this competitive environment."

Before: "My mother didn’t want to show up without a gift."
After: "My mother hesitated to show up without a gift."

Before: "The salesman told the audience about his products."
After: "The salesman promoted his products to the audience."

The last two examples demonstrate the lack of clear distinction between strong and weak verbs. There is nothing in the dictionary that will tell you that promoted sounds stronger than told. It is largely a matter of how much meaning the word contains. Promoted has a more precise and nuanced meaning than told.

You can certainly develop a strong eye for these subtle issues, but active writing is an area where professional editing can make a substantial difference.