Dealing with the Passive Voice?

Dealing with the Passive Voice?

No passive verbs belong in your writing. They place the action in the wrong direction and slow the reader’s progress. ARGH! Linking verbs don't belong there either. They are stationary and don't move your writing along. The Perfect Tense is Passive Voice. The problem with it in real life is that we throw in a form of the verb "to be" and then we hit the Passive Voice Wall head-on. However, if you would rather not learn everything in this paragraph, just use the Poor Verb Detector and change any and all that pop up in your writing. Believe me, your writing will glow.

I don’t know about you, but I'm sick of having my peers point out the fact I am using all the wrong verbs. I needed to stop this Evil Practice. Does this sound like your problem too? Then, I will share with you my “My Secret Poor Verb Detector” for ridding the chaff from your writing and turning it into golden wheat.

EXCEPTION: Always keep in mind, however, that in dialogue, passive use is permitted. We do not speak perfectly; therefore, conversations we realistically choose to report may contain the passive voice.

Let's Stomp This Evil Habit Today.

Don’t even need to pay attention to these miscreants while you write. Wait until you complete your first draft and then go to work!

Use a program like Word or some other program with an Edit>Find option at the top of your page. I always create my pieces in Word first because it is easier to read. Then, I cut and paste my piece into WDC program. Ready? Let's catch some ED! (Evil Doers)

1. Place cursor in front of the first word in your document.
2. Go to EDIT. It is located to the right of FILE at the top of the page.
3. Hit the FIND choice. A box will pop up and ask what you want to find. Type in is and then check the box that says whole word instances only.
4. Hit Find Next.
5. Your computer will take you to the first instance found of is in your writing.
6. Hit cancel. Your use of the word will appear bolded or highlighted.
7. Re-write the sentence to omit the offending word or words. Think of this part of the process as a jigsaw puzzle. How can you restate your words without using is or any of the other offending words on the The Poison Passive List Below?
8. Return to step 2 and repeat. The is will stay in the box until you change it. You want to go through the complete document just looking for one word at a time before moving on the next poison passive word on the list.

POISON PASSIVE VERB LIST

IS AM ARE WAS WERE HAVE HAS HAD HAVING BE BEEN BEING

Bad Words Gone Right

Fixing and rewriting is the hardest part of this process, but once you get the hang of it, you'll fly high! Keep in mind you want to focus on using the present, past, or future tenses and concrete verbs. What's a concrete verb? It's not run, sang, or walked. It's more like jogged, yodeled, and sauntered.

Example Changes from Passive Verbs to Active Verbs

You will struggle in fixing the problems at first. However, it will become easier as you practice. Just remember, you need and want to solve this as you might a jigsaw puzzle. After you have fixed 15,000 of your verbs, you'll start catching your errors before you use them. If not, just use the process every time. It doesn't take that long.

PV: I had been a teacher for over thirty-eight years.
AV: I taught school for thirty-eight years.
Note that when using the passive voice, many times you just need to turn the sentence in reverse order.

PV: Having been running all the way home, I was exhausted.
AV: I sprinted home and dropped to the porch in an exhausted heap.
Note that sprinted takes care of all the words: Having run all the way.