Writing Knowledge: Basics to Advance

Language: part three (passive voice)

When to use it and when to avoid it. That’s our little motto for this part.

I’ve been doing a lot of critiquing and editing lately, and since then I’ve been looking for a new object to post, first I thought of just skipping it and moving on to editing, since its taking up a lot of my time and life… booo, no yaaay, learn! The best way to learn is to edit, edit, edit, read, read, edit some more and then when you’re done, guess again, edit again, okay now I’m losing you. Passive voice.

Right, if you’re little lacking in language brain cells and you don’t know what passive voice is, then here’s a little explanation.

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known; however, who or what is performing the action. Example: "A letter was written."

I stumbled on this little fact, that you shouldn’t use it often(why didn’t I realise this earlier is beyond me, I feel so small! *pouts*), there are certain situations you may use it in and other, just omit the dam thing! You know what I’m going to do after this? I’m going to karate kick the shit out of the passive words littering my works (excuse my language) now you’re wondering why I’m reacting this way, right?

Here’s why:

Stephen King: ‘You should avoid the passive voice’

Here’s a little more he had to say, I found it the shortest, easiest explanation and helpful piece i read though.

I think unsure writers also feel the passive voice somehow lends their work authority, perhaps even a quality of majesty. If you find instruction manuals and lawyers' torts majestic, I guess it does.

The timid fellow writes The meeting will be held at seven o'clock because that somehow says to him, "Put it this way and people will believe you really know." Purge this quisling thought! Don't be a muggle! Throw back your shoulders, stick out your chin, and put that meeting in charge!

Write The meeting's at seven. There, by God! Don't you feel better?

I won't say there's no place for the passive tense. Suppose, for instance, a fellow dies in the kitchen but ends up somewhere else. The body was carried from the kitchen and placed on the parlor sofa is a fair way to put this, although "was carried" and "was placed" still irk the shit out of me. I accept them, but I don't embrace them. What I would embrace is Freddy and Myra carried the body out of the kitchen and laid it on the parlor sofa. Why does the body have to be the subject of the sentence anyway? It's dead, for Christ's sake! Fuhgeddaboudit!

Two pages of passive voice--just about any business document ever written, in other words, not to mention reams of bad fiction--make me want to scream. It's weak, it's circuitous, and it's frequently tortuous, as well. How about this: My first kiss will be recalled by me as how my romance with Shayna was begun. Oh, man--who farted, right? A simpler way to express this idea--sweeter and more forceful, as well--might be this: My romance with Shayna began with our first kiss. I'll never forget it. I'm not in love with this because it uses with twice in four words, but at least we're out of that awful passive voice.

You might also notice how much simpler the thought is to understand when it's broken up into two thoughts. This makes matter easier for the reader, and the reader must always be your main concern.

I think what he said made perfect sense for my simple mind, don’t you? Now go check for that little buggers, flush them out, and if you’re still uncertain, go to Google, look though their crazy amounts of advice…

Last bit of advice, (and urgh I hate saying this applies to me as well) don’t be a lazy ass writer!!! Come on people, but your brain to use, if the passive words is stuck in that sentence, rearrange it, omit it, do something rephrase it!!! Just don’t allow it (hey that rhymes)

Okay got one last tip lol

Look for a form of “to be” (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past participle. (The past participle is a form of the verb that typically, but not always, ends in “-ed.” Some exceptions to the “-ed” rule are words like “paid” (not “payed”) and “driven.” (not “drived”). Here’s a sure-fire formula for identifying the passive voice:

form of “to be” + past participle = passive voice