• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Adunate Word & Design

Adunate Word & Design

Uniting words & design for all your communication needs

  • ABOUT
  • SERVICES
    • COPY & FEATURE WRITING
    • BRANDING & DESIGN
    • ONLINE MARKETING
  • PORTFOLIO
  • FIELD FRESH MARKETING
  • FIELD SKETCHES
    • BLOG
    • MEDIA & SPEAKING
  • CONTACT
  • Show Search
Hide Search

To Be or Not To Be: No Passive Voice!

adunate · June 27, 2008 · Leave a Comment

shakespeareThis may be a noble question for Shakespeare but not for newsletters!

The passive voice, often written with a “to be” verb, is great for business, science and other mundane prose. For the quick and informative newsletter, however, it is flat and confusing.

What makes a sentence passive rather than active?

Grammatically speaking, passive voice eliminates the subject and emphasizes the receiver. For example: “The book will be read to the children.”

How boring! How confusing! Who is doing the reading?

Let’s give this sentence some interest and emotion. Let’s give it a subject! Let’s write: “The father will read the book to his children.”

Technically, the passive voice is not incorrect or without purpose—we just use it far too often. Check your newsletter articles. Vary your sentence structure and keep the passive voice to a minimum.

Leave the “to be’s” for Shakespeare!

This posting is taken from the Reaching Readability newsletter by Adunate Word & Design (who, by the way, is me!)


Related

Communicating Christ

Reader Interactions

Love to hear from you! Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

CONNECT!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

CHECK OUT THE ARCHIVES

Categories

SUSCRIBE FOR UPDATES

What’s Instagramming

adunate

ah-du-NAH-tay [Latin: to unite] Uniting graphic design, copywriting & blessings of life. Sustainable ag, art, faith, food, nature & travel.

Dawn of a new day. . #happyinaugurationday #dawnof Dawn of a new day.
.
#happyinaugurationday #dawnofanewday
Load More...

What’s Tweetin’

My Tweets

Footer

CONNECT

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

MY GUIDE

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life (Psalm 143:8).

 

GOOD FIT FOR YOUR PROJECT?

LET’S TALK!

Copyright © 2021 · Adunate Word & Design LLC · 920-261-5519 · Watertown, Wisconsin · Privacy Policy

  • ABOUT
  • SERVICES
  • PORTFOLIO
  • FIELD FRESH MARKETING
  • FIELD SKETCHES
  • CONTACT