Be Positively Active!

This month I want to focus on one aspect of writing that really does make a difference. It can be somewhat difficult to explain, however, it’s worth the attempt.

I speak of active versus passive verbs. What’s the difference? Okay, each sentence has at a subject and a verb. Sometimes you can simply have a verb, though the subject is implied. For example, if I shout, “Jump”, you’ll hear the sentence as “You jump!” with ‘you’ being the subject and ‘jump’ being the verb.

In an active sentence, the subject does the action eg: I write the newsletter.
Subject = I Active Verb = write

In a passive sentence, the subject has the action performed on it eg: The newsletter is written by me.
Subject = the newsletter Passive verb = is written

Can you hear how “I write the newsletter” sounds different to “The newsletter is written by me”? Does it seem lighter? More dynamic? More direct? Easier to understand? It should be, because it is active. This is what you need to aim for in your writing.

Now if that all sounds a bit Greek, fret not. You don’t necessarily need to understand the theory to use the concept.

Let’s see some examples:
Passive: The form must be filled in by you if you are to receive a refund.
Active: Fill in the form to receive a refund.

Passive: To aid in your recovery, you will be given physical exercises to be completed by you each daily.
Active: To aid your recovery, complete your physical exercises each day.

Passive: Our products are developed with our customer’s needs in mind.
Active: Customer needs drive product development.

A word of caution: Write your first draft in your usual style. Yes, even if that means it has an oversupply of passive verbs. Why? Because writing is a process and by trying to edit as you write your first draft you’re actually stemming the flow of your thoughts. So write freely and then edit.

As you edit ask yourself these questions:
• Is that sentence as clear as it can be?
• It is obvious who does each action?
• Does the sentence sound light and dynamic?
• Is the message direct?

If you answer ‘no’ to any of these questions, at least consider revising the sentence. Passive sentences do have a place. So read the paragraph as a whole before you make your final choice.

If all this seems tedious and unnatural, fret not. The more you write using active verbs, the easier and more natural it will become. And most importantly, your messages will be clearer and more enjoyable to read.

The Plum

You should learn that you cannot be loved by all people:
You can be the finest PLUM in the world,
Ripe – Juicy – Succulent
And offer yourself to all,
But you must remember there will be people who do not like plums.

Yo must understand that if you are the world’s finest plum
And someone you like does not like plums
You have a choice of becoming a banana,
But you must be warned that if you choose to become a banana,
You will be a second-rate banana,
But you can always be the best plum

You must realise that if you choose to be a second-rate banana,
You must remember that there will be people who do not like bananas,
Furthermore you can spend your life trying to become the best banana (which is impossible if you are a plum)
Or: you can seek again to be the Best Plum.

Saying to Soar By

When people believe in boundaries, they become part of them.

Don Cherry

Email: mandy@talkingturkey.com.au
Web: www.talkingturkey.com.au

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