Using Strong Verbs and Nouns

Choosing the best word can make your writing clearer, stronger, more effective, and more interesting.  A more specific word can convey more information.  Often adjectives and adverbs are a clumsy replacement for a well-chosen noun or verb.  Some words are so bland and vague that they tell the reader almost nothing.  Such words should almost always be replaced.

Being Specific

A specific word tells us more than a generic word.  A dog could be a collie, a terrier, or a mutt.  If a woman walks, does she stroll, wander, or march?  The image that we get when we read about a grandmother marching along with her collie is so much more vivid than when we read about a woman walking along with her dog.

Creating Impact

The right words can make your writing vivid and memorable.  Consider the following examples:

• Bland - The house was on fire.
• Vivid - Flames erupted from the windows.

• Bland - Goliath was taller than David.
• Vivid - The giant towered over David.

The vivid examples are more effective because they are specific, they are dramatic, and they create an image in the reader's mind.
Removing Adjectives and Adverbs
If you can replace an adverb and a verb with a better verb by itself, you probably should.  It will usually improve your writing.  "The man ran quickly" should be "the man sprinted" or "the man dashed."  "She said loudly" might be "she shouted" or "she called."

Take the same approach with adjectives, replacing them when you can.  A terrible, oppressive leader is a tyrant.  A strong, fit person is an athlete.  A mean, intimidating person is a bully.

Vague Words

Watch out for words that say almost nothing.  Consider the verb "to go."  Almost any other verb will tell the reader more about what happened.  "I went to the store" is vague.  "I drove to the store" or "I walked to the store" is better.  "Vehicle" could refer to a car, truck, or bus.  

If you must use adjectives or adverbs, use good ones.  Words like "good" and "bad," "wonderful" and "terrible," are so vague that they are almost meaningless.  Dig deeper and find a better description.

Stronger Writing with the Active Voice

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs an action.  The active voice is usually direct, simple, and straightforward.  In the passive voice, the action is performed by the subject.  The sentence becomes less direct and less simple.

• Active:     We ate the pizza.
• Passive:    The pizza was eaten by us.

• Active:    The dog is chasing the cat.
• Passive:    The cat is being chased by the dog.

The active voice is usually a better choice.  Sentences in the active voice tend to be stronger and more to the point.  "We won a million dollars" sounds much better than "a million dollars was won by us."

Sometimes the active voice is the only choice.  Either the verb makes no sense in the passive voice, or the sentence becomes awkward and clumsy.

• Active:    I was sleeping.
• Passive:    Sleeping was done by me.

• Active:    Joe is reading.
• Passive:    Reading is being done by Joe.

Identifying the Passive Voice

A sentence in the passive voice will almost always use some form of the verb "to be."  However, not every sentence using "to be" is passive.  "I am walking" is in the active voice, even though it contains "am," which is a form of "to be."

If a sentence does not contain any form of "to be," the sentence is almost certainly in the active voice.

When to Use the Passive Voice

There are a few situations when you will want to use the passive voice.  For example, use the passive voice when you don't know who performed an action:

• My car was dented.
• Gold was discovered in California.

Use the passive voice when you want to emphasize the action or the object, but you don't care who did it:

• The baby was delivered yesterday afternoon.
• A law was passed banning pesticide use.

Use the passive voice when you want to shift the focus away from the actor and focus on the action or the object:

• Alternating-current power systems were invented by Nikola Tesla.
• The thief was arrested on Monday by local police.

Use the passive voice if you don't want to say who performed an action:

• Mistakes were made.
• Lies were told.