The Secret to Writing Clear Sentences
Lesson from "How to Fail At Almost Everything and Still Win Big" by Scott Adams
In the realm of effective writing, sentence clarity plays a pivotal role. It serves as the key that unlocks understanding, engages readers, and enables us to convey our ideas with precision. The secret to writing clear sentences is using active voice.
What is Active Voice?
Active voice is a sentence construction where the subject performs the action, conveying a sense of directness and immediacy. This structure involves a straightforward order of subject, verb, and object.
Active Voice: The subject acts within the sentence
“John wrote the book.”
Passive Voice: The subject is acted upon within the sentence
“The book was written by John.”
Why is Active Voice Effective?
By using active voice, we place emphasis on the doer of the action, resulting in more concise, engaging, and easily comprehensible sentences.
a. Clarity and Conciseness:
Active voice simplifies sentence structure, making it easier for readers to understand the intended meaning. It eliminates ambiguity and streamlines the flow of information.
b. Directness and Engagement:
By clearly identifying the subject performing the action, a sentence engages readers and holds their attention more effectively.
c. Vibrant and Dynamic Writing:
Active voice injects energy into our sentences, making them more lively and engaging. It creates a sense of movement and action, enhancing the overall impact of our writing.
Brains are wired to better understand concepts that are presented in a certain order.
For example, your brain processes “The boy hit the ball” more easily than “The ball was hit by the boy.”
In editor’s jargon, the first sentence is (active) voice and the second is passive.
It’s a tiny difference, but over the course of an entire document, passive writing adds up and causes reader fatigue.
- Scott Adams (from How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big)
More Examples:
To deepen our understanding and sharpen our skills in recognizing active and passive voice, let's explore additional examples:
Example 1
Passive: "A beautiful symphony was composed by her."
Active: "She composed a beautiful symphony."
Example 2
Passive: "A new product was launched by the company."
Active: "The company launched a new product."
Example 3
Passive: "Innovative solutions were developed by the team."
Active: "The team developed innovative solutions."
By examining these examples, we observe that active voice provides a more direct and engaging approach, while passive voice often appears more distant or detached.
Practice incorporating active voice into your writing, and witness the transformation in clarity and impact. Let your words connect, engage, and inspire.
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