4 ms·
Dropping passive voice helps most writing, but > "content will be synced" -> "content is synced" FYI that's still passive voice.
by cscheid 2y ago
Dropping passive voice helps most writing, but
> "content will be synced" -> "content is synced"
FYI that's still passive voice.
- j_bum 2y agoTo quickly determine passive vs. active voice, you can add the phrase, “by zombies” to the end of the sentence. If it’s clear the zombies are doing the action (subject), then the content is passive voice. Otherwise, if the zombies are an adverbial phrase, the sentence is in active voice. Passive voice: “Content is synced by zombies” Active voice: “NotesHub syncs the content by zombies”
- rangerelf 2y ago"Thanks" for making me spit my coffee, that's hilarious but awesome; I will be using it in the future. :-D
- j_bum 2y agoGlad you liked it :) When I started grad school and was learning how to write effectively, I struggled with passive/active voice differentiation… until I learned the zombies tip. It’s so absurd that you can’t forget it, and it’s simple enough to differentiate the two in a split second!
- grvdrm 2y agoAmazing. Active vs passive confuses so many folks. Great three part series on that topic and others: https://jasonzweig.com/on-writing-better-part-1/ https://jasonzweig.com/on-writing-better-part-1/