How can you make your writing more engaging with active voice and strong verbs?

We should avoid using passive voice but it does not mean active voice is always a better choice in writing. In some cases, we should use passive voice instead of an active one. For example: "I was injured in a car accident" would be much more convincing than "A car accident injured me" which seems awkward. Therefore, we should make clear common situations that we would rather use passive voice than active voice.

Short sentences. Short sentences. Short sentences. A big game changer to avoid passive voice. Read it out loud. Multiple times. Until it is short, beautiful and in active voice. It will sound 'right'.

Avoiding passive voice can be difficult when you're working in news. If the cause or perpetrator of an incident is unknown, it's hard to work around that when crafting a headline! However, when we examine this usage of passive language in crisis news—particularly in crimes against marginalized communities—it very subtly reinforces a culture of victim blaming. Once you start to notice it, you suddenly see it everywhere. Language is a nuanced, complex thing, but it has profound social impact and influence. Reframing the way we communicate can be a powerful tool for social change, and perhaps even harm reduction. Now the question is, how can journalists navigate this while avoiding misplaced blame, false accusations, or other legal issues?

I find it easier to shed the focus on “passive” vs “active” voice and focus instead on being clear, concise, and impactful. If you head into each section or piece with that in mind, you’ll get a well-balanced draft that’s more interesting to read.

In medical research, when a experiment is already done it is difficult to use active voice in methodology and result. For example, 3D printer was utilized to fabricate ceramic crown. In this example the action is already done. Hence, sometime it becomes difficult for a writer to express writing in active voice.

Strong verbs are great to use in your writing. But remember to use them with consideration of the following: ??Different industries means different strong verbs/words. There are words more appropriate to use if you're writing for the teaching industry vs. technology. ?? Different brands will also have different brand voices. This means that what strong verbs another brand uses; the other may not communicate with their audience in the same way. ?? Don't overdo it. Too much of anything is not good. It will sound unnatural to your audience.

The exact usage of certain verbs should also be taken into consideration when crafting content. For example, to showcase exhaustion one might say "she heaved a sigh with tiredness" but it might be better to say "she sighed wearily". While they are both in active voices, the latter is sharper and more succinct in conveying the emotion. Similarly, "he hid behind shyness" may be better phrased as "he shied away". It is important to remember however, that brevity is not always the best virtue. You might prefer to say "she took a leap into the unknown world" over saying "she leaped into the unknown world" since the former is reminiscent of taking a "leap of faith". Thus, even within the active voice there is a balance to be struck.

I would appreciate this content if I could see a list of the most common verbs with suggested strong verbs for writers to take as reference. This will make this section much more valuable!

Here are two tips for writing in a more engaging tone and using active tenses. Tip 1: Prioritize Action Verbs One key to making your writing more engaging is to prioritize action verbs. Replace passive verbs with active ones that convey a sense of movement and energy. For example, instead of saying 'The decision was made by the team,' you could say 'The team made the decision.' . Tip 2: Keep Sentences Concise and Direct Avoid unnecessary wordiness or complex sentence structures. For instance, 'The report was reviewed and analyzed by the experts, and a conclusion was arrived at by them' can be simplified to 'The experts reviewed and analyzed the report, reaching a conclusion.'

"Weak" verbs gain strength through the active voice. "I was writing the memo for you" is weak if you're already done - "I wrote the memo" is authoritative and tells the reader you finished. No need for "authored", "composed", or "penned", which sound awkward. The strength of a verb depends on context.

Using active voice and strong verbs enhances the clarity, engagement and impact of your writing as they help you communicate your message more effectively irrespective of the purposes you are writing for!

Orwell wrote “never use the passive where you can use the active.” His concern was to reclaim language “as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought.” He describes political communication as the defence of the indefensible, which one can only do by using the passive. In my own experience working in politics, using the passive has a corrosive effect. When politicians introduce a degree of separation between subject and action, this begets distrust and apathy. Using the active and using strong verbs requires taking responsibility for our thoughts, our words and our actions. Using the active is, in effect, an act of civic duty. By meaning what we say and saying what we mean, we take a stand against tyranny.

Getting attention is difficult nowadays. So, use active voice and strong verbs to write concise content. Aim to connect each paragraph to the next one.

I wish I could see some real successful or famous writers as examples for using strong verbs and active voices. Or if I can see statistics or scientific results proving the effectiveness of active voice and strong verbs in writing, I think it will be much more convincing.

In creative writing, using active voice and strong verbs strengthens your descriptions by bringing the scene to life. Instead of 'It was windy,' 'The wind whistled through the trees.' Or, instead of 'There were many stars in the sky,' 'The stars glimmered in the night sky.' This way, readers are immersed in the scene instead of just reading a description.

The easiest way to use active voice and strong verbs is to think of which word is adding value in a writeup and which isn't For example "I am going to tell you how to write an high quality article quickly in less than 2 hours" You can see here the adverb "quickly" is redundant and does not add any value A better sentence would be "Here's a step-by-step playbook on how publish a high quality article in under 2 hours"

An easy way to switch your writing to active voice is to think of your reader, and address your writing to them. For example "Visitors to Japan can make use of the JR Pass to explore easily" could be changed to "You can easily explore Japan by using the JR Pass". If you use Wordpress, you can add the plugin Yoast and it will highlight any passive sentences for you. Active voice is not always appropriate, however. Some clients may want a more business-like approach, which usually means not addressing the reader directly, and avoiding active stories. Make sure to keep the style in mind.

This section should be eliminated because we had examples and explanation in each section of active voice and strong verbs above. So this part is for nothing except making the article unlogical.

I agree with Mai Nguyen, this section shows the weakness of using AI-driven content in both its redundancy and the overall low quality of the examples provided.

Imagine you’re sitting down to have a coffee with your reader, they’re a friend you want to share something with. Once you start talking, your words flow easily and you don’t have to worry about using perfect grammar or sentence structure. This, in my experience is a great approach to take when writing, to communicate your message in a clear, concise and engaging manner. This way your reader will be able to understand and visualize what you’re writing about more easily. The use of active voice and strong verbs is the best way to write in a conversational style. Active voice simply means the subject of the sentence is performing the action while strong verbs are specific and descriptive.

For most of the writing you read, the aspects, bits, and pieces that grab you and hold you tightest are added later in editing. Never underestimate how much better the pieces you produce can get -- exponentially so -- in editing. It's one thing to free flow and right the first version. That lays the foundation down for your message. The bite is added later as you re-read and check the ebb and flow of your story by reviewing the urgency in your words and the tone of the message to your audience.

In the scale of this article, I would love to see misuse or misunderstanding of active voices/passive voice and verbs/strong verbs so that readers can see a bigger picture covered with more helpful content.

A great tool I use when considering writing whether fictional or content, is to imagine I am talking to my audience directly. They are sitting on the otherside of the table and I am trying to keep their attention. *The words you write are the same they hear in their head* After you've tried this, then switch to being the reader. Why would you be interested? Why should you be? Shifting the narrative from a one sided conversation to visualizing two people talking always helps to figure out where you are over doing it or whether you need to go back to the drawing board. Always remember, we've all thrown work in to the bin to then pick up later with fresh eyes & a new cup of coffee. It's part of the process, you've got this!

Writing effective, engaging and persuasive content for non-native English speakers can be tricky: -> We may feel we are forcing it too much, or be afraid of sounding just like any other writer. ->Online correctors always suggest using active voice but, as we read some comments above, sometimes this is not the best option. In the beginning, the best option may be to have it proofread by a native English speaker... until we find our own ways to be assertive :)

Poor Passive Voice...probably feels left out, like the short, scrawny kid at recess (aka me). So when should you use Passive Voice? 3 considerations: -When you don't know the subject: "The dish was shattered." (The subject is the culprit, who we don't know yet...but it was likely my toddler.) -For personification, especially for humor: "The ball bounced away from the dog, fleeing for freedom." -To direct attention where it's most needed: "The hospital was decimated by the enemy."