Writers--Dump Those Passive Verbs

 

Our poster for today is one you might find in a primary grade class. Verb Flash Cards. Still pertinent for writers today. What is the common denominator in run, walk, smile? Action. 

Every writing reference book will have a section on active vs passive verbs. The passive verbs are forms of the verb 'to be.' Words like was, is, are, were, am, been, being, and will be are links to the object in the sentence, but they are weak and kind of blah. They land with a dull thud.

Action verbs bring the sentence to life. They give the reader a clear picture of what is occurring. Even the three simple action verbs in our poster let us see what is going on. They show us while the passive verbs are all about telling. 

When you are editing your drafts, do a word check on those passive verbs. When you look for the word 'was' and click on the Find button in Word or whatever program you use, you might be shocked at how many times it pops up in your entire story or essay. Do another check for the word 'is' and one for 'are' and others. One of the women in my online writing group often includes this kind of check in her critique. I have a feeling the person who subbed the piece gets a bit of a shock when she sees all those passive verbs.

So, why do we use them? They're easy! To find an active verb takes a little more thought, maybe even a glance at a thesaurus on occasion. We use a lot of the passive verbs in our everyday conversation. When we see the great many passive verbs, we need to change as many as possible. You'll still use some of the passives now and then. Your aim is to change those you can. In the end, you're going to have a much more interesting story or essay. 

You might need to change the order of your sentence when correcting a passive verb and making it active. It's fine to do that. The original meaning will stay the same. 

For an exercise, look at these sentences which all have passive verbs. Rewrite the sentence using an action verb.:

A.  Johnny was on his way to the park.

B.  She was at the circus tent. 

C.  He was going to be in the school play. 

D.  The flat tire was changed by Pete.

E.  The song was written by Sam in one day.

F.  That song is enjoyed by the high school chorus.

When you edit your work, make looking for passive verbs high on your checklist.