Are you doing something? Or is something being done to you?
Verbs can be passive or active, and knowing the difference isn’t as difficult as one might think. In short, the designation of passive or active voice depends on whether or not the subject of a sentence is actively doing something or passively having something done to it.
The house was built.
The house (subject) sits there passively having something done to it. Changing the sentence to active voice requires a change of subject.
The carpenters built the house.
You may say that the house is still having something done to it, and you are right. The difference is in the subject. Carpenters (subject) are actively building the house (object).
In the other sentence, the house itself is the subject and is having something done to it by nameless, unidentified people, probably with hammers and nails at their command.
At times, when the writer does not know who is the one acting, passive voice comes in handy, but it should be used sparingly.
Active voice verbs add interest for two reasons. One is that the subject is the known doer of deeds, and the second is that the sentence is simply livelier when an expressive verb in active voice describes what is happening. In scientific writing, though, passive voice is preferred because the one conducting a study or experiment is not considered to be as important as the subject matter itself, the study or the experiment. The study (subject) was found to be in error (passive voice), rather than the genius scientist (subject) found the study to be in error (active voice). The important aspect is the study itself, not the person who finds a flaw in it.
Most good writing, however, employs active voice, with subjects clearly identified as performing actions. Which of the following sentences seems more exciting or at least informative?
One, the football was thrown.
Or, two, the quarterback threw the football.
In sentence one, passive voice, there is no one in particular who throws the football. It is just there, the football, and is thrown.
In sentence two, active voice, a quarterback throws the football, someone clearly acting. (A few adjectives to describe the quarterback and adverbs to say how well he threw the football would add zest to the sentence, but that’s another topic.)
Active or passive voice refers to verb use, but whether a sentence is active or passive depends on the subject of the sentence. If the subject of the sentence is having something done to it, the sentence is passive. If the subject of the sentence is acting, the verb is in active voice.
This blog has been written. Roxy has written this blog. Both are true enough, but the voice is different. The blog was just passively having writing come upon it by an unnamed entity in one case. In the other case, Roxy, the writer, came to the page and acted upon it, writing a blog. The passive voice blog may not care either way, but Roxy does care as the active voice writer of this blog.
Roxy’s tip: Use active voice as the rule, passive voice as the exception.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Confused?
Once upon a time there were three brothers who were known as There, Their, and They’re.
There got his name because he was always in place, and the word “there” basically means a place. Their got his name when he inherited a bunch of stuff, thereby becoming an heir. Since the word “their” indicates ownership, it seemed right. They’re was called that because whenever he was asked anything at all, he’d refer to his brothers, saying, “They’re the ones to ask.” “They’re” is simply a contraction for the words “they are.”
Sometimes people got Their, There, and They’re confused. All of their names sounded just alike. It wasn’t a big problem except when people wanted to talk about their possessions, something Their was an authority on, and would call There instead. He’d just tell them about some place or another, here or there. And They’re always referred them to his brothers when they called him, which didn’t help either.
Their went into the banking business, and There decided real estate was his best bet for a career. Their built his bank on land There found. They’re became their assistant and still told anyone with a question that his brothers over there, somewhere, had the answers. “They’re the ones to ask” he’d say. “It’s their business.”
Life was good until the three brothers met two sisters named Its and It’s.
Its was very much impressed with Their, and they had much in common. Its was also a possessive type and thought Their was just the kind of guy for her. She got her name, by the way, from owning a bunch of stuff, too. Each one of the things she owned knew its owner was no one else but Its.
It’s found her ideal in They’re. Her name was a contraction for “it is,” a lot like his name, and to make a long story short, they were soon an item. They’re and It’s were even thinking about changing their name to We’re, a contraction for “we are.”
Poor There felt out of place with his brothers busy and happy with Its and It’s. He kept thinking that he had to find happiness like theirs.
Somewhere in the world, it’s certain that all he hoped for would find its way to him, even if he had to search everywhere. If not here, then there….but where? Hmmm....
Roxy’s tip: Don’t confuse the often confused words “there, their and they’re” and “its and it’s.”
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
There got his name because he was always in place, and the word “there” basically means a place. Their got his name when he inherited a bunch of stuff, thereby becoming an heir. Since the word “their” indicates ownership, it seemed right. They’re was called that because whenever he was asked anything at all, he’d refer to his brothers, saying, “They’re the ones to ask.” “They’re” is simply a contraction for the words “they are.”
Sometimes people got Their, There, and They’re confused. All of their names sounded just alike. It wasn’t a big problem except when people wanted to talk about their possessions, something Their was an authority on, and would call There instead. He’d just tell them about some place or another, here or there. And They’re always referred them to his brothers when they called him, which didn’t help either.
Their went into the banking business, and There decided real estate was his best bet for a career. Their built his bank on land There found. They’re became their assistant and still told anyone with a question that his brothers over there, somewhere, had the answers. “They’re the ones to ask” he’d say. “It’s their business.”
Life was good until the three brothers met two sisters named Its and It’s.
Its was very much impressed with Their, and they had much in common. Its was also a possessive type and thought Their was just the kind of guy for her. She got her name, by the way, from owning a bunch of stuff, too. Each one of the things she owned knew its owner was no one else but Its.
It’s found her ideal in They’re. Her name was a contraction for “it is,” a lot like his name, and to make a long story short, they were soon an item. They’re and It’s were even thinking about changing their name to We’re, a contraction for “we are.”
Poor There felt out of place with his brothers busy and happy with Its and It’s. He kept thinking that he had to find happiness like theirs.
Somewhere in the world, it’s certain that all he hoped for would find its way to him, even if he had to search everywhere. If not here, then there….but where? Hmmm....
Roxy’s tip: Don’t confuse the often confused words “there, their and they’re” and “its and it’s.”
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Happy International Writing Centers Week!
This week is International Writing Centers Week! So, I thought it would be appropriate for me to share with you in today’s blog some of my reflections on writing.
Writing has something of an almost magical quality about it. If you stop to think for a moment, considering what the written word is and what it can do, you’ll see that it is an unusual system, one that is known only to human beings. As far as we can tell, seagulls are not passing messages back and forth with their feet, scratching out marks in the sand as they walk along the beach. Among humans, words inspire images, emotions, ideas, and a host of other conditions in the writer and, later on, in the reader. Words represent reality. They are symbols, standing in for the actuality.
We all tend to take language for granted, learning as we grow to communicate through speech first and then through the written word once we’ve discovered reading and writing. The written word becomes an unremarkable aspect of our daily lives as we pass by billboards or see advertisements and notices posted. We scan a newspaper or book without thinking of the essence of what words are and the manner in which they move us to think as we read.
While the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” makes a point, nothing else but words can capture meanings with as much detail and accuracy. Our system of symbols has led to invention, keeps laws intact, allows understanding among different peoples, and provides a way to record and remember our lives.
If your ambition is to become a better writer than you are today, the best idea is to read and then read some more. As you are reading, think now and then about the skill involved, what it means to be able to perceive marks on a page or screen that communicate what the writer has chosen to communicate…as if by magic.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
Writing has something of an almost magical quality about it. If you stop to think for a moment, considering what the written word is and what it can do, you’ll see that it is an unusual system, one that is known only to human beings. As far as we can tell, seagulls are not passing messages back and forth with their feet, scratching out marks in the sand as they walk along the beach. Among humans, words inspire images, emotions, ideas, and a host of other conditions in the writer and, later on, in the reader. Words represent reality. They are symbols, standing in for the actuality.
We all tend to take language for granted, learning as we grow to communicate through speech first and then through the written word once we’ve discovered reading and writing. The written word becomes an unremarkable aspect of our daily lives as we pass by billboards or see advertisements and notices posted. We scan a newspaper or book without thinking of the essence of what words are and the manner in which they move us to think as we read.
While the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” makes a point, nothing else but words can capture meanings with as much detail and accuracy. Our system of symbols has led to invention, keeps laws intact, allows understanding among different peoples, and provides a way to record and remember our lives.
If your ambition is to become a better writer than you are today, the best idea is to read and then read some more. As you are reading, think now and then about the skill involved, what it means to be able to perceive marks on a page or screen that communicate what the writer has chosen to communicate…as if by magic.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
We Cannot Agree to Disagree
Humans, generally but not always, enjoy debates; in the world of grammar, however, agreeing to disagree when it comes to subjects and verbs and their agreement is not allowed. The rule governing agreement is not open to debate or argument. No one interested in correct form is inclined to quibble or offer opposition to the following rule: if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb has to be singular; and if the subject is plural, the verb has to be plural. The subject and verb agree in number, singular or plural. The writer does not get to choose to mix them up but has to follow form.
English is a strange language in some cases, and when it comes to knowing if a verb is singular or plural, an odd thing occurs. Most nouns, and there are exceptions, end with an “s” when they mean more than one, when they are plural: apples, trees, houses, times, oceans, ideas…all end in “s,” which the most common ending for a plural noun. Common, ordinary verbs, not irregular ones, when in agreement with singular nouns, often end in “s,” too, sort of an opposite effect and not meaning plural at all.
For instance, “a girl (singular noun) visits (singular verb) the beach.”
Add two friends, and “three girls (plural noun) visit (plural verb) the beach.”
There is no “s” on the end of the plural form of the verb visit…one girl visits; three girls visit. (The letter “s” appears to like having more than one purpose.)
Since I don’t know who decided to form a rule on subject and verb agreement or who was in charge of spelling rules either, I can’t say why the above peculiarity happens. It does, but it is not a true rule, more a memory device that won’t serve when weirdly spelled nouns or irregular verbs serve as the main components of a sentence.
The word “deer” is spelled the same, regardless of how many “deer” might be involved as the subject of a sentence. But depending on context, one “deer has” a forest home and five “deer have” a forest home.
The English language doesn’t seem to employ many rules without accompanying exceptions, and it’s a wise student who memorizes as many of the exceptions as possible. The rule about plural subject/ plural verb and singular subject/ singular verb stands, though, pretty much (just in case someone finds this debatable) without exception.
Roxy’s tip: Make sure your subjects and verbs agree!
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
English is a strange language in some cases, and when it comes to knowing if a verb is singular or plural, an odd thing occurs. Most nouns, and there are exceptions, end with an “s” when they mean more than one, when they are plural: apples, trees, houses, times, oceans, ideas…all end in “s,” which the most common ending for a plural noun. Common, ordinary verbs, not irregular ones, when in agreement with singular nouns, often end in “s,” too, sort of an opposite effect and not meaning plural at all.
For instance, “a girl (singular noun) visits (singular verb) the beach.”
Add two friends, and “three girls (plural noun) visit (plural verb) the beach.”
There is no “s” on the end of the plural form of the verb visit…one girl visits; three girls visit. (The letter “s” appears to like having more than one purpose.)
Since I don’t know who decided to form a rule on subject and verb agreement or who was in charge of spelling rules either, I can’t say why the above peculiarity happens. It does, but it is not a true rule, more a memory device that won’t serve when weirdly spelled nouns or irregular verbs serve as the main components of a sentence.
The word “deer” is spelled the same, regardless of how many “deer” might be involved as the subject of a sentence. But depending on context, one “deer has” a forest home and five “deer have” a forest home.
The English language doesn’t seem to employ many rules without accompanying exceptions, and it’s a wise student who memorizes as many of the exceptions as possible. The rule about plural subject/ plural verb and singular subject/ singular verb stands, though, pretty much (just in case someone finds this debatable) without exception.
Roxy’s tip: Make sure your subjects and verbs agree!
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
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