By Deborah S. Nelson, Author-Speaker-Publishing Coach
PASSIVE VERBS
Ugh. This is my Pet Peeve! Passive verbs are those such as: is, was, were, do, did, doing, Search your document for “do”, “did,” “doing,” and other passive verbs to replace them with active verbs, you will improve the writing by 50%.
Of course, in cases where you quote a character or source, you will let it go; but in your own writing, eliminate passive voice and passive verbs.
Examples of sentences written in the passive voice, created by the use of the word “by” and “ing” words.
Once a week, Alice cleans the house.
Once a week, the house is cleaned by Alice.
Right now, Freda is writing the letter.
Right now, the letter is being written by Freda.
Mike repaired the car.
The car was repaired by Mike.
The clerk was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
While the clerk helped the customer, the thief came into the store.
Many tourists have visited that castle.
That castle has been visited by many tourists.
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