Good grammar and good writing

Someone reads your work and says,"You use the passive voice too often." Or, another reader says, "You have several errors in gerunds and infinitives." Do you know what these things mean? If you do, congratulations! But, if you don't, it will help for you to spend some time working towards understanding.

Using the passive voice too often, for example, can make your writing dull, and too dependent on the word "be," which is a weak, boring verb. (Yes, verbs can be weak and boring!)

Look at the difference between these two statements:

  • The ball was kicked by Leila. (passive)
  • Leila kicked the ball. (active)

In the second example, we have an actor--Leila--doing something. In the first example, we have an object--the ball--and something done to it. There are reasons for choosing one over the other, but the second example emphasizes the action. 

Another way to look at actives and passives is to see them as an answer to a question. 

  • What happened to the ball? The ball was kicked by Leila.
  • What did Leila do? Leila kicked the ball.

You can see how the passive and active emphasizes different parts of a sentence. When you want to emphasize the object of the action in a sentence, use the passive. When you want to emphasize the agent, or the person or thing performing an action, use an active sentence.

What about errors in gerunds and infinitives? A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb (although sometimes 'to' isn't used.) Here are some examples:

  • I enjoy reading. (gerund)
  • I want to read. (infinitive)

"Enjoy" requires a gerund: He enjoys swimming, eating, and sleeping. "Want" requires an infinitive: She wants to work, play, and watch movies. Some verbs require only a gerund; others take only an infinitive. There are some that can use both.

These are just two instances of how grammar influences writing. When you read, notice how words are used--especially if something looks new or different to you. It helps to keep a journal or file in which you write these things down.

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