How to Improve Your Writing with Active Verbs Unless you’re
trying to hide something, or unless you truly don’t know the
facts, you should make your writing as specific as possible.
Specifics reside in active voice. In English, using active verbs
makes your writing clearer and more engaging. Compare these
pairs of sentences: The president of the Egg-Lovers’ Club was
murdered yesterday. (The cops are still looking for the villain
who wielded the hammer and crushed the president’s skull like an
eggshell.) Sir Francis Bacon murdered the president of the Egg-
Lovers’ Club yesterday. (Bacon will soon move into a maximum-
security cell.) It is recommended that the furnace not be
cleaned until next year. (Someone wants to save money, but no
one is taking responsibility for this action. If the furnace
breaks when the thermometer hits 20 below because too much glop
is inside, no one’s name comes up for blame.) The superintendent
recommends that the furnace not be cleaned until next year. (Now
the building’s residents ma