give warning to the world of the disaster that would follow. 

## Making use of the active and passive voice 

The active voice is more positive than the passive voice .In the active voice a subject does something. In the passive voice something is done to him. 

## Active voice 

## Passive voice 

The father struck his son. 

The teacher gave the class a detention. 

The son was struck by his father. 

The class was given a detention by the teacher. 

In the second version there are two extra words; the first sentences have more vigour. 

## Negatives 

Using positive statements instead of negative ones also economises on words. 

For example: 

would be better as the following: 

He did not remember his wife’s birthday. 

Clare was not present in the afternoon. 

