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Write With Active Verbs Writing with passive verbs makes our stories boring. Effective writers weed out the pesky use of the forms of "to be" verbs by using stronger, more colorful and active sentence structure. Consider what action is taking place.

Forms of "to be"
is, am, are, were, has, had, will be, will have been, has been, had been, would (should, could) have been, being, to be.

Camouflage fatigues are worn by soldiers in war zones.
Susan seems to be an accurate news reporter.
The discussion will be led by Sandra Johnson.
There are many women who become doctors.

Possible Solutions:
Soldiers in war zones wear camouflage fatigues.
Susan reports the news accurately.
Sandra Johnson will lead the discussion.
Many women become doctors.

For more information click here: http://www.ccis.edu/writingcenter/documents/passive.html
Posted by Sue Tornai at 10:51 AM Labels: active sentence structure, passive verbs, to be, writing


