Lets Talk About Passive Verbs
And Why Fiction Writers Should Avoid Using Them
Passive verbs are everywhere. They're in newspapers, magazines, books, and even scientific journals. But they're not always good for the writing they appear in—in fact, they can actually weaken your writing and make it more difficult to understand. If you’re a fiction writer, you’ve probably heard that the passive voice is less direct and engaging than the active voice. You may have even been told to avoid it like the plague. But how do you know when to use a passive verb? And what makes a sentence truly passive?
This post will explain why that is and how you can identify passive verbs in your own work so that you can strengthen your writing by using an active voice instead.
What are passive verbs?
Passive verbs are used to describe actions: The ball was thrown by the catcher.
The subject of a passive verb (the ball) is being acted upon by another object (the catcher), so it's being done to it rather than doing something on its own. Sometimes, this is fine and necessary; you don't want every sentence in your novel to be "I did this" and "I did that," so you use passive verbs when talking about subjects that aren't doing anything in particular themselves. The problem comes when writers use too many passive verbs—or worse yet, incorrect passive verbs—which can confuse your reader.
So why do people write incorrectly with passive voice?
Sometimes, they might just not know how they should use them properly; but often they're used because they sound more official or formal than active voice. It's important for writers to remember that using formal language does not always mean better. Using informal language gives your writing, especially fiction, more personality.
Passive verbs are not always bad.
Passive verbs aren't all bad. In fact, they can be useful in certain circumstances. Here are some examples of situations where using passive verbs makes sense:
To create a sense of mystery or suspense: "The reason for the increase in sales is unclear." (The author wants to avoid assigning blame for this increase.)
When you're not sure who was responsible for something: "It was discovered that someone had stolen my phone." (Again, assigning blame isn't necessary here.)
When you're writing about a broad topic rather than individuals or specific events: "Sales have been increasing steadily over time." (In this case, we don't care about who made the sales or how they were made; we just want to know what happened overall.)
Oy Vey! More Examples Please.
Passive verbs are verbs that do not show action. They use a form of the word "to be," such as "is," or "was" (for past tense). Passive voice is often used to describe situations in which the subject does not appear to be doing anything, but something happens to them instead—for example:
"He was promoted."
This sentence shows us he did nothing himself; he was promoted by someone else.
Passive verbs are also common after certain verbs or phrases that act on an object (like "get" or "become") OR when a noun receives something ("to get promoted").
For example:
She got promoted.
Why should Writers Limit the use of Passive Verbs?
Writers should use passive verbs sparingly. They can be difficult to read and make it harder to identify the subject of the sentence. When using a passive verb, your readers may struggle to understand the meaning of your sentence. Passive verbs lack action, which makes them feel less engaging when compared to an active sentence with a similar meaning.
Using passive verbs make your writing sound less professional and sometimes turn readers off. This is especially true if you're writing fiction. Fiction writers should avoid passive sentences altogether. They detract from your story's ability to create compelling characters and world-building details that draw readers in.
How to identify passive verbs?
You can identify passive verbs by looking for:
Verbs that describe the action, not the subject. These are often called "linking verbs" because they link a subject to a direct object. If a verb links two nouns together, then it's almost certainly a linking verb. Examples include "look," "feel," and "seem."
Verbs that end in 'ed' or 'ing.' Usually these are past participles (verbs ending in "-ed" or "-ing"), but sometimes they're present participles (verbs ending in "-ing"), which is used in forming continuous tenses, e.g. in I'm thinking, alone in nonfinite clauses, e.g. in sitting here, I haven't a care in the world, as a noun, e.g. in good thinking, and as an adjective, e.g. in running water.
Verbs that include 'by' or another preposition within them. Prepositions show relationships between things; when you see one followed by an infinitive (a form of any verb ending in "-ing"), then it's likely acting as part of your passive construction. For example: The paper was written by John Smith.
OK! I got it.
No! Actually, I really don’t, but my head hurts. Let’s move on.
Conclusion
Find the active voice in your writing and strengthen it. Passive verbs are not always bad. They can provide a softer tone, for example, and they often sound more formal than active verbs. Sometimes you'll need to use them in order to keep your writing from sounding too casual. But if you're worried about using too many passives in your writing, then take an active role in looking out for them. As always, thanks for visiting my site and please consider subscribing to the newsletter.
