Active vs. Passive Voice: The Complete Guide

Active vs. Passive Voice: The Complete Guide

Let’s understand what we mean when we’re talking about “voice” in a passive sentence versus an active voice sentence. In this case, grammatical voice refers to the verb form used in relationship with the subject and receiver of the action. 

(This should not be confused with author voice which is more about the personality and style of a writer throughout their work. That’s something entirely different.)

If you’re still confused, let’s look at some examples that will help you see the difference, and then look at how to use each type of sentence to its best effect. Ready? 

Parallelism: Keep Your Verb Tenses Consistent

Parallelism: Keep Your Verb Tenses Consistent

A few weeks ago, our group of friends was planning a potluck. One of the girls said she was planning on making vegetarian chili, cornbread, or baking cookies. I cringed internally because the flow of the sentence was wrong and hurt me on the inside. The issue: mismatched parallelism.

How to Edit a Novel: The Foolproof 9-Step Book Editing Process

How to Edit a Novel: The Foolproof 9-Step Book Editing Process

Are you the kind of writer that loves writing a first draft but has no idea what to do once you’re done with it? Do you worry that you don’t know how to edit a novel, and freeze up because of this?

Editing is hard, but luckily there are strategies you can take when editing your first draft (and others), or even if it’s your first time.

In this article, I’ll teach you the process I’ve learned after years of struggling to edit. But first, there’s one thing we have to get out of the way: