This flashcard is just one of a free flashcard set. See all flashcards!

Active voice puts the story in the here and now, while passive voice creates distance. Active sentence construction puts the one doing the action before the verb, such as “The cops chased John down the street.” as opposed to “John was chased down the street by the cops.”

A novel should read like an entertaining story, not a college dissertation. Watch for excessive use of the verb to be and its forms am, is, are, was, and were. Try leaving them out to form more active sentences