Voice and Sentence Structure in Writing

Voice in Writing

Sentence Structure

• Active voice: The subject performs the action described by the verb.
  • Examples: "The dog bites the man.", "The chef cooked the meal."
• Passive voice: The subject receives the action described by the verb.
  • Examples: "The man was bitten by the dog.", "The meal was cooked by the chef."
• When to use active vs. passive voice:
  • Active voice is generally preferred for clarity and concision.
  • Passive voice can be used to emphasize the recipient of the action or to avoid blaming someone.

Clarity and Concision

• Clear voice: The writer's tone and perspective are evident in the writing.
  • Characteristics: direct, concise, and engaging language.
• Concise voice: The writer uses few words to convey a lot of information.
  • Techniques: eliminating unnecessary words, using active voice, and choosing precise verbs.

Verb Conjugation

• ** Verb conjugation**: The process of modifying a verb to indicate tense, mood, voice, person, and number.
• Tense:
  • Present tense: The action is happening now.
  • Past tense: The action happened in the past.
  • Future tense: The action will happen in the future.
• Mood:
  • Indicative mood: States a fact or opinion.
  • Imperative mood: Gives a command or instruction.
  • Subjunctive mood: Expresses doubt, uncertainty, or possibility.
• Person and number:
  • First person: The writer is the subject (I, we).
  • Second person: The reader is the subject (you).
  • Third person: Someone or something else is the subject (he, she, it, they).
  • Singular and plural: Verbs agree with the number of the subject (singular or plural).