4 Strengthening Language and Voice
Learn to strengthen sentences by choosing precise verbs, using modifiers clearly, and selecting active or passive voice to guide the reader's attention.
Choose
Verbs carry much of a sentence’s meaning. Replacing a vague verb or a phrase that turns an action into a noun with a more exact verb can make the sentence clearer and more concise.
Wordy: The team made a decision to delay the launch.
Clearer: The team decided to delay the launch.
When revising, look for vague verbs such as do, make, or have, and phrases such as conduct an investigation. If a more exact verb communicates the idea better, use it: investigate. Strong verbs do not need to be dramatic; they need to express the intended action accurately.
Use modifiers with care
Modifiers—including adjectives, adverbs, and descriptive phrases—add information about other words. Use them when they make a detail more exact; remove unnecessary modifiers when they slow the sentence or repeat what the verb already conveys.
Less direct: She walked very quickly across the room.
More precise: She hurried across the room.
Place each close to the word or phrase it describes. An introductory phrase should also make sense with the subject that follows.
Unclear: After finishing the report, the computer was shut down.
Clear: After finishing the report, Maya shut down the computer.
The unclear sentence suggests that the computer finished the report. Naming the person who performed the action fixes the .
Choose active or
Voice shows how the sentence’s subject relates to the action. In , the subject performs the action: The editor revised the draft. In , the subject receives the action: The draft was revised by the editor.
often makes the actor and action easier to identify, so it is a useful default for direct prose. is useful when the receiver of the action matters more than the actor, or when the actor is unknown or unimportant.
Active: A fallen tree blocked the road.
Passive: The road was blocked by a fallen tree.
Passive, actor unknown: The road was closed overnight.
The last example focuses on the road without identifying who closed it; that choice may suit the writer’s purpose. If readers need to know who acted, naming the actor usually makes the sentence clearer: The city closed the road overnight.
Revise for meaning and readability
Use these questions to check meaning and readability when editing:
Does the main verb state the action precisely?
Does each add useful information, and is it placed near what it describes?
Does the sentence make clear who did what, or is the receiver of the action the intended focus?
Can words be removed without losing meaning?
Use to express actions directly, keep modifiers relevant and clearly placed, and choose voice according to the sentence’s intended focus. Prefer when identifying the actor helps readers; choose when the receiver or result deserves emphasis, or when the actor is unknown or unimportant.