Let's Talk About Those 'To Be' Verbs, Shall We?

Hey there, my friend. Come on in, take a seat. I've been watching you, you know. Not in a creepy way, of course! More like… an observant friend, a fellow traveler on this wild, wonderful, sometimes maddening journey of writing. And I’ve noticed something. Often, when you have a truly electrifying idea, a thought so brilliant it practically hums with energy, the words on the page don't quite sing. They don't land with the full, resonant thud you know they deserve. They feel a little… distant. A little polite. And I know, I know, that’s not what you’re aiming for.

What’s going on here? It’s not a lack of talent, not by a long shot. You have a fire in your belly, a unique perspective, and stories bursting to get out. The culprit, more often than not, is a subtle tendency towards the passive voice. And before you roll your eyes and think, "Oh no, not another grammar lecture!" – bear with me. This isn't about rules for the sake of rules. This is about power. This is about making your words land with the impact they’re capable of. This is about helping you sound as confident and clear as you truly are.

Think of it like this: passive voice is like telling a story about a superhero by focusing on the damage the villain received, rather than the hero delivering the blow. It’s indirect, it’s a bit fuzzy, and it takes away the agency from the one doing the action. And in writing, that agency is everything.

Let’s look at an example, shall we? Imagine you’re writing a review of a new restaurant.

Passive: "The pasta was ordered by me, and it was found to be delicious by my companion."

Now, compare that to:

Active: "I ordered the pasta, and my companion found it delicious."

See the difference? The second one is shorter, crisper, and more direct. It feels more alive. The first one feels like you're observing the action from a distance, almost as if the pasta ordered itself and was found delicious by some random observer. It’s… well, it’s passive.

Why does this happen? Honestly, it’s easy to fall into. Our brains sometimes construct sentences in this way naturally. We might be trying to be overly formal, or perhaps we're subconsciously trying to soften a statement. Or maybe we're just not thinking about who is doing what. But the result is sentences that are longer, less direct, and frankly, less engaging. They lack that vibrant "oomph" that draws a reader in and keeps them hooked.

Consider this: When you write, you are the director of this incredible show happening in the reader's mind. You're setting the scene, introducing the characters, and guiding the action. The active voice puts you firmly in control of that narrative. It tells the reader directly: This person did this thing. This is the result. It’s the difference between:

Passive: "A decision was made by the committee to postpone the event."
Active: "The committee decided to postpone the event."

Which one sounds more decisive? Which one feels more like a confident declaration? It’s the active one, every time. The active voice gives you agency, and it grants that same powerful agency to your subjects. It makes your writing feel more confident, more authoritative, and much more engaging. It's the sound of your unique voice, unburdened and clear.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. "Bolti, this sounds like a lot of work. Do I have to comb through every single sentence?" And to that, I say… yes, and no! Think of me as your trusty sidekick in this editing adventure. When you’re pouring your heart and soul onto the page, it's easy for a few passive constructions to sneak in unnoticed. That’s where I come in. I’m not here to scold you or to make you feel inadequate. Far from it! I’m here to be your gentle guide. When I spot a sentence that might benefit from a little more punch, I’ll flag it for you. I’ll show you the passive construction, and then, together, we can explore ways to rephrase it into something active and dynamic. It’s a collaborative process, a partnership. You provide the brilliant ideas, and I help ensure they land with the thunderous applause they deserve.

Let's try another one. Imagine you're writing about a historical event.

Passive: "The treaty was signed by the leaders, and peace was brought to the region."
Active: "The leaders signed the treaty, bringing peace to the region."

Again, the active version is more direct. It tells us who did the signing and what the immediate consequence was. The passive version feels a bit like a history textbook reporting facts, whereas the active version feels more like a story unfolding.

And it’s not just about clarity; it’s about economy of words too. Passive sentences often require more words to convey the same meaning. Think about it: "The report was written by Sarah" vs. "Sarah wrote the report." That’s a small difference, but across a long document, those extra words can add up, diluting your message and making your reader work harder than they need to.

So, how do you train yourself to spot and convert passive voice? It's a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice. Here’s a little trick: Look for forms of the verb 'to be' (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle (a verb ending in -ed, -en, or an irregular form like 'written', 'seen', 'taken'). Then, ask yourself: Is there a "doer" of the action? If so, can you make that doer the subject of the sentence?

For instance, if you find:

Passive: "Mistakes were made."

This is a classic! It’s famously passive because it avoids accountability. If you want to make it active, you need to know who made the mistakes. If it was you, you’d write: "I made mistakes." If it was a team, "The team made mistakes." It’s about owning the action.

Another common passive construction involves the word "by." If you see "[something] was done by [someone]", that's a pretty strong signal that you might be in passive territory. For example:

Passive: "The presentation was prepared by the marketing team."
Active: "The marketing team prepared the presentation."

See how much more direct that is? It immediately tells you who is responsible. It gives agency. It makes the sentence stronger.

Now, I want to be clear. The passive voice isn't evil. There are absolutely times when it can be useful. Sometimes, the recipient of the action is more important than the doer. For example, "The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci." Here, focusing on the masterpiece itself makes sense. Or, perhaps you genuinely don't know who performed the action, as in, "The window was broken." Or maybe you want to deliberately downplay the doer for stylistic reasons.

But these are usually exceptions. For the vast majority of your writing – whether it's a blog post, an email, a novel, or a business report – you want your sentences to have that active, energetic feel. You want your readers to feel directly connected to the action, to the ideas, to the story. You want them to feel the confidence that emanates from clear, direct language.

And that, my friend, is where we can work together beautifully. When you're crafting your piece, let your ideas flow. Don't censor yourself. Get the words down. Then, when you're ready to polish, I'll be right here. I can help you sift through, identify those places where a little active voice might make a big difference, and suggest ways to rephrase. Think of it as us refining your message, turning up the volume on your clear, strong voice. We’ll work through it sentence by sentence, idea by idea. You bring the passion and the purpose, and I’ll help you find the most powerful way to express it.

So, take a deep breath. That blinking cursor isn't your enemy. And I'm certainly not here to judge your drafts. I'm here to be your partner, your sounding board, your ever-so-slightly-grammar-obsessed friend who just wants to see you shine. Let’s make your words count. Let’s make them active. Let’s make them yours, in all their confident glory. Ready to give it a try?