For this project, I was asked to read style manuals, compare and contrast one aspect of style discussed in both, and write a short essay about it. The two books were The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White, and E-Writing by Diana Booher.
This was the hardest paper I was asked to write all semester. The essay below is a drastic revision from the first draft I submitted. I played around with different topics in my original draft, and ended up picking one to discuss at length. If, for some reason, my old copy is better (for grading purposes …Steve, I’m talking to you!), you can view it here .
Kevin Mikles
000774328
10/23/02
Writing in the Active
Voice
With the changing times, there must come evolution in our writing styles. Languages change or are put to death. New words and concepts are invented. Older styles are revised to improve their clarity in a modern world. Grammar changes over time, and evolves due to trends and usage.
Despite that fact, there are timeless concepts that follow written communication through the centuries, and aid authors in creating well-written works. There are many factors that constitute “good writing”. What basis can you use to compare writing samples? “Good” poetry creates vivid pictures from organized text and imbues emotion. “Good” stories must be interesting and exciting to read to keep the attention of the audience. A “Good” memo needs informative and detailed to get points across.
Although hundreds of factors can be listed for each genre of writing, one aspect of style must be put in the forefront: Clarity. Sometimes it can be difficult to achieve; what may be clear to one reader may be utterly confusing to another. Different traits of concise writing make up the overall clarity of a piece of work, whether it is a novel, report, or memo.
Writing in the active voice is a trait of clarity, and makes text more direct and powerful to read. The passive voice has its place in literature and communication, but the active voice is preferred and pushed by advocates of professional writing. Authors of style manuals, regardless of the audience, make reference of how important the active voice is.
Take the referential text The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White for instance. The tiny manual, still barely over 100 pages – even after years of updates and revisions – was originally written and used by Professor Strunk to teach an English class at Cornell. “The book was known on the campus in those days as ‘the little book’, with the stress on the word ‘little’” (Strunk, xiii). Although the text is meticulous and somewhat nit-picky at times, it has served as an excellent source for correcting grammar and writing papers for over 80 years.
Grammar rules from “The Elements of Style” can be used to improve any document and give the writer credibility as being educated. The first section of the book, “Elementary Rules of Usage”, covers everything from pluralizing words to subject-verb agreement, and can be used in most writing and editing circumstances, regardless of what is being drafted. Each rule is numbered and contains a short, informative definition, as well as an example or two.
The second section, “Elementary Rules of Composition” gives basic writing advice and lists rules using the same numbering scheme. The active voice is discussed in this section as the subject of the 14th rule: Use the Active Voice.
“The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive:
I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.
This is much better than
My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me” (Strunk, 18).
The Elements of Style makes good use of examples thorough the book. Strunk explains that the second sentence, being in passive voice, is less direct and a bit awkward to read and digest. Strunk goes on to explain that the proper use of active voice makes writing more bold and direct. “The habitual use of the active voice, however, makes for forcible writing. This is true not only in narrative concerned principally with action but in writing of any kind” (Strunk, 18).
Dianna Booher, a businesswoman from Texas, recently compiled information on written style geared towards the business world and the electronic communication that accompanies it. Her book, entitled E-Writing: 21st Century Tools for Effective Communication, discusses the dos and don’ts of writing business-oriented documents and e-mail. Booher introduces formats for writing effectively in business situations, ranging from drafting proposals and reports, to writing complaints and apologies.
Although the two books were written over 80 years apart from each other, they still find common ground in grammar agreement. Just as Strunk did, Booher pushes the active voice over its passive counterpart. She brings up this point often in her book, reminding the reader that the active voice creates stronger and clearer sentences, as well as making them shorter.
“The more words you pour into a sentence, the weaker the message.” (Booher, 259). This is certainly true when attempting to get an important point across in a business memo, as modern businesses must operate at fast speeds to remain profitable. “In a long document, the main ideas often are buried in a mound of details. Good writers know the value of getting to the point” (Booher, 259).
She adds that it’s important to put people in business writing. “Passive voice often omits people, and that who does what in business writing is usually important” (Booher, 260).
Booher first discusses the active voice in the 16th chapter: Edit For Conciseness. Her introduction differs from the academic Strunk manual in that she first explains what the active voice is. “’Voice’ refers to the relationship of a verb to its subject. ‘Active voice’ means that the subject of the sentence does the action of the sentence” (Booher, 259). This is probably due to the difference in audiences between the two books; Strunk writes for college English students while Booher writes for the business professional, who may not necessarily be as skilled in writing.
“In today’s e-commerce, written communication makes the competitive difference in overall organizational success” (Booher, 2). This can be viewed as the base statement of what electronic writing and modern business composition are all about. Successful business writings in the forms of e-mail, web pages and documents are the result of conciseness and content of the information.
Even as the art of writing is constantly changing, tired and fast rules remain because they make sense. Whether you’re writing a business report or an academic paper, writing clearly, with the help of the powerful active voice, is a necessary attribute to any “good” paper.