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Active vs. Passive:When trying to create effective sentences, use active verbs. Know your “being” or auxiliary verbs. If you dont have them memorized, keep a list by you when writing. This way you will catch when you use passive voice.List: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, has, have, had, do, does, did, shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, couldPassive voice tends to make writing wordy, so if you can avoid them, AVOID THEM!Examples:The science experiment was completed by us. (passive)The science experiment was completed. (passive)We completed the science experiment. (active)The man was walking through the crowd with a sauntering step. (not technically passive but wordy, so avoid)The man sauntered through the crowd. (active)Lets look at passive sentence construction in more detail using a sentence from Elements of Language.As said before, look for the “be” verb paired with a past participle (was completed) passive sentence construction will always have that element. In addition to a hidden or missing object, passive voice can also have a retained object. A retained object is the left over object in a sentence.Active voice: Ms. Ribas (subject) gave each student (indirect object) a thesaurus (direct object).Passive voice: Each student (subject) was given a thesaurus (retained object) by Ms. Ribas (object of the preposition).Passive voice: A thesaurus (subject) was given each student (retained object) by Ms. Ribas (object of the preposition).When a sentence is constructed in passive voice, the subject could be either object in the sentence. That is why one object is the subject and the other is retained. In other words, the subject isnt clear. Not to mention, the additional prepositional phrase is usually tacked on to the end, making the sentence even wordier.Confusing, right? It is for this reason that you should write in active voice as much as possible. If the complete definition of passive voice is confusing, what do you think it could do to an answer that should be clear?There are three reasons for using passive voice: when you do not know the performer of the action, when you do not want to reveal the performer (like in science labs), and when you want to emphasize the receiver of the action.The third reason is acceptable if used for emphasis and if used sparingly. Subject / Pronoun agreement:The person went to fix their car. INCORRECTIf the subject is singular, the pronoun must also be singular.The person went to fix her car.*Please note that the pronoun “one” can be substituted for his / her.*His or her writing can be effective if he or she proofreads his or her paper. WORDY One must proofread in order to produce effective writing.Pronouns and Antecedents:Make sure that all pronouns you use are clear. Do not overuse your pronouns.Danny and Jack argued over his favorite bat. INCORRECT - My sentence has two subjects. It is not clear who the bat belongs to.Danny and Jack argued over Jacks favorite bat.Unclear pronouns may appear later in the paragraph so, be careful!Subject / Verb Agreement:Your subject and verb should agree: singular nouns paired with singular verbs and vice versa. Be aware that most singular verbs end in “s” the opposite of nouns. Look at these examples from Elements of Language.My grandfather trains dogs. She owns a video store.You need to be careful with subject / verb agreement when you begin to write more complex sentences.Some examples:The characters used in the allegory represent abstract ideas.The teacher, as well as her students, was fascinated by the exhibit.And for compound subjects:Jim or Jack needs to clean the room.Neither Jim nor Jack needs to clean the room.Mary and Martha need to clean the room.Neither the students nor the teacher has a ruler.Neither the teacher nor the students have a ruler.Indefinite pronouns can be tricky:Singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, somethingAnybody has a ruler. Anything is possible.Each has a desk.Does anyone have a ruler? (When asking this question, youre addressing a group, so you would naturally use the plural verb form. Also, does is the first “being” verb in the sentence and it agrees with the subject.)Plural: both, few, many, and severalMany have to go to the hospital.Few are necessary.Singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none, some These pronouns are singular when referring to singular words (None of the equipment was damaged), and are plural when referring to plural words (None of the machines were damaged).Just to make sure youre paying attention, the English language throws in collective nouns. Collective nouns identify a group (team, assembly, band, troop, etc.) Collective nouns are singular when referred to as a unit and are plural when referring to individual members or parts of the group. Usually, theyre singular.Number is also fun when deciding agreement: “the number” is singular and “a number” is plural.The number has increased.A number belong to the computer club.Expressions of amount like a measurement (five thousand bricks, two days, etc.) if the expression is thought of as a unit, its singular, and if its thought of as separate parts, its plural.Five thousand bricks is a heavy load.Five thousand bricks are scattered.Fractions or percentages singular when referring to a singular word and plural when referring to a plural wordGot all that? This is why notes are essential.The Apostrophe:Please be aware when to use and not use the apostrophe. This is an unacceptable error.When an object possesses something, use an apostrophe to clarify. Rachels car or Chass boat - Jamess car Be careful with pronouns. “Its” is a contraction: it is. Hers would mean “hers is.” The words “hers” or “