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Writing in the active voice with monkeys 🐵

08 Jan

Happy socially-distanced new year folks,

Praying that this year is a fairytale for all of us.

And while the first 7 days have had me like

I am still hopeful 👼🏾

Today, we’ll be talking about “writing in the active voice”

“The magazine was read by Dad in one day.”

The passive voice is one of the deadly sins of writing 😶

The passive voice turns out sentences in which the subject receives the action. This creates wordy, less direct, and unclear sentences.

The active voice, on the other hand, turns out sentences in which the subject performs the action.

“Dad read the magazine in one day.”

So, how can monkeys help you write in active voice🐵

Simple.

Add “by monkeys” to the end of any sentence or phrase you suspect might be passive. If the sentence still makes sense, then it’s passive.

If it sounds like something you wrote while shivering from a caffeine high, then it’s active.

Easy peasy 😸

For example:

  • The food was eaten …by monkeys

  • Lagos is known for its art scene …by monkeys

  • You will be helped …by monkeys

Try the same thing with the active versions, and you’ll notice the sentences don’t make sense👇🏾

  • I have eaten the food …by monkeys

  • Many people know Lagos for its art scene …by monkeys

  • Your colleagues will help you …by monkeys

That’s how you know it's an active version.

Monkeys. Who knew? 🐒

My read of the week 📰

Mark Ritson is one of my favorite marketing and brand thought leaders. And I think his latest article on the digital marketing echo chamber is spot on.

Content Writing Jobs (Remote/Freelance)

  • Senior Content Writer: Merkle | Click here

  • Content Marketing Writer: Maze | Click here

  • Remote Freelance Writer: Electric Lemonade | Click here

  • Writer and Strategist: Fenwick Media | Click here

All the best folks. And please share with any of your friends/colleagues who might find this useful 🙏🏾

 M‍y biggest takeaway this week 🚀

Mimetic desire – we don’t want; we want to be.

The desire to be; and to belong is hard-coded into our DNA and hard-wired into our brains.

What I’m thinking about?

Expertise is a journey you’re always on 😌

Thanks for reading this far. I am grateful!

Stay safe & sane,

Dozie

P.S: If you like this newsletter and want to support it, please could you forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here👇🏾