LB: Passive, Shmassive

by Larry Brody

What would happen if you used – gasp! – the passive voice in a sentence or two?

Good writing is about communication, not following “the rules.”

Worst case passive voice scenario: It doesn’t work so you do something you’ll have to do anyway. Namely, rewrite.

Or maybe you’ll leave it even if you don’t like it because it makes the rest of what you’ve written look so much better in comparison. (Isn’t that what the rule-makers believe?)

Re the pic above: As far as I’m concerned, Diana Ross didn’t have the best voice in The Supremes. That belonged to the truly divine Florence Ballard and should have been used accordingly.

Author: LB

A legendary figure in the television writing and production world with a career going back to the late ’60s, Larry Brody has written and produced hundreds of hours of American and worldwide television and is a consultant to production companies and networks in the U.S. and abroad . Shows written or produced by Brody have won several awards including - yes, it's true - Emmys, Writers Guild Awards, and the Humanitas Award. View all posts by LB