Use passive when the actor is unknown or unimportant (“The bank was robbed at midnight”). 2.3 Execute Adverbs – Especially After Dialog Adverbs tell. Strong verbs show.
| Wordy | Punchy | |-------|--------| | “Are you coming?” he asked. “No,” she replied. “Why not?” he asked. | “Are you coming?” “No.” “Why not?” | Don’t let characters say exactly what they mean. Punchy dialogue implies. revising your prose for power and punch pdf
| Weak | Punchy | |------|--------| | She ran quickly. | She sprinted. | | “No,” he said angrily. | “No,” he snapped. | | He spoke softly. | He murmured. | Use passive when the actor is unknown or
| Passive | Active | |---------|--------| | The ball was hit by John. | John hit the ball. | | Mistakes were made. | I/We/They made mistakes. | | Wordy | Punchy | |-------|--------| | “Are you coming