As William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White note in their book, The Elements of Style, the active voice is “more direct and vigorous” than the passive. “Use the active voice,” they command. They do not say, “The active voice should be used by you.” Do you hear how weak that sounds when you don’t know […]
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Say what you mean
On the Power to Confuse
This isn’t about politics. We get enough of that as it is these days. But I would argue that we don’t get enough about how to make a point clearly. Here’s an example of something that confused and bamboozled me recently. It comes from a now famous letter Attorney General William Barr wrote to key […]
Squeeze More Juice Out
When you’re telling a story or trying to understand what happened, don’t be a water strider. Also known as water bugs, water skeeters, water skippers, and pond skaters, these long-limbed bugs are known for their ability to run on top of the surface of a pond or lake. Yes, they run on water. And I don’t mean […]