Writing Your Paper 2: Drafting

In formal writing, writers try to avoid the passive voice when possible because the passive voice often leads to wordier and less powerful sentences. Instead, writers prefer the active voice because the subject of the sentence is actually doing the action (thus making the sentence more commanding and confident).

Remember, you want to be “active” not “passive” in your writing.

Passive Voice: The midterm exams were graded by the instructor.

These steps help spot a passive sentence and revise it into the active voice:

1. What’s the action in the sentence? (graded)
2. Who’s doing the action? (instructor)
3.  Make them the subject (star) of your sentence.

Side Note: Imagine that you are the director of your sentence, and you have paid your star (a.k.a. the subject of your sentence) a lot of money to act in your sentence. You want them to perform for you.

Active Voice: The instructor graded the midterm exams.

Side Note: The use of “to be” verbs (is, are, were, etc.) is a big tip off that a sentence may be passive (though not always because you can’t completely avoid using them).

When writing an academic paper, it is important that you choose a point of view. Sometimes the point of view may change, but for the most part it should stay consistent throughout your paper in order to achieve clarity. Bouncing between different points of view can be confusing for your readers.

Deciding which point of view to use often comes down to the context of the assignment and how formal your writing needs to be. Here are your three options:

First-Person Point of View

1^st-Person Point Of View (often preferred for reflection papers and personal essays or narratives): I, we, my, our, us

I think I need to get some rest, so we should leave the party early.

Side Note: Usually in academic writing, it is advised to avoid the pronoun “we,” and instead you should be specific. So ask yourself, whom are you referring to when you write “we”? However, some instructors may be okay with the use of “we”—if you’re unsure, you can ask your instructor his/her preference.

Second-Person Point of View

2nd-Person Point Of View (the most informal way of writing): you, your

You need to get some rest, so you should leave the party early.

Side Note: The imperative tense (making a command or persuading someone) often implies a 2^nd-person point of view because you are speaking directly to someone else.

Leave the party early because you need to get some rest.

Third-Person Point of View

3^rd-Person Point Of View (the most formal way of writing; often preferred for analytical, research, and most academic papers): he, she, it, they, people, any noun

They need to get some rest, so they should leave the party early.

Writing formally (for academic essays, business letters, resumes, etc.) doesn't mean trying to sound smarter or using bigger words--you don't want your voice to sound unnatural. Formal writing is more about avoiding certain things: cliches, colloquial expressions, contractions, and commonly misused words. 

A cliché is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel.

There vs their      I am going there tomorrow / It is their car.

Our vs are      They are similar to our family.

Affect vs effect      verb: The writing affected me / You affect your writing / Life affects your writing.

                                noun: the Doppler Effect, the effects of the storm.

Were vs where      They were going to the place where they go every year.

Than vs then      You write better than me/First we dance and then we sing. 

Click here to see more commonly misused words.

Polished sentences with correct grammar signal that a writer has written their paper thoughtfully and thoroughly. We provide a detailed guide on grammar, punctuation, and sentences. Before you begin fixing the sentences of your first draft, though, take the time to revise your paper.