How to Write Great Essays

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C T I V E V E R S U S
P
A S S I V E
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The active voice is much more effective in conveying your personality through your essay.
Not only is the active voice clearer and more direct, but it conveys your meaning more eas-
ily. In the active voice, you literally become the source, or cause, of the action.
In the passive voice, the subject (most often 
you
) is acted upon. Sentences written in the pas-
sive voice tend to be too wordy, or lack focus. For these reasons, it should be used only when
necessary. The good news is that passive-voice errors are easy to omit from your writing.
Compare these sentences:
Active: 
My friend asked for another helping.
Passive:
Another helping was asked for by my friend.
Active:
I misplaced my wallet.
Passive
: My wallet was misplaced by me.
Active:
The administration has selected three finalists for the open position.
Passive:
Three finalists for the open position have been selected by the admin-
istration.
Note the simplicity and directness of the first sentence in each pair. The second sentences,
written in the passive voice, are clunky and noticeably longer.
S
E N T E N C E
S
T R U C T U R E
A complete sentence requires a noun and verb, and expresses a fully developed thought.
The two most common mistakes at the sentence level are extremes. Sentence fragments stop

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too quickly; they are phrases that are not whole thoughts. Run-on sentences don’t stop soon
enough; they include two complete clauses or sentences.
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
A sentence fragment is a group of words that, although punctuated as a sentence, does not
express a complete thought. Fragments are often missing a subject or verb, and may be
dependent clauses. Fragments also can be phrases or parts of other sentences.