Grammar Phobic or Grammar Guru? Writing Rules to Use or Ignore (Part 1)

by Trina Rimmer on June 30th 2010 Comments
online-training-grammar-tips

When it comes to business writing, it seems most of us fall into one of two general categories – Grammar Phobics or Grammar Gurus. 

You might be Grammar Phobic if you…

  • are intimidated by writing.
  • are happily ignorant of all the grammar “rules.”

You might be a Grammar Guru if you…

  • are the proud owner of  a well-worn copy of the Chicago Manual of Style.
  • have been accused of writing in a style that’s too stiff, technical, or formal.

Whether you’re phobic or a guru, I’m sure we can all agree that good writing is the foundation of great training so it’s time we focus on a few simple ways to improve writing quality to make training easier and more compelling for trainees.  Because grammar isn’t the most exciting topic, let’s start out easy – with one simple rule grammar phobics should embrace.

Embrace: Writing in an Active Voice

One of the biggest writing pet peeves I hear about is the use of passive voice.   What do I mean by passive voice and active voice? Here are examples of each:

This is an active statement because the subject (Mitch) is performing the action.  

See how Lauren became the subject even though she’s not the one doing the action?  This is a passive statement because the object (Lauren) was put into the subject’s (Mitch’s) position. 

Do you notice how the passive voice example is confusing and wordy compared to the active version? This is why passive voice writing has a bad rap.

When To Use Passive Voice

While active voice is preferable in most situation, passive voice isn’t always a writing no-no – particularly when it comes to training. Here are a few examples of when using passive voice may be a good choice:

  1. To emphasize an object.

    2. This sentence emphasizes the number of votes required. An active version of the sentence (“The measure requires 50 votes to pass“) would put the emphasis on the measure, rather than the number of votes – which may be less important to trainees.

  2. When the subject or the object are unknown.

    3. If you don’t know who did what, writing in the passive voice may be better.  If you want to emphasize the unknown thief, an alternative wording might be “Somebody stole the money.”

  3. If your readers don’t need to know (or you don’t want them to know) who’s doing what.

    4. When I’m writing a scenario, a multiple-choice question, or a case study designed to prompt critical-thinking, I often use passive voice to help direct the trainee’s attention or to obfuscate the details, forcing them to demonstrate their understanding of what I’ve just taught them.

    Although this sentence is passive, it might be a good fit for the goals of my activity.  For instance, if I wanted trainees to demonstrate their knowledge of the office’s package handling procedures, keeping it vague (passive) might be the way to go.  On the other hand, if the goal is for trainees to apply new knowledge (active), it might be better to reword this statement with active phrasing (e.g.“Erik delivered the package to the receptionist at 9:30 a.m. yesterday”).
     

A final tip; as you’re writing, give yourself time to think through the options that work best for your material.  Use the “purge and perfect” approach:  Do what it takes to get your thoughts onto the page for the first draft (I call this ”the purge”) and then pursue perfection in your revisions.  Of course this is all easier said than done for those of us who are recovering grammar phobes, so here are a few resources I turn to for help:

 

What are your grammatical conundrums or writing pet peeves?   Share your thoughts with the Mindflash community by clicking on the comment link.

Trina Rimmer is a learning and communications consultant with twelve years experience designing, developing, and delivering smart, engaging training solutions. When her training skills aren’t being tested by her children, you’ll find her helping others to develop their own design muscles. Contact Trina at trina@rimmer.net.

13 Responses

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Barbara Smith says: June 30, 2010 at 8:15 pm

These are great tips for the writing-challenged. What about writing for global audiences? I am discovering too much American slang in curriculum I am reviewing. What is a way to combat the use of slang?

Trina Rimmer says: July 1, 2010 at 2:03 am

Hi Barbara,

First of all, thanks for the compliment! Writing training for a global audience does have its own set of rules and informality in writing (particularly the use of slang) is certainly a recipe for confusion.

I haven’t faced the challenge of designing training materials for a global audience yet, however, I have created training for translation into several other languages. Here are few writing tips I picked up from that experience:

- Express one idea per sentence
- Write with more formality by avoiding the use of contractions
- Write active statements (passive voice creates too much verb tense confusion)
- Limit the use of compound nouns (e.g. housewife)

One final suggestion: When I shared your comment with a colleague, she suggested the book “The Global English Styleguide” by John. R. Kohl. It looks pretty comprehensive to me. I hope you’ll find it helpful!

Thanks again,

Trina

Patricia Plumb says: July 1, 2010 at 5:06 pm

Very interesting – it’s been a long time since English classes! Active and passive? Now I remember! Thanks.

Trina Rimmer says: July 1, 2010 at 5:12 pm

Hi Pat,

Thanks for reading the post and sharing your feedback! Glad we could help you brush up on your knowledge.

Regards,

Trina

Carol Ebbinghouse says: July 2, 2010 at 3:50 am

Grammar is so important. When I am trying to communicate with a group, as in training, using good grammar adds clarity, provides emphasis to the important things, and is easier for the audience to understand. More people should reflect back on their early writing classes.

If you would like a recommendation for a couple of great audiobooks:

- Amy Tan, THE OPPOSITE OF FATE
- Steven King, ON WRITING

Both authors discuss their personal life histories but they get most animated when they reveal their thoughts on the art and work of writing and using good grammar. Steven King actually rants against adverbs! As I recall they each considered Strunk and White’s Elements of Style an essential part of their writing toolbox. It is a delight to hear them reading their own words, discussing writing, writers (good and bad), and what it takes to write for a living.

Mary says: July 2, 2010 at 6:29 am

It is nice to see a blog that is interesting and evidence that some people still use their minds. Thank you!

Trina Rimmer says: July 2, 2010 at 4:59 pm

Hi Carol,

Thanks for taking the time to read the post and share your reading recommendations. I’ve heard others mention Steven King’s On Writing as a great read. Based on your description, it sounds like I should bump it to the top of my reading/audiobook list!

Thanks again for providing your feedback,

Trina

Trina Rimmer says: July 2, 2010 at 5:01 pm

Hi Mary,

I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and appreciate the importance of good writing & communication skills. As for using our minds, I must admit that mine works much better when it’s well-caffeinated!

Thanks for reading & sharing your feedback with the Mindflash community!

Regards,

Trina

Jane says: July 2, 2010 at 5:58 pm

Thanks for clarifying when passive is a better choice. I’m just a SME who used to chuckle at some of my tech writers who got so wrapped in the “never use passive” rule that they forgot that the meaning of the sentence also had importance. Your examples give me a concrete way to explain why passive seems better in specific cases.

Trina Rimmer says: July 2, 2010 at 8:01 pm

Hi Jane,

I love to hear how readers plan to use the information from my posts! Thank you for sharing your feedback with the Mindflash community. If you have suggestions for other posts that could help SMEs and/or Technical Writers create better training, please send them along!

Thanks for reading!

Trina

Lu Nguyen says: July 7, 2010 at 12:27 pm

Hi Trina,

I agree that passive voice may actually work well in training.

Trina Rimmer says: July 8, 2010 at 7:26 am

Hi Lu,

Thanks for reading the post and sharing your feedback. I’m glad you can see how an appropriate use for passive voice can work well in training. Please keep reading and letting us now how we’re doing!

Regards,

Trina

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