Use Active Voice

Use Active vs. Passive Voice

It is crucial that you use active, rather than passive voice in most of your writing.

Sentences written in passive voice often hide the answer to "who is doing what?" in a sentence, increasing the chance that you omit pertinent information.

Readers prefer active sentences because they make the message more effective and livelier.

Crafting active sentences can sometimes lengthen the text, but it is worth it if the additional words provide necessary details.

Here are a few examples:

✗	✓
The community members were asked whether the developer's responses answered their questions.	The corridor project team asked community members whether the developer's responses answered their questions.
The amended application must be submitted by the June 1 deadline to have the application reviewed.	The applicant or their legal representative must submit an amended application by June 1 for board review.

CAVEAT: There are some instances when passive voice is acceptable or even necessary:

The actor is unknown or not relevant to the message.	A new park for the recreation center was designed.
When you want to emphasize the action and not the actor.	A comprehensive plan for sustainable development was created in June.
When writing scientific or technical text.	The water samples were collected and the results analyzed.
When you want to avoid blaming language.	The applicant was confused by the wording of the regulations.

Source: plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/conversations/use-active-voice/

Keep Your Verbs Visible

Using hidden verbs (the transformation of verbs or adjectives into nouns) is called nominalization; you should minimize nominalizations in your writing. Academic writing relies heavily on nominalization, making it more formal and easier to describe complex ideas succinctly. However, nominalization can make sentences abstract, unnecessarily wordy, and less readable to your audience.

Where to find hidden verbs in your writing? Hidden verbs are often found when word uses include the following suffixes: -ment, -tion, -sions, and
-ance; they are also found when linked to verbs such as: achieve, effect, give, have, make, reach, or take.

Below are examples of some common hidden verb phrases:

Noun Phrase	Verb Phrase
implementation of zoning regulations	implement zoning regulations
development of infrastructure	develop infrastructure
preservation of historic districts	preserve historic districts
establishment of green spaces	establish green spaces
promotion of sustainable practices	promote sustainable practices
enhancement of public transportation	enhance public transportation
reduction of urban sprawl	reduce urban sprawl
regulation of land use	regulate land use
facilitation of community engagement	facilitate community engagement
observance of construction safety regulations	observe construction safety regulations
encouragement of mixed-use development	encourage mixed-use development
integration of cycling lanes	integrate cycling lanes
design of urban landscapes	design urban landscapes
construction of affordable housing	construct affordable housing
assessment of environmental impact	assess environmental impact
formulation of city master plans	formulate city master plans
evaluation of planning policies	evaluate planning policies
inclusion of community voices	include community voices
make an assessment of the structure	assess the structure
provide assistance to the Planning Board	assist the Planning Board

Ensure Parallel Structure

Ensuring that all parts of your sentences are parallel is not only a matter of following grammar rules - it also makes your writing easier to read.

✗	✓
The area's revitalization plan emphasizes both enhancing public transportation infrastructure and creation of more green spaces.	The area's revitalization plan emphasizes both enhancing public transportation infrastructure and creating more green spaces.
The zoning regulations neither consider the preservation of historical landmarks nor the encouragement of green building design.	The zoning regulations neither consider the preservation of historical landmarks nor encourage green building design.

Bulleted or Numbered Lists

Bulleted or numbered lists must also have parallel elements. A list can consist of a complete sentence for each element or a single sentence composed of several bulleted/numbered elements.

• A list does not include both complete and incomplete sentences.
• If each bullet point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word of each bulleted item and end the item with a period.
• If each bullet is part of a single sentence, begin each bullet with a lowercase letter.

✗	✓
The plan addresses several key issues, such as: promoting sustainable transportation, improved waste management, encourage mixed-use developments, and enhancing public safety and security.	The plan addresses several key issues, such as: promoting sustainable transportation, improving waste management, encouraging mixed-use developments, and enhancing public safety and security.

Limit Qualifying Language

Qualifying language adds nuance and precision to our communication by adjusting the scope, strength, or certainty of statements. For Planning Department purposes, we've categorized these into three types, with examples listed in the following table:

Type	Common Words and Phrases	Examples
Degree of Certainty	may, might, could, seems, probably, likely, definitely, possibly	The planning project will probably be completed in October.
Scope and Degree	always, almost, sometimes, never, rarely, really, very, extremely, slightly, only, just	The planning project is very detailed.
Condition and Comparison	if, unless, similar to, different from	The planning project is similar to the one completed in 2017.

As a guideline, omit qualifiers that strengthen statements (scope and degree) from documents, but include those that express doubt or limit certainty (degree of certainty) as they are acceptable and often necessary.

Examples:

Type	Example
General Descriptions	Almost all the industrial space is Class C.
Data Explanations	Most of the residential units in the development are single-family homes.
Descriptions of Scientific/Technological Phenomena	The rapid infiltration alternative is rarely used for on-site wastewater management.
Expected/Possible Actions	DPIE possibly will implement the new program in the next fiscal year.

CAVEAT: Statements that express uncertainty or doubt can signal a lack of confidence. Use qualifying terms strategically—their effectiveness depends a lot on context. As some qualifiers are on the unnecessary words list, consider whether using the word or phrase enhances your statement or if its removal preserves the original meaning.

Source: Karla Lyles and Jeanine Rauch, Structure of Argument, University of Mississippi WRIT 250 Committee OER Project. Creative Commons License: CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Avoid Negative Phrasing

It is usually easier to read a sentence that is written without negative phrases. That is, it is not as easy to read a sentence that is not written with positive phrasing. Notice the difference in clarity between the two previous sentences.

English grammar typically forbids double negatives, like "I can't get no satisfaction." An exception occurs for conditional sentences that pair a conditional phrase with an "if" clause and an outcome. However, using double negatives in a conditional sentence can make it clunky and harder to understand.

Examples:

✗	✓
Your signature is not valid if you are not a qualified property owner.	Your signature is valid only if you are a qualified property owner.
Not implementing adequate measures cannot be underestimated in reducing existing urban sprawl issues.	Implementing adequate measures is crucial to reducing existing urban sprawl issues.

CAVEAT: Phrasing that involves legal language or concepts often uses double negatives for the sake of precision.