Sainani SciWrite 2.1

Summary

In this lecture from Week Two of Writing in the Sciences, Kristin Sainani from Stanford University focuses on improving scientific writing by emphasizing the use of the active voice over the passive. She explains the structure of the active voice (subject, verb, object) and contrasts it with the passive voice, which can obscure responsibility. Sainani provides examples and techniques to identify and convert passive sentences into active ones, promoting clarity and directness in scientific communication.

Takeaways

• 📝 **Active Voice Importance**: The lecture emphasizes the use of the active voice over the passive voice in scientific writing for clarity and directness.
• 🔄 **Active Voice Structure**: The active voice follows the 'subject-verb-object' format, which is more natural and direct compared to the passive voice.
• 📉 **Passive Voice Issues**: The passive voice can make sentences awkward and obscure responsibility, which is why it's often avoided in effective writing.
• 🔍 **Recognizing Passive Voice**: Passive voice sentences can be identified by the structure 'object-verb-subject' or by the presence of a 'to-be' verb followed by a past tense verb.
• 👉 **Transforming Passive to Active**: To convert passive voice sentences to active, identify the true subject and rearrange the sentence to 'subject-verb-object'.
• ✏️ **Editing for Clarity**: The active voice often requires specificity and can lead to more concise writing by eliminating unnecessary words.
• 🤔 **Subject Identification**: In cases where the passive voice omits the subject, the author or researchers are often implied and should be considered when converting to active voice.
• 📚 **Resource Recommendation**: 'The Elements of Style' by Strunk and White is recommended for further reading on writing style and principles.
• 🔗 **Cause and Effect**: The active voice correctly orders cause and effect, making it easier to follow the logic of scientific descriptions.
• ✂️ **Cutting Clutter**: Using the active voice can help cut down on wordiness, as it often requires more direct language and avoids unnecessary phrases.

Q & A

What are the three key principles of effective writing mentioned in the script?

The script discusses the latter two principles of the three key principles of effective writing: 1) Use of the active voice, and 2) Writing with strong verbs, avoiding turning verbs into nouns, and keeping the main verb close to the subject at the beginning of the sentence.

What is the active voice and how is it structured?

The active voice follows the format subject, verb, object, which is the natural way we talk and write. It can sometimes be just subject, verb without an object.

How does the passive voice differ from the active voice?

The passive voice inverts the structure of the active voice, often placing the object before the verb and the subject, or sometimes just the object and verb without the subject.

What is a mantra suggested to remember when writing in the active voice?

The suggested mantra to remember when writing in the active voice is 'subject, verb, object, subject, verb, object' to reinforce the natural writing structure.

Why is the passive voice considered awkward in both speaking and writing?

The passive voice is considered awkward because it inverts the natural speech pattern and can obscure the subject or responsible party, making sentences sound unnatural and less direct.

How can you identify a passive verb in a sentence?

A passive verb can be identified by looking for a form of the verb 'to be' (is, was, were, be, been, am) connected to the past tense of a main verb that takes an object.

What is an example of a passive voice sentence and how can it be converted to active voice?

A passive voice sentence example is 'Mistakes were made.' To convert it to active voice, it would be 'We made mistakes.' or specify the subject responsible for the action.

Why might someone use the passive voice in academic or scientific writing?

The passive voice might be used in academic or scientific writing to de-emphasize the subject or responsible party, to maintain objectivity, or to adhere to certain stylistic conventions.

How does the active voice help in making a sentence more direct and clear?

The active voice helps make sentences more direct and clear by clearly identifying the subject performing the action, which can lead to shorter sentences with fewer unnecessary words.

What is one strategy to turn a passive voice sentence into active voice?

One strategy to turn a passive voice sentence into active voice is to ask 'who does what to whom?' and then restructure the sentence to have the subject performing the action (verb) on the object.

Can you provide an example from the script where the active voice makes a sentence more concise?

Yes, the script provides an example where the passive voice sentence 'The activation of Calcium channels is induced by the depletion of endoplasmic reticular calcium stores' is made more concise in the active voice as 'Depleting calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum activates calcium channels.'