Business writing ― the land of case studies, white papers, corporate fact sheets and press releases ― is often visited by third-person pronouns, linking verbs, business jargon and overly complex clauses. While sometimes it’s unavoidable to escape using technological terms in a consumer report, engaging content should compel readers to take action. And to do so, injecting action words in your business materials is all that is needed to keep your audience interested. Here are four ways to incorporate action words in your business writing to help capture ― and retain ― your readers’ attention.
How to Convey Action in Your Business Writing
Use active voice
Use descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs
Use specific action verbs
Use present tense as much as possible
Use Active Voice
As you might remember from English class, passive voice is when the noun being acted upon becomes the subject of the sentence. Passive voice, therefore, reverses the position of the subject (aka, the doer) and the object (aka, the entity that is acted on).
You’ve probably heard the following many times before: Use active voice instead of passive voice to make your sentences clearer. Not to mention, sentences using passive voice always pack extra words, thus making them unnecessarily longer.
Although I use passive voice, and sometimes prefer it, active voice is a great way to keep your readers engaged by injecting energy into your business writing. Consider the two sentences below:
Passive voice: The dog was bitten by the snake.
Active voice: The snake bit the dog.
Although both sentences describe the same event, the second example not only goes straight to the point but makes it easier for readers to visualize the action. If you need a refresher on how to recognize the use of passive voice in a sentence, try the “by Zombie” method courtesy of Grammarly.
Use Descriptive Words
The main role of descriptive words like adjectives and adverbs is to describe all elements of a statement. Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs modify action verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.
When it comes to action, adverbs are an excellent choice for describing the type of event taking place. Using the same active voice sentence above, see how inserting one and even two adverbs adds a bit of oomph to the statement:
The snake swiftly bit the dog.
The snake swiftly and fiercely bit the dog.
For a quick refresher on adverbs visit this page or this one by Elite Editing.
Use Specific Action Verbs
Just like they are different types of nouns (proper and common) and pronouns (first, person and third), they are different kinds of verbs:
Action verbs
Modal verbs
Auxiliary verbs
Going back to our original two sentences, you can see the difference replacing “was bitten” with “bit” makes in describing the type of action that is taking place. However, sometimes using a precise action verb can make a world of difference when portraying the activity that is taking place and its degree. For instance:
Example 1: Exasperated, the young woman spoke a few words under her breath as she quickly walked out of the kitchen.
Example 2: Exasperated, the young woman muttered a few words as she stormed out of the kitchen.
While both sentences are grammatically correct, the second example vividly describes how the young woman spoke and walked out of the room, which helps readers connect with her character. (This website provides a good overview of the different types of verbs.)
Use Present Tense
Finally, sometimes changing a verb to the present tense does the trick. Consider these examples:
“This is the best product in our current pipeline,” said Jane Doe, senior vice president of research and development.
“This is the best product in our current pipeline,” says Jane Doe, senior vice president of research and development.
Even better, you can replace “says” with a more specific verb, also in the present tense: “This is the best product in our current pipeline,” announces Jane Doe, senior vice president of research and development.
In Short
Injecting more action into your business writing doesn’t require complicated writing formulas or fancy words. Long gone are also the days of writing case studies and even press releases with stale verbs and nondescript clauses. All it takes is finding the right action word to brighten your writing, draw your readers in and keep them engaged.
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