Brand Sanderson Lecture 10: Replacing Adjectives and Passive Voice (3/8)

[@gryndyl]

A recently popular trick for identifying passive voice is to see if you can insert "...by zombies" after your verb. If you can then you're writing in passive.

[@paulkennedy5152]

I will remember this forever. Thanks! 👍

[@nicholer9]

Passive sentences can also be sentences that have the reader a step removed from the action, making them a passive observer as opposed to a direct observer. "The man's hand was mangled. He was in the corner looking in the room." VS The man with the mangled hand stared out in the tavern from his seat in the corner." Passive description vs an active description.

[@TheXLAXLimpLungs]

I think keeping a verb or noun less specific is good in a one place; when you're trying to allude without giving away. Adding that extra detail to foreshadow something, that to the reader at the time doesn't place it, but provides evidence to the twists and turns later on when they are revealed.

[@dakotabaker628]

One day I want to meet this man. And on that day I want to sit in a comfortable chair with my Starwars socks on, my Jurassic Park boxers pressed and ironed and a cup of warm coffee in my hand. I want to take a sip of that coffee lean across the table, hold out my hand and shake Mr. Sanderson's hand and say "Thank you."

[@zacharywood9416]

Dakota Baker Lol you posted this on another of his videos already. How many times do you need to express this? 😂

[@peaches7487]

@@zacharywood9416 as many times as it takes

[@Tropicoboy]

​@@zacharywood9416let him dream!! He has lived his whole life for that momment

[@GnarledStaff]

I think one thing that confuses people is whether the “said” advice applies to only info dump style dialogue or also action scenes with dialogue. I think you want to keep the action oriented “said-words” when people are interlacing combat and important actions you do not want the reader to skip reading with dialogue.

[@777cody1]

Geordin Soucie who talks during combat? lol

[@miralabualjadail4206]

i think he was talking about being active ie: action/movement get it ? not the active voice

[@chaoticbiconic7430]

wait, snuck is a word!

[@keegster7167]

It's not known as a 'correct' word by most grammarians, but is very commonly used in North America. It's origin is unknown but either came about to fit the strike/struck paradigm or from an obscure Northern British dialect a long time ago. And so some consider it a word, some don't.

[@contessa.adella]

I have been told by Americans to use snuck....but I prefer the British ‘sneaked’. Of course you can get around it using crept. I have also seen a young American writer use “trucked” for an item transported by a truck...it looks and sounds awful...but she got published so...... By that logic people carried somewhere by a car have been “carred” to their destination Lol

[@777GuitarShred]

Actually, I think he was talking about avoiding to be verbs, but messed up. Anyway, you're right.

[@bird9230]

I don't do this often but how about 'Red Eyes' do I have to cut out Red? xD

[@axe7665]

Brandon used the example of making something active. You can say "He had red eyes" and it gets the point across, but "His red eyes flicked nervously towards the door," progresses the story better as well as describes his eyes

[@limetom]

Neither of these first two examples were actually passive verbs. I understand the point of making more engaging writing, but if we're doing technical stuff, we should be correct. Really, the passive voice is used everywhere. Well-intentioned bad advice. "He was tall" is active; you can't even make it passive. It's a predicative adjective. "He was chopping wood" is past progressive, an action that went on for a time in the past. You can make it passive: "Wood was being chopped."

[@ТимурМурзаев-о4б]

What are you talking about? Those are examples of a "to be" verb, not of the passive verbs.

[@Actual_Malice]

Opened to a random page in WoR, he uses sputtered and then growled on consecutive lines, instead of said. I don't mind it, just thought it was funny after listening to him go on about only using said for so long.

[@GnarledStaff]

andrew steele I think when people give this advice they forget to mention situations when the dialogue is about as important as the actions being taken. Growling is an action, “said” identifies a speaker. So actual heated arguments people will be growling more often and when werewolves argue their can be snarling.

[@howardkoor2796]

Sensational teacher

[@devinreese1109]

The only other use of acidic than its practical use is like "acidic jibe or humour." or "acidic personality." Ill assume he means the figurative use.

[@contessa.adella]

In which case the word becomes acerbic....

[@imonearthnow1903]

I've never seen such a chaotic mess of white board abuse than with this guy.