I've 'had' it with 'was'

[SimonDoom]

I use "was" too much, too. It's not always wrong to use it. Sometimes it can be appropriate to use "was" to indicate that an action is ongoing while someone does something.

For example:

I walked into the kitchen. My sister was pulling a Coke out of the fridge.

Might be better, given the circumstances, than

I walked into the kitchen. My sister pulled a Coke out of the fridge.

But in general, it's a good idea to check one's "wases." I try to do this and get rid of a lot of them. I don't always succeed.

"Had" is a different story. The past perfect tense is entirely appropriate in some situations to indicate that event A happened before event B, which happened in the more recent past.

Example:

She stood at the mirror admiring the red dress she had bought at the store earlier that day.

Is better (more correct) than

She stood at the mirror admiring the red dress she bought at the store earlier that day.

In any event, by the standards of this site, you are too hard on yourself about your grammar, and your story-telling is good enough that only the nerds will notice (not that the nerds don't count, but they are a small minority here).

 

[Handley_Page]

My most common "She was wearing a red dress"

:

"She wore a red dress." Would be an alternative.

That's not just a change in grammar, but a considerable upgrade to the imagery.
are options.

I agree

 

[jomar]

Maybe you need a "swing thought" while you write to keep your active head in the game.

Wondering if you wrote on that post-it stuck on top of the keyboard as well as the monitor: I'm a pitcher, not a catcher!




(bonus points for movie quote reference)

 

[lovecraft68]

Maybe you need a "swing thought" while you write to keep your active head in the game.

Wondering if you wrote on that post-it stuck on top of the keyboard as well as the monitor: I'm a pitcher, not a catcher!




(bonus points for movie quote reference)

Would I have to post my swing thoughts in Loving Wives?

Mr Goodbar? If I'm right its only because I have a cousin who stayed with me for a few months and must have watched that thing ten times on VHS while he was there.

 

[jomar]

Would I have to post my swing thoughts in Loving Wives?

Mr Goodbar? If I'm right its only because I have a cousin who stayed with me for a few months and must have watched that thing ten times on VHS while he was there.

Swing thoughts cover a lot of options.

But yes, Goodbar. Well done!

 

[SimonDoom]

My most common "She was wearing a red dress"

That insinuates she 'was' wearing a red dress and changed into something else. The red dress 'was' on her but no longer.

It is not always better to change this sentence.

"She was wearing a red dress" is the past continuous tense; it means that something happened in the past and kept happening while something else happened.

So, for example:

"She was wearing a red dress when I walked into the room."

Might be better than

"She wore a red dress when I walked into the room."

The first sentence more accurately conveys that the wearing of the red dress was a continuous action and walking into the room happened during that action. The second sentence is less clear about this point. If that were the use, I wouldn't change it.

But if you don't put two different actions together this way, you should eliminate "was." For example:

She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She wore a red dress.

Is better than:

She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She was wearing a red dress.

 

[LadyVer]

Glad you're working on tightening your mechanics, LC.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

I solved the passive verb problem.

Simply replace the passive verb with an action verb, to wit: I WAS AT THE AIRPORT becomes I WAITED AT THE AIRPORT BAR.

Passive verbs are existential place-holders like zero in a number. P assive verbs exist to spare readers and auditors lotsa stuff they already know.

The passive verbs are: IS AM ARE WAS WERE HAVE HAD HAS DO DOES DID MAY MIGHT MUST CAN COULD, there are others. When you fall over one it should reference something that's common knowledge or at least known to the reader.

AUNTIE LOVECRAFT may read this but wont be any wiser.

 

[Kantarii]

Put the past behind you and think in the present That isn't too hard is it? Or we can always look to the future of what will be, right

 

[cockteezer]

passive vs active voice

This is a discussion of the use of the passive voice vs the active voice in writing. You can Google that; I won't provide a discussion here. The passive voice is properly used in technical writing, but should be avoided otherwise. Certainly don't ever mix the two in one sentence.

 

[SimonDoom]

This is a discussion of the use of the passive voice vs the active voice in writing. You can Google that; I won't provide a discussion here. The passive voice is properly used in technical writing, but should be avoided otherwise. Certainly don't ever mix the two in one sentence.

No, it's not a matter of passive v. active voice.

The sentence "She was wearing a red dress" is not in the passive voice. It's active voice, past continuous tense. Passive voice would be "The red dress was worn by her" or "The red dress was being worn by her."

It IS correct to use past tense and past continuous tense together -- that's the whole point of having past continuous tense, to indicate that an ongoing action is happening and another thing happens while it is ongoing.

 

[Handley_Page]

.
.

But if you don't put two different actions together this way, you should eliminate "was." For example:

She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She wore a red dress.

Is better than:

She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She was wearing a red dress.

". . . She wore a red dress." which had clearly seen better days.

To my mind, the second one implies there is more information to come.

. . . "She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She was wearing a red dress. " and was carrying a shotgun with an air of someone who knew what to do with it .

or similar.

 

[SimonDoom]

. . . "She sat at the bar, sipping a cocktail. She was wearing a red dress. " and was carrying a shotgun with an air of someone who knew what to do with it .

or similar.

I like that. I expect a story to be forthcoming soon.

 

[Handley_Page]

I like that. I expect a story to be forthcoming soon.

Wish I could. It will take a great deal of effort; I'm in the slough of despond.

 

[SimonDoom]

Wish I could. It will take a great deal of effort; I'm in the slough of despond.

I'm sorry to hear that. But, seriously, I like the idea of the shotgun-wielding, cocktail-sipping bar vamp. Run with that!

 

[Kantarii]

Wish I could. It will take a great deal of effort; I'm in the slough of despond.

Just a side note, but I was actually listening to the song "slough of the despond" by Callenish Circle earlier. Great songI might be the only one here that listens to the band
On the writing idea, I might have to work the idea into my follow up to The Diablo Masquerade
But, she needs some matching red heels with that dress

 

[Handley_Page]

Just a side note, but I was actually listening to the song "slough of the despond" by Callenish Circle earlier. Great songI might be the only one here that listens to the band
On the writing idea, I might have to work the idea into my follow up to The Diablo Masquerade
But, she needs some matching red heels with that dress

It could be that the lack of red heels is the reason for the shotgun. . . .


PS. I had a quick peek at Callenish Circle; could not find slough of despond, but the other stuff reminded me of the bands my son used to rave about when we had 'Punk'.
It was one of the reasons I re-discovered Beethoven, Mozart & Vaughn-Williams.

PPS. See entry 66 in the 50-word thread.

 

[CeasarBoobage]

had had had had

Yes, I had to go there


http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/why-is-english-so-much-fun-2.jpg

Also you can see a few more examples with a quick search.

 

[Handley_Page]

Yes, I had to go there

I suspect it might be a bit of a bitch to translate into, say, German or French.

 

[holliday1960]

No, it's not a matter of passive v. active voice.

The sentence "She was wearing a red dress" is not in the passive voice. It's active voice, past continuous tense. Passive voice would be "The red dress was worn by her" or "The red dress was being worn by her."

It IS correct to use past tense and past continuous tense together -- that's the whole point of having past continuous tense, to indicate that an ongoing action is happening and another thing happens while it is ongoing.

I, for one, would like to say 'thanks for clearing that up'. I struggle constantly to understand passives and actives along with tenses. In fact, this question came up today in another conversation, so you helped one poor soul here. Concisely put. Thank you.

 

[sr71plt]

Is it really was and had you want to get rid of or the passive ing?

Or is it the past perfect LC's trying to cut down. There's nothing wrong with full use of the simple past. Often the past perfect can be trimmed down to simple past, though. I don't see that this was a thread about passive voice, as JBJ seemed to assume.