The inconsistent tense in the e-mail will very likely distract the reader from its overall point. In the professional world,  your coworkers will most likely not correct your verb tenses or call attention to grammatical errors, but it is important to keep in mind that these errors do have a subtle negative impact in the workplace, just as they do when applying for jobs and communicating with clients. If you keep making small mistakes like this, the receiver of your message may assume you do not pay attention to little details.

Simplifying Verbs

Another issue that writers have is overcomplicating their verbs with extra words. In almost every instance, if you realize you can simplify your writing by taking out words, that is the best option. In regards to verbs, the issue typically stems from writers using passive voice and nominalizations in their writing.

Active Voice and Passive Voice

Even when writers have consistent verb tenses, they often overcomplicate their writing by expressing the action in as many words as possible. One way they do this is by using the passive voice. Consider the following sentences, for instance. Which would you prefer to read?

Most readers would prefer the second option. Why? Here, the active voice construction on the right uses two fewer words to say the same thing. As a result, it is more direct than the passive voice construction. How does it do that?

First, let’s define the two terms. Active voice is a sentence structure where the subject carries out the action. Passive voice is a sentence structure where the subject receives the action.

Essentially, it all comes down to the subject and verb. Who is the subject of the passive voice sentence? It’s not “the candidate” because the action of the sentence is not being done by them. The subject is “our membership”  because they are the ones doing the supporting.

In the active voice sentence, “members” has been moved to the start of the sentence. It is clear that they are doing the action.

Both sentences are valid grammatically. You could use either format in your writing, and the reader would understand what you are saying. However, the active voice is generally the better one to use since active sentences tend to be shorter, more precise, and easier to understand.

There are legitimate uses of the passive voice though. When you want to deemphasize the doer of the action, passive voice is a good choice. Look at the example below.

In this example, the passive voice above doesn’t place blame or credit, so it can be more diplomatic in some contexts. Passive voice also allows the writer to avoid personal references or personal pronouns (he, she, they) to create a more objective tone. Additionally, there are situations where the doer of the action is unknown, as in the following example.

We don’t know who created the graffiti, so a passive form is useful here.

However, keep in mind that overusing the passive voice sounds unnatural and appears as an attempt to extend the word count or sound more fancy and objective. Most readers prefer the active voice because the passive voice is either more wordy or vague. Nevertheless, it is important to consider what is conventional in the type of writing you’re engaging in—for instance, certain disciplines require that lab reports use the passive voice.

Nominalization

Another issue that overcomplicates writing is when writers turn the main action they describe into nouns, a process called nominalization. This involves taking a verb and adding a suffix such as -ant, -ent, -ion, -tion, -sion, -ence, -ance, or -ing, as well as adding forms of other verbs, such as “to make” or “to give.” Nominalization may also require articles (the, a, or an) before the action nouns. Consider the following comparisons of nominalized-verb sentences with simplified verb forms:

You can tell that the simplified sentences have greater impact than those that use nominalizations. In all of the nominalization examples, more words are required to say the same thing. When writing contains all three issues we’ve discussed (inconsistent verb tense, passive voice, and nominalizations), it becomes muddled and lacks the clarity that is expected in professional writing