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Grammar guru: active vs. passive voice

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The use of active or passive voice is a basic distinction that often causes trouble for many writers. Growing up, students are often drilled that they should avoid the passive voice because it is “weak.” It’s not quite that simple. Basically, the passive voice gets short shrift, but passive should be used appropriately. Depending on the ideas being expressed and the medium where the copy appears, the passive voice can be an appropriate, sophisticated, and even preferable choice over the active voice. With that said – or in this case, written – the active voice is often a better choice; and you may use both in the same article, depending on the context and content of your sentences. There are two types of passive sentences:

  • Short passive: in which the subject or performer of the action is not known
  • Long passive: in which the agent performing the action is known, but it is not the subject of the sentence.

     At the most basic level, the active voice emphasizes the subject or agent who performs an action; in short, the “actor.” The passive voice emphasizes the recipient of the action or sometimes the action itself.

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Best Practices Tips: Using Instagram

Casting a wide net (to maximize reach) is an idiom as old as the Bible, but efficacy in message platforms is a critical consideration when interacting with your audience. This Best Practice Tip takes a look at Instagram, the Facebook-owned image- and video-sharing social media platform.
 
In October 2020, the Pew Research Center’s Fact Tank published an article titled, “8 Facts About Americans and Instagram,” and the number crunchers peeled back some interesting insight into Instagram users.
 
Even though Instagram has been around for a decade, researchers found that less than four-in-ten Americans said they ever used Instagram. While that number is significantly higher than the nine percent who responded affirmatively when the question was last asked in 2012, it pales in comparison to more established platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

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Word of the day: Interregnum

  1. The time during which a throne is vacant between two successive reigns or regimes
  2. A period during which the normal functions of government or control are suspended
  3. A lapse or pause in a continuous series

The time between when a candidate, in this case President-elect Joe Biden, and the incumbent, President Donald Trump, is declared but does not yet officially take office. Otherwise known as the “transition.”

Best practice tips > professional organizations: blog it out

Doctor-patient communication is often cited as one of the biggest determinants of patient satisfaction and a well-crafted, SEO-infused blog post also helps reach a wider audience.

The blog format has been tried and true for its informal yet informative ability to share information. It can be posted on different media platforms and allows a direct way to discuss topics of interest to your practice. It also gives you an opportunity to link related topics to one other, offering further reading for both patients and visitors to your site. These links can serve to boost comprehension of the initial post, especially if some of the elements are hard to understand and in healthcare, law and many other professions, most concepts are better explained with a closer look.

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