I'm currently reading "The Sense of Style" by award-winning cognitive scientist Steven Pinker. In his book, he reveals the secrets of good writing. I've decided to start this series of posts with my takeaways as I go along.

In our course, we say that nominalization and passive voice are essential for formal style.

However, these writerly habits might result in soggy prose if overused. Mr. Pinker doesn’t mean that these devices are downright inappropriate in modern prose — otherwise, they wouldn’t survive in the language. The key is to use them wisely.

Each of these devices has its own purpose, which a good writer is supposed to keep in mind:

- Nominalization is for keeping the passage coherent.
- The passive voice allows the writer to redirect the reader’s gaze.

Used merely for the sake of being used, these devices can make your writing incomprehensible and cumbersome.

Remember your ultimate goal: achieving natural communication with the reader, as if you were having a conversation.