How to avoid passive voice and over use of words in writing

1. Using passive voice makes it hard for readers to understand in writing. If your
readers have to guess what you are trying to say, they will not wan to read further
on.
2. The reader may also think that you are a sloppy, lazy thinker.
Too many are unaware of the distinction between inactive and dynamic written work.
I was a casualty of this, until I learned more about grammar. A great deal of our sentences
are mind boggling, and we dont pick up on it. I know, I tend to ramble and get off topic a
lot but I would see how much more powerful my work when it's short and straight to the
point.
T. (n.d.). Passive Voice. Retrieved May 04, 2016, from
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/passive-voice/

Do you use commas when separating a sentence?

In your writing, try to use as few words as possible.
Mistakes with commas and periods are common in writing. People never know when to
break a sentence up, and rarely knows when a sentence should pause or end.
Sometimes a comma in this situation is necessary to avoid confusion.
Confusing: I saw that she was busy and prepared to leave.
Clearer with comma: I saw that she was busy, and prepared to leave.
In AP style, you are taught to limit your use of commas- not using thing.
Without a comma, the reader is liable to think that "she" was the one who was prepared to
leave.
Straus, J. (1999). Commas. Retrieved May 05, 2016, from
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp

What is a subject- verb agreement?

Have you ever had problems distinguishing whether subject or verbs are singular or
plural?

In writing, I found myself unaware of when to make a verb plural or singular.

When deciding if a verb is plural or singular, I find the subject of the sentence. I can do
this by asking what is doing the verb.
Once I find the subject, I ask myself whether it is singular or plural. If it is singular, then
the verb would be singular.
For instance, take the following sentence:
There has been five incidents.
I find the verb first. The verb here is has been.
To find the subject, I ask myself what has been?
The answer is incidents.
So I ask myself if this is plural or singular. Incidents is plural, so this tells us that both
the subject and verb should be plural.
Now that I found that the subject is plural, I known the verb has to be plural. Has is
singular, so I have to change it to the plural have.
Incorrect: There has been five incidents.
Correct: There have been five incidents.
C. (n.d.). Subject-Verb Agreement. Retrieved May 05, 2016, from
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm