As the writer, you may see some differences between advise and assist, interest and concern, or thanks and gratitude. But your readers won’t. Repeating a general idea can’t make it any more precise. Simple subtraction will overcome the use of similar words such as these: Example: We must comply with the standards and criteria for controlling and reducing environmental pollution. Better: We must comply with the stan- dards for reducing environmental pollution. Avoid hut-2-3-4 phrases—long chains of nouns and modifiers. Readers can’t tell what adjective modifies what noun or where the modifiers end. We must live with some official hut-2-3-4  phrases,    such  as  fleet-oriented consolidated stock list, but you can avoid forming unofficial phrases. Rearrange modifiers or rewrite such phrases entirely: Example: The Board of Inspection and Survey service acceptance trials requirements Better: requirements by the Board of Inspection and Survey for service acceptance  trials Excessive abbreviating is false economy. Use abbreviations no more than you must with insiders and avoid them entirely with outsiders. Spell out an unfamiliar abbreviation the first time it appears. If it appears only twice or infrequently, spell out the term each time and avoid the abbreviation entirely. Put clarity before economy. Example: Marine Corps Development and Education Command (MCDEC) Passive verbs cause problems. They make writing wordy,    roundabout, and sometimes downright confusing. Learn how to spot passive verbs and make them active. Most sentences should use a who-does-what order. By leading with the doer, you automatically avoid a passive verb. Passive: Active: The ship was inspected by the skipper. The skipper inspected the ship. A verb in the passive voice uses any form of to be (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) plus the past participle of a main verb, such as driven or inspected. Unlike sentences with active verbs, sentences with passives don’t need to show who or what has done the verb’s action. Most passives just imply the "doer,” which can sometimes make the sentence unclear. Use one of three cures for passive  verbs. 1. Put a doer before the verb: Example: Improved: Better: Appropriate clothing will be worn by all personnel. All personnel will wear appro- priate clothing. Wear appropriate clothing. 2. Drop part of the verb: Example: Then he was transferred to Nor- folk. Better: Then he transferred to Norfolk. 3. Change the verb: Example: Personnel are prohibited from do- ing so. Better: Personnel must not do so. Write passively if you have good reason to avoid saying who or what has done the verb’s action. You might do that when the doer is unknown, unimportant, obvious, or better left unsaid. When in doubt, write actively, even though the doer may seem obvious. You will write livelier sentences (not, livelier sentences will be written by you). SUMMARY In this chapter we discussed the work center schedule, how to manage your time, and the importance of a smoothly run work center. You must seek self-improvement through leadership self-assessment to become a leader of Navy men and women. While assessing your leadership skills, keep in mind that no “best” leadership method exists. You may have to change your leadership behavior to fit your changing work  environment. 2-54