Have you ever read something and wondered why it was so positive? It’s almost as if the author doesn’t know what to say next. Or maybe there’s just not enough good things in the world, so a writer must try to find as many of them as possible.Either way, certain passages leave you confused or excited by the same thing: Why are they talking about this in such a positive way? Is this a joke? Are we actually reading about how wonderful, uplifting, and inspiring their subject is?The answer is yes.
Yes, that passage above was written in a positive tone because it has a hidden benefit that only becomes apparent upon closer examination. In other words, writers write in a particular style called positive language to make their intended meaning more clear and appealing. Let’s take a look at some examples of this phenomenon to see why writers do it and what effects it has on the text itself.
What is Positive Language?
Positive language is a way to highlight the good, uplift readers with it, and give them a sense of hope and optimism. Instead of dwelling on the negative, it tries to focus on all the good things that have been and are coming. You don’t want to simply tell readers what they don’t want to hear; you want to tell them what they do want to hear. In other words, positive language is all about adding a little extra goodness to your writing. It’s not about excluding problems because writing about them only makes them more prominent; it’s about describing them in the past tense or the present tense, then saying that they’re on their way out or that they’ve already been dealt with.
Why do Writers Use Positive Language?
Why would anyone want to write only about the good things and avoid the bad things? That seems like a pointless thing to do, doesn’t it? Why not just write about what’s around you at that moment, about the things you can control? Why not just write about the things that happen to be positive, that seem to be happening more often than the negative things? Well, that makes sense. But if you think about it, the world is full of negativity. It’s in our surroundings, it’s in our daily lives, and it’s in our news. Writing only about the good sides of things doesn’t solve the problem of too much negativity in life. It just changes how you think about it. Instead of thinking about how bad things are and comparing them against how good things are, you start thinking about how good things are and how much they outweigh the bad things.
How to Use Positive Language in Your Writing
Now that you know what positive language is, it’s time to see how you can use it in your writing. Start by looking at the issue that you’re trying to solve. Think about the main point you’re trying to get across. What is your main purpose for writing? Now you can start finding the right words to express your meaning. First, decide what words you want to use.
If you want to talk about something good, use positive words. If you want to talk about something negative, then use negative words. Next, you have to decide how you want to use them. Or let's say you have to use a Z word. Next time, choose z words that are positive.
You don’t want to just randomly throw in a lot of positive words and hope they reflect your meaning. Instead of doing that, you want to choose the right phrases that make sense and flow nicely with the rest of the text. If you use too many positive words, then your writing becomes too flowery and flowery language doesn’t make your meaning more clear.
How to Avoid Negative Words and Phrases
Now that you know how to use positive language well, you also want to see what words and phrases to avoid. There are a few things you want to avoid when writing in a positive tone. One of the first things you want to avoid is writing in the present tense. Writing in the present tense makes your writing sound excited, which will make readers excited as well. But writing in the present tense isn’t always the best idea. When is the present tense the best to use?
When describing something that is happening in the present. Another thing you want to avoid is using too many passive verbs. Passive verbs are verbs that describe a state or an action, but they don’t describe anything that’s happening. For example, you want to write, “My house is old,” not “My house is being old.” Avoid using too many adjectives, too. Too many adjectives can make your writing sound flowery and write like a poem, not like a normal, everyday text. Instead of using adjectives like “huge,” “beautiful,” and “amazing,” try using more realistic words like “huge compared to other houses” or “the house is old.”
Positive Language Is The Way To Go
Positive language is a way to add a little extra goodness to your writing. It’s not about excluding problems because writing about them only makes them more prominent; it’s about describing them in the past tense or the present tense, then saying that they’re on their way out or that they’ve already been dealt with. First, decide what words and phrases you want to use in your writing and avoid those that have a negative connotation. Next, use the present tense to describe something that’s happening and avoid writing with too many passive verbs and adjectives.