Improve Writing Quality in Zoho Writer | Fix Passive Voice, Clichés & More

Improve Writing Quality

Overview

Writing quality determines how clear, concise, and professional your content appears to readers. Poor writing quality can make content difficult to understand, while well-structured writing improves clarity and engagement.

Zoho Writer, powered by Zia, analyzes your document and highlights issues such as passive voice, wordy phrases, clichés, weak adjectives, adverbs, unclear words, and non-standard usage. These suggestions help you refine your content and improve overall writing quality.


Steps

How to check writing quality using Zia

  1. Open your document

  2. Click the Zia icon from the top-right corner

  3. Navigate to the Writing Quality section

  4. Review suggestions for:

    • Wordy phrases

    • Passive voice

    • Clichés

    • Rephrasable sentences

  5. Apply or edit suggestions as needed

How to fix wordy phrases

Wordy phrases make sentences longer and harder to read.

  • Example:

    • “a number of” → “many”

Zia identifies:

  • Hedges

  • Empty phrases

  • Redundant expressions

  • Tautologies

Replace them with shorter, clearer alternatives.

How to improve passive sentences

Passive voice can make writing less direct.

  • Example:

    • “The report was written by John” → “John wrote the report”

Zia highlights passive sentences and suggests rewriting them in active voice for better clarity.

How to reduce adverbs

Excessive adverbs can make writing redundant.

  • Example:

    • “John said loudly” → “John shouted”

Zia identifies overused adverbs and suggests concise alternatives.

How to remove clichés

Clichés are overused phrases that reduce originality.

  1. Open the Zia panel

  2. Navigate to Writing Quality

  3. Review identified clichés

  4. Replace them with more meaningful expressions

How to replace unclear or archaic words

Archaic or unclear words can confuse readers.

Zia:

  • Detects outdated or unclear terms

  • Suggests modern, clearer alternatives

How to use inclusive language

Inclusive writing avoids gender bias and promotes neutral language.

Examples:

Gender-specificGender-neutral
MankindHumanity
FreshmanFirst-year student
PolicemanPolice officer
ChairmanChairperson

Zia highlights biased terms and suggests inclusive replacements.

How to simplify complex or non-standard words

Complex words can reduce readability.

Zia:

  • Identifies difficult or uncommon words

  • Suggests simpler alternatives

How to rephrase sentences

Zia identifies sentences that can be improved for clarity and structure.

Using conjunctions at the beginning of sentences

Starting sentences with conjunctions (and, but, because, etc.) may reduce formality. Zia suggests rephrasing such sentences.

Split infinitives

A split infinitive occurs when an adverb appears between “to” and a verb.

  • Example:

    • “to quickly finish”

While not incorrect, rewriting can improve clarity and formality.

Unclear pronouns

Unclear pronouns create ambiguity.

  • Example:

    • “Both John and Peter loved his car”

Zia identifies such sentences and suggests clearer alternatives.

How to improve writing style (formal vs informal)

Writing style should match your audience and purpose. Formal writing is used for professional or academic content, while informal writing is more conversational.

Zia identifies informal language in your document and suggests improvements to make your writing more clear and professional.

  1. Open your document

  2. Click the Zia icon

  3. Go to Writing Quality

  4. Review Informal Writing suggestions

  5. Apply changes

Tip: Use formal writing for reports, business documents, and academic content.

Troubleshooting

Error/Symptom: Writing suggestions not visible

  • Check internet connection