- The Paramedic Method is Richard Lanham’s systematic procedure for revising sentences written in the Official Style — the bloated, nominalized prose common in academic, legal, and bureaucratic writing [@lanham2006].
- For each sentence that feels heavy or unclear, apply these steps in order:
- Circle the prepositions (of, in, by, for, with, at, on). Too many prepositions signal a noun-heavy sentence that buries the action.
- Circle the is/was/are/were forms — “to be” verbs. These often indicate that the real action is hiding in a nominalization.
- Find the action. Ask: who is doing what to whom? The answer is often buried in a noun (the implementation of → implement, the analysis of → analyze).
- Put that action in a strong verb. Replace nominalizations with their verb forms.
- Put the agent of the action in the subject position. The person or thing performing the action should be the grammatical subject.
- Start fast. Cut any throat-clearing (It is important to note that, There are several factors that).
- Example: “The implementation of the new policy was accomplished by the committee” → “The committee implemented the new policy.”
- Example: “It is the recommendation of this report that consideration be given to the possibility of restructuring” → “This report recommends restructuring.”
- After revising, read the sentence aloud. If it sounds like something a person would say, it’s close. If it sounds like something a committee would write, apply the method again.
- This method complements the vault’s style guide — PTGAE already favors active voice, concrete subjects, and strong verbs. The Paramedic Method is the revision procedure for achieving those goals at the sentence level.