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Subject:Re: passive vs. active...usage... From:puff -at- guild -dot- net To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 31 Oct 100 12:22:59 -0500 (EST)
> She makes a good point. Once you strip away the prep
> phrases, I think the verb usage becomes a little more
> clear.
>
> Still, I know that one of the biggest things I fall
> down in when it comes to my writing is the shifting
> between active and passive voice. Seems to me that
> there are places in documents where it is appropriate
> to use BOTH active and passive voice. Question is,
> when is it appropriate to use either? Seems
> vague...it's more than a matter of things in the past
> and present...
At last, a techwr-l question I can answer that isn't about
technology, programming, the web, job hunting, etc :-).
The key distinction is (and I hope I can pull this off after all
this time):
Active voice focuses attention on the subject.
Attention is focused on the verb by passive voice.
Steven J. Owens
puff -at- guild -dot- net
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