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Re: active vs. passive

Subject: Re: active vs. passive
From: "Peter Neilson" <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2017 17:58:50 -0400

It is usually good to avoid future tense when documenting the capabilities of a product. If you say, "The ability to frobnicate the bippies is not yet supported but will be added at Rev. 17 of the software," then you have almost certainly made a blunder. You can't know with certainty that it'll be in Rev. 17, but you've just made a promise!

On the other hand if you are producing a puff-piece that contains references to all sorts of vaporware, it's probably just fine. "The future plans for the Sirius-XIII Orbiter include automatic food-finance-levitation software. It is anticipated that we will provide our Sirius-XIII customers the ability to pay ten cents on Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Notice the passive voice in those examples!! Caveat scriptor.

On Mon, 07 Aug 2017 17:42:00 -0400, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com> wrote:

Most if not all forms of "be" could be passive voice, but Usha seemed
to think future tense was to be avoided in general.

http://m.theweek.com/articles/445035/grammar-quiz-know-passive-voice

http://blog.sfbar.org/2015/12/04/legal-writing-tip-choose-the-active-voice/

On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 2:10 PM, Bernd Hutschenreuther <hutschi -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
Hi Robert,
of course it is future.
But it may be active as well as passive, doesn't it?

Simple example, I hope it is appropriate for showing the difference.

I will be eating. Active future.
I will be eaten by a dragon. Passive future.


Is this the American usage, too?

Best regards
Bernd


--------------------------------------------
Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com> schrieb am Mo, 7.8.2017:

Betreff: Re: active vs. passive
An: "TECHWR-L Writing" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Datum: Montag, 7. August, 2017 21:31 Uhr

"Will be" is simply
future tense. I suggest you get a copy of Garner's
Modern American Usage.

On
Sun, Aug 6, 2017 at 11:35 PM, Usha Manoj <usha -dot- manoj07 -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:
> ... How best can we avoid
using
> "will be" in the
sentence. I have tried replacing it with "is" or
"are"
> depending on the
context, but doesn't work in all cases. ..."
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: active vs. passive: From: Bernd Hutschenreuther
Re: active vs. passive: From: Robert Lauriston

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