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Re: More on What to say to people who LIKE passive voice
Subject:Re: More on What to say to people who LIKE passive voice From:Jim Venis <ujv01 -at- MAILHOST -dot- UNIDATA -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 3 Feb 1994 15:03:45 CST
> As long as we're involved with pet peeves these days, *my* pet peeve
> concerns writers who say something like what Doug just said, but then
> never really *try* to use the active voice when they write.
> I understand that there's a place for the passive voice (a smelly one,
> where the water swirls, IMHO, but that's another posting), and that you
> can legitimately be clearer and more correct in certain situations with
> a passive construction. However, if a writer uses that as an excuse to
> indiscriminately and *lazily* write in the passive voice without even
> trying to write in the active voice, *THAT* is what really yanks my
> chain. Especially if I have to collaborate with or peer review for a
> writer like *THAT*. Using the active voice as much as you can is *work*,
> it's not *easy*.
> |Len Olszewski, Technical Writer | "Truth does not stick to glossy |
> |saslpo -at- unx -dot- sas -dot- com|Cary, NC, USA| paper." - William Horton |
> |---------------------------------------------------------------------|
> | Opinions this ludicrous are mine. Reasonable opinions will cost you.|
How do you feel about split infinitives? --Jim :-)
