TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
how are we defining passive voice. it used to be considered limited
to "it is...
and "there are..." constructions. some of what i've been reading here,
i.e. the "windows" debate, aren''t
really passive voice. after all, don't
we also have to be concerned with using passive words to commit an
action? When we accept "some mistakes were made." we're really accepting
a corruption of the language i think. old john s. made the mistakes!
and that sentence has more vitality and life than the "some mistakes..."
sentence.
paula steinhart (psteinha -at- oboe -dot- aix -dot- calpoly -dot- edu)
