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Subject:Re: passive voice From:Stephen Victor <svictor -at- LGC -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 26 Jan 1996 09:09:55 -0600
Tammy Hale wrote:
> I don't mean to give David a hard time, but I had to point out the irony in
> his post. David wrote,
> >IMHO, use of passive voice is rarely defensable
> in the passive voice! He went on to argue that
This is not, I repeat NOT, in the passive voice. The sky is blue. The
grass is green. The use of passive voice is rarely defensible. Each of
these sentences is in the active voice.
> >In writing today, it passive
> >construction is all to commonly used to hide the identity of those who act
> >(active voice).
> David, where is the active agent in the preceding sentence? I think your
> post supports the view that sometimes the passive voice is indeed
> appropriate.
Does it indeed? I would suggest rather that the post supports the view
that this profession is rife with people who couldn't write a proper
sentence to save their souls.
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Stephen P. Victor svictor -at- lgc -dot- com
Landmark Graphics Corporation svictor -at- compassnet -dot- com
15150 Memorial Drive http://www.cda.ulpgc.es/steve.html
Houston, TX 77079 USA De gustibus non disputandum est
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