[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: Active voice / passive voice studies

Subject: Re: Active voice / passive voice studies
From: Jan Henning <henning -at- r-l -dot- de>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 08:11:18 +0200


However, passive voice is fine
in situations where the actor is unknown ("The file was
corrupted") or if the actor would be redundant or is obvious


Danger, danger, danger! Obvious to whom?
There's the rub.

The trap that so many novice writers fall
into is to assume that what is obvious to
them is obvious to everyone.

I would put Janice's suggestion a bit differently, to circumvent the danger Michael has pointed out: Instead of using the passive voice when the actor is obvious, I'd say you can use what the actor is immaterial.

For example, in describing an order processing system, you could write smething like "After the data has been entered, the application verifies it against the a set of plausibility rules."

Here, it doesn't matter whether you have entered tha data, the CEO has done so, or the secretary - the application verifies it in the same way. Thus, there is no benefit in mentioning the actor (who has entered the data), and doing so can in fact lead to confusion because the reader might assume that the verification of the data is tied to the entering person (when it is not).

In cases like this, the passive voice may be preferable to the active voice. (Although I do not have studies to prove it.)

Regards
Jan Henning

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Henning
ROSEMANN & LAURIDSEN GMBH
Am Schlossberg 14, D-82547 Eurasburg, Germany

Phone: +49 700 0200 0700, Fax: +49 8179 9307-12
E-Mail: henning -at- r-l -dot- de, Web: www.r-l.de
--------------------------------------------------------------------


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

NEED TO PUBLISH FRAMEMAKER CONTENT ONLINE? "Mustang" is a NEW single
sourcing tool for FrameMaker that lets you easily publish your content
online. No macro language required! http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l3

Mercer University's online MS Program in Technical Communication Management:
Preparing leaders of tomorrow's technical communication organizations today.
See www.mercer.edu/mstco or write George Hayhoe at hayhoe_g -at- mercer -dot- edu -dot-
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Active voice / passive voice studies: From: Michael West

Previous by Author: Re: Best Practices in Indicating Versions
Next by Author: Re: Terms not to use in Error Messages
Previous by Thread: RE: Active voice / passive voice studies
Next by Thread: Re: Active voice / passive voice studies

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads