Re: Passive voice (was: Eschew, Evade, and/or Eradicate Legalese)

[Keith Hood <bus -dot- write -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Effectiveness argument:  Passive voice makes your work sound less
authoritative, and that makes the work feel less definitive.  That
introduces doubt, and that weakens the customer's level of confidence.
Authority always uses direct voice.  Drill sergeants say "Mop the floor,
maggot" - they don't say "One of you maggots needs to mop the floor".

Financial argument:  Passive voice is more expensive.  It requires more
words ("The button must be pushed" as opposed to "Push the button"). More
words = larger documents w/more pages.  Larger documents = higher printing
costs (more ink/toner used, more paper used, more wear on printers forcing
more repairs and/or more frequent replacement).

On Sun, Nov 23, 2014 at 9:46 AM, Dave C <davec2468 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:

> What arguments do we make to management and/or document originators that
> passive voice isâ well, bad? Iâve always found a tepid audience when trying
> to describe why.
>
> Thanks,
> Dave
>
> -=-=-=-
>
> > Of course, there'd still be plenty of work for us converting passive
> voice to active voice, structuring documents rationally, and all those
> other things we do that add value.
> > [Mike Starr]
>
>
>
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