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Re: What to say to people who LIKE the passive voice (fwd)
Subject:Re: What to say to people who LIKE the passive voice (fwd) From:Sue Stewart <suepstewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 3 Feb 1994 22:45:50 EST
Which to use, active or passive? It simply depends on what is the most
relevant part of the sentence, verb or object. For example, the Dallas
Morning News sports page might say, "The Cowboys drafted Meatlocker Lightfoot
of Podunk U in the first round of today's NFL draft."
However, the Podunk Town Crier would probably write it, "All American
Meatlocker Lightfoot of Podunk U was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the
first round of the NFL draft."
Different audience, different emphasis. And I agree that, while active voice
is *usually* preferable, denying yourself the use of passive voice is like
throwing out your spell-checker; it doesn't do the job every time, but there
are times when it's the best tool you've got.
