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Subject:Re: passive voice is discussed actively From:Karen Gwynn/Datatel <Karen_Gwynn -at- DATATEL -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 18 Jan 1996 13:30:30 EDT
Thom Remington wrote
>Yes, I like to write in an economical style. Yes, I *detest* passive voice.
>Use of passive voice should be avoided. [And casting this sentence in the
passive is a nice touch, for emphasis of course :)]
<snip>
>However.....
>In the world of Standards, we follow standards (metastandards?) set by folks
>like ISO. We have key words. The words "must," "shall," and "will" denote
things
>that are mandatory. The words "should" and "may" denote things that are
>optional. "Install pumps so that...." becomes "Pumps shall be installed so
>that...." Do I like it? No. Do I want to keep my job? Yes. Therefore,
>passive voice is used by me in many of the documents that are written by me.
You can still use the key words *and* active voice: "You must intall pumps so
that..." or are you not allowed, by your metastandards, to use "You"?
