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Subject:Re: Challenge to active-verb advocates From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 25 Jan 1996 14:47:26 -0800
At 9:32 AM 1/25/96, DLE -at- alpha -dot- sunquest -dot- com wrote:
>Enough of the easy rewrites. Can you recast the following sentence in
>active voice and improve it?
>(clock starts ticking)
>"The leaves on the sidewalk were kicked and scattered by passing
>feet."
>This sentence constitutes the sole member of my "Passive Verb Defense
>Arsenal." >Can you suggest any other candidates?
* Passing feet kicked and scattered the leaves on the sidewalk.
* Passing feet kicked and scattered the brightly colored leaves
on the sidewalk under the trees.
* Scurrying, preoccupied feet kicked and scattered the leaves on
the sidewalk as they passed.
* Kicked and scattered, the leaves formed a brightly colored cloud
around the passing feet.
Sorry, that one was *way* easy. ;-)
-Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com
