On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 23:05:17 -0500, Martha wrote: >However, I do frequently run into a problem where two current >grammatical shibboleths occur at the same time: > >1) The passive voice must be avoided at all times. >2) I must not overuse the first-person pronoun "I," lest I appear to >be centered on myself.
I've heard the second of these and agree, but not the first. Where does this suggestion get made? The practices I have learnt amount to don't overuse the passive, using the passive is more formal than the active, but when the subject of a sentence is not known then the passive is the best construction. For instance, "The jewels were removed from the safe" is better than "An unknown person removed the jewels from the safe". To express myself I need to use the passive, not only in writing but also, although more rarely, in speech. At work part of what I do includes reviewing written work by other team members before the written material goes to customers. Often one of the tips I dish out is to use the passive sometimes for variation. Long live the passive I say. -- Money can't buy everything. That's what credit cards are for. Steph Peters [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm> To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
