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The "bad rap" is due to the the fact that the passive voice does not require the subject of the sentence to be explicitly stated, and so is commonly used as a m

by Gormo 16y ago

The "bad rap" is due to the the fact that the passive voice does not require the subject of the sentence to be explicitly stated, and so is commonly used as a means of being evasive and misleading. "The soldier was hit by the sailor" vs. "the sailor hit the soldier" are both clear and descriptive, and effectively shift the emphasis between the soldier and sailor as you described. But it's more common to see examples like this: "Unfortunately, your funds have been misplaced. The cause of the problem is currently being researched. You will be informed as soon as the situation has been resolved." ...which deliberately avoids informing the recipient as to who is responsible for the problem, who is attempting to fix it, and who will inform them of the resolution.

swombat 16y ago
No, actually the bad rap is due to the fact that the passive voice sounds, well, more passive. "The sailor hit the solider" inherently sounds more dynamic and active than "The soldier was hit by the sailor." Taking the GP's example: "The soldier woke up. He had breakfast. He was hit by a sailor." sounds only marginally worse than the active version, but that's in great part because that's a lousy paragraph to begin with. If you actually write it with some sort of flair for interesting rhythm and verbs, it might become: "The soldier awoke in the early morning and had a hearty breakfast at the inn, devouring some eggs and bacon that would give him strength for the hard day ahead. Then, as he stepped out of the inn, the sailor bashed him on the side of the head with an oar." This is no great artistic creation, but it is at least a passably decent paragraph. Now turn the verbs into passive mode and see how it falls apart and becomes bland and, well, passive: "The soldier awoke in the early morning and had a hearty breakfast at the inn. Eggs and bacon were devoured that would give him strength for the hard day ahead. Then, as he stepped out of the inn, he was bashed on the side of the head by the sailor, with an oar." The second version is distinctly worse, and that's all because of the passive voice. Note: Before you respond to explain how the passive voice is appropriate in many situations, yes, I do acknowledge that. The passive voice is great when you know how to use it. Hell, it's as essential to pacing the english language as short-selling is essential to maintaining healthy markets. In most cases, though people use too much passive voice and too little active voice.
deleted 16y ago
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by Gormo 16y ago

swombat 16y ago

No, actually the bad rap is due to the fact that the passive voice sounds, well, more passive. "The sailor hit the solider" inherently sounds more dynamic and active than "The soldier was hit by the sailor." Taking the GP's example: "The soldier woke up. He had breakfast. He was hit by a sailor." sounds only marginally worse than the active version, but that's in great part because that's a lousy paragraph to begin with. If you actually write it with some sort of flair for interesting rhythm and verbs, it might become: "The soldier awoke in the early morning and had a hearty breakfast at the inn, devouring some eggs and bacon that would give him strength for the hard day ahead. Then, as he stepped out of the inn, the sailor bashed him on the side of the head with an oar." This is no great artistic creation, but it is at least a passably decent paragraph. Now turn the verbs into passive mode and see how it falls apart and becomes bland and, well, passive: "The soldier awoke in the early morning and had a hearty breakfast at the inn. Eggs and bacon were devoured that would give him strength for the hard day ahead. Then, as he stepped out of the inn, he was bashed on the side of the head by the sailor, with an oar." The second version is distinctly worse, and that's all because of the passive voice. Note: Before you respond to explain how the passive voice is appropriate in many situations, yes, I do acknowledge that. The passive voice is great when you know how to use it. Hell, it's as essential to pacing the english language as short-selling is essential to maintaining healthy markets. In most cases, though people use too much passive voice and too little active voice.

deleted 16y ago

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