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I felt the essay was undercut by overcomplicated and repetitive explanation. The passive voice is pretty easily identified.
by oh_my_goodness 4y ago
I felt the essay was undercut by overcomplicated and repetitive explanation. The passive voice is pretty easily identified.
- msla 4y agoThe essay was undercut by the very point of the essay. I must admit, that's a new one on me.
- oh_my_goodness 4y agoI guess. If the central claim of the essay is that it really genuinely takes three pages to explain what the passive voice is. On the other hand, sections 2 through 7 of the article really just belabor the same point made in section 1. If I just say "wow, 7 sections!" and stop reading, then, sure, it looks like the concept really is very difficult to explain. But when I read all those sections, I don't feel convinced anymore.
- pdonis 4y ago> The passive voice is pretty easily identified. Apparently many people who are supposed to know how, don't. Take a look at the "terrible example" the article links to in section 5: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2922 https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2922
- oh_my_goodness 4y agoYep. The collection of anti-examples is great. I love that part of the article.
- tshaddox 4y agoYeah, I was confused. The author explicitly sets up how complicated and deeply technical the true meaning of passive is, so I was prepared for some juicy learnings, then they just…repeat the simple definition that I learned in school when I was 12.
- Veen 4y agoIt's not really deeply technical, it's just trying to be comprehensive and concise. If you want deeply technical, read Pullum's explanation of passives in Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.
- saghm 4y agoWell played!