3 ms·

the article is literally going through the technical definition of passive voice

• arduanika 8mo ago
  Sure, but he is packaging it in this superior snark. He is aggressively dismissing the very real thing that people actually mean when they say "avoid passive voice". A technical explainer on its own would be fine, but at least to my ears, this piece reads as narrow-minded and bitter.
  • tptacek 8mo ago
    Their snark sounds superior because they are superior. It's Language Log.
    • arduanika 8mo ago
      Huh, I don't know much about this site. Maybe I should. From reading up on the author, it looks like this is where they invented the term "snowclone", which is pretty cool I guess. But this particular article rubs me the wrong way, for whatever reason. It just seems to miss the point.
      • tptacek 8mo ago
        Hugely influential. The original and ur-English language linguistics site. Geoffrey Pullum & co. Click around, you're in for a treat.
        • arduanika 8mo ago
          Okay, I trust your recommendation. Maybe I'll come back to it in a couple days when I'm in a less grouchy mood.