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From: "Genehunter" <>
Subject: [APG] (no subject)
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 08:20:53 -0500


Using passive voice in professional writing bothers me. Why the phrase, "I
checked the census records ." is less professional than, "The census records
were checked ." escapes me. I learned in English 101 that passive voice was
the best way to put a reader to sleep. When I read a piece in passive voice,
I get the impression that the author does not want to take responsibility
for the research done or the conclusions drawn.



When writers use passive voice, they often make other mistakes. The author
of an example essay for a well-known genealogy course wrote in passive voice
and composed the following sentence: "After learning that Anthony had died
intestate, and finding a complete accounting of all his then-living
children, the probate file also noted a "supposed claim" against John King's
real estate." The probate file is not capable of learning or finding
anything! If the essay had been written in active voice, the researcher
would be the subject of the sentence, not the probate file.



I don't want to come off as a grammar expert; I make tons of mistakes,
probably several in this posting alone! I want to make my essays as
reader-friendly as possible, and I don't see how the standard of using
passive voice will help me achieve this goal. Please enlighten me!





GeneHunter

GeneHunter's <http://mysite.verizon.net/doololly/>; Family Forest





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