Fear and Loathing of the English Passive (2010)
3 days ago
- #writing style
- #passive voice
- #grammar
- The article critiques the widespread condemnation of the passive voice in English by writing advisers since the early 20th century.
- It provides a detailed syntactic description of passive clauses, highlighting their variety and complexity beyond the simple 'be' passive.
- The author demonstrates that many critics of the passive voice cannot accurately identify passive constructions, often confusing them with other grammatical or rhetorical forms.
- Examples from published sources show that accusations of using the passive voice are frequently misapplied to active constructions or other unrelated grammatical forms.
- The article argues that the stylistic criticisms of the passive voice are baseless, pointing out that passive constructions are used effectively by respected authors.
- It concludes that the standard teaching against the passive voice should be abandoned, advocating instead for better grammar education to help writers use passives appropriately.
- The author suggests that understanding the discourse conditions under which passives are used could improve writing instruction.