Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ihu1m.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!ihu1m!gadfly From: gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: clear writing Message-ID: <500@ihu1m.UUCP> Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 22:10:11 EDT Article-I.D.: ihu1m.500 Posted: Tue Jul 9 22:10:11 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 00:23:07 EDT References: <907@gloria.UUCP> <3963@alice.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 34 -- > > How difficult is it to change sentences from passive to active > > voice in cases where passive voice is not required? > Apparently it is very difficult. Read the sentence above carefully. An easy way to make sure you do use the active voice is to write very personally--use "I" and "you". (But not too personally--never use the affected, bureaucratic "myself".) Reminds me of my days as a state bureaucrat, when I found myself working for a 23 year-old, MA-in-a-path-of-least-resistance, very meek woman. A competent manager (well, marginally), and fun to be around, but so insipidly squirrelly that she was forever having to convince the brass that she wasn't a secretary. So, one day she sent around this memo to us, her loyal subjects, telling us what she was there for. Entirely in the passive voice. When I got to the part about her being the person to contact if you happened to be sick, I stumbled through "In the event of illness, I should be called..." and couldn't take any more. I had to shake her into the world of the living, where actors do things to objects. And I did. I stormed over to her cubicle, memo in hand, and yelled (so everyone could hear me), "If I'm sick, do you want me to call you? Then say 'Call me!', fercrissakes. I'm not going to 'should-be-called' anybody. I'm going to get on the phone and talk to you, Pam, because *you* are responsible, like it or not." So, think about why you're writing, what you want your readers to do. Then motivate them--take charge! -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 09 Jul 85 [21 Messidor An CXCIII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7753 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***