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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!
-- 
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JE MAINTIENDRAI   ***** *****
                 ****** ******  09 Jul 85 [21 Messidor An CXCIII]
ken perlow       *****   *****
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