Jost Zetzsche Tool Kit

Monday, September 05, 2011

Has the Word 2003 a bee in the bonnet about the passive voice in its spellcheck?


17:11

I use Word 2003. Whenever I do spell checking, I get cautioned when a passive construction is used. The spell check wants me to reconsider the use of passive voice. I get impatient and just ask it to ignore for once. Unfortunately there is no ignore all button. I have to go on ignoring repeatedly only once each time!

What is wrong with passive construction? In fact, during our college days, all the lab records have to be submitted in passive voice only. The instructions were very formal on this point.

After all we are grown up and do not require such sermonizing on the part of the spell checker.

I am curious. Is the passive construction then so bad that it has to be avoided?

I have posted this in proz forum too. Let us see what my colleagues have to say about this.

Regards,
Dondu N. Raghavan