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Add rule about passive voice #85

Closed medubelko closed 1 month ago

medubelko commented 2 months ago

DOCPR-909

evildmp commented 2 months ago

I think some of this is too strong, and there is a risk that it will be incorrectly understood as a blanket injunction against the passive voice.

The passive voice should be avoided where there's a risk of obscuring cause and effect, or inappropriately excluding the agent, as you mention.

But sometimes it doesn't matter. Over-use of the passive voice is irritating, but writing that is constrained only to the active voice can be enervating. I would prefer variety and naturalness over adherence to too-strict a rule.

And sometimes the passive voice is better. If the important fact is that all the files are included, then "All the files are included" is appropriate. That allows us to focus on the inclusion of the files, whereas "The includes all of the files" forces us to think about the as well, even if it's completely irrelevant.

medubelko commented 1 month ago

@edibotopic Styles guides are by their nature opinionated, and since we're redressing one of the most pervasive flaws with how many people practice writing professionally, I think this rule warrants a slightly firmer hand. While it's possible to overuse active voice, in practice this isn't observed, to my knowledge. As we discussed privately, I was concerned about this rule coming across as too detached and listless, and non-TAs taking its complications as a sign that it's not to be taken seriously.

At your insistence I hedged it more, so the latest commit should rectify your concerns.