Transcript Passive Engineer

“The Passive Engineer”
By an Unknown Author (October 3, 2008)
Presented by: Tayar Kyu
June 22, 2009
Overview
• Introduction: What is the Passive
Voice?
• Why Engineers write in the Passive
Voice
• How to avoid using Passive Voice
• When and How to use the Passive
Voice
• Conclusion
What is the Passive Voice?
• Passive construction inverts the active word order
to emphasize what happened, rather than who did
it.
• Passive verb includes two parts:
1. A form of the verb “be”- “was”
2. Past participle of the main verb- “repaired”
• “The computer was repaired by me.” or “The
computer was repaired.”
• Passive constructions let you omit the actor which
is now part of a prepositional phrase (“by me”).
Why Do Engineers Write in
the Passive Voice?
•
Engineers rely on the passive voice for
three reasons:
1. The passive sounds objective (bad reason)
2. Using “I” or “We” sounds unprofessional
(bad reason)
3. The passive emphasizes results (good
reason)
“The Passive Sounds
Objective”
• Engineers value objectivity.
• They do not want their consideration of
the data infected by personal thoughts
and prejudices.
• The passive sounds very isolated and
dependable.
Example of “Why Passive
Sounds Objective”
• When people use an objective method to
collect and analyze their data and work
honestly and carefully, their works are
objective.
• On the other hand, their works are not
objective when they “cooked the books” or
worked sloppily.
• Overall, they do not compromise their
professional objectivity by speaking and
writing clearly.
Using “I” or “We” Sounds
Unprofessional
• “Using the passive voice seemed to be the
only way to avoid the forbidden pronouns.”
• The passive construction is a convenient
way to avoid taking responsibility.
• For example,
“Mistakes were made.”
The Passive Emphasizes
Results!
• The scientific and technical report writing
often requires to use the passive voice
because these reports emphasize the
results and the objects of actions.
• In these reports, the actor is not
important, so writers like to use passive
voice rather than active voice.
How to Avoid Using Passive
Voice
• Using passive construction confuses the
readers:
1. When you write instructions
2. When “it” is the subject of the passive
verb
• To avoid, use active verbs.
Examples of Active and Passive
Active
Passive
• “When you change a
procedure, record the
change in the master file.”
• “It should be noted that any
change to the procedure
must be recorded in the
master file.”
• “We have agreed to run
additional journal and log
offloads on production.”
• “It has been agreed that
additional journal and log
offloads will be run on
production.”
When and How to Use
Passive Voice
• Using passive construction is good and
appropriate:
1. When you want to emphasize results
2. When the sentence does not need an
actor
Examples of Passive
Voice
• Active construction is easier to understand, but
sometimes passive construction is the clearest
way to express your meaning.
• When the actor is not important,
“The solution was heated to 100 degrees.”
• When the actor is unknown,
“The jewelry has been stolen.”
Conclusion
• Do not use passive construction when you
write instructions and when “it” is the
subject of the passive verb.
• Use passive voice when you want to
emphasize results and when the sentence
does not need an actor.
Any Questions?