[Gllug] Star Office/ Open Office.org

[Dylan]

On Thursday 06 November 2003 08:34 am, Rev Simon Rumble wrote:
SNIP
>
> The passive voice is almost always a more complicated way of saying
> things.

Actually, there is absolutely no difference in informational complexity or 
processing difficultly between active and passive voice. It is a matter or 
focus and topicality.

>
> Which is clearer:
> The cat sat on the mat.
> The mat was sat on by the cat.

These examples are specious because _SIT_ is multi-way passiveisable:

The cat was sat on the mat

> Word's grammar checker gets a lot of flack from people who don't
> change from the defaults and don't understand the reasons it's
> flagging up specific rules. 

The 'rules' used by machine grammar checkers have nothing whatsoever to do 
with actual patterns of language use, but are derived by rote from 19th and 
early 20th century style manuals written by people who had aspirations to 
turn English into Latin. They are insidious, and dangerous, and are partly 
responsible for the sad state of English at the moment (the style police, 
that is.)

> Actually it's an indispensable tool if
> you don't have time to re-read your documents every time you issue
> them.
>
> <--- professional writer who uses Word's grammar checker every day

I'll know how to identify anythinh you've written then.


Dylan

-- 
Sweet moderation
Heart of this nation
Desert us not
We are between the wars
- Billy Bragg


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