The Passive in Technical and Scientific Writing

Almost every discussion of technical or scientific style mentions the passive voice, usually as a stylistic evil to avoid. While I doubt that many of us would endorse such extreme prescriptions as 'Always use the active voice,' or 'A writer will almost automatically improve his style when he shifts from passive to active constructions,' we may be more ready to accept Freedman's position in 'The Seven Sins of Technical Writing.' His Sin 6 is 'the Deadly Passive, or, better, deadening passive; it takes the life out of writing, making everything impersonal, eternal, remote and dead, but he adds that 'frequently, of course, the passive is not a sin and not deadly, for there simply is no active agent and the material must be put impersonally.'

Rodman, Lilita. Cambridge Language Consultants (2001). Articles>Writing>Grammar

The Passive In Technical and Scientific Writing  

Almost every discussion of technical or scientific style mentions the passive voice, usually as a stylistic evil to avoid. While I doubt that many of us would endorse such extreme prescriptions as 'Always use the active voice,' or 'A writer will almost automatically improve his style when he shifts from passive to active constructions,' we may be more ready to accept Freedman's position in 'The Seven Sins of Technical Writing.' His Sin 6 is 'the Deadly Passive, or, better, deadening passive; it takes the life out of writing, making everything impersonal, eternal, remote and dead,'3 but he adds that 'frequently, of course, the passive is not a sin and not deadly, for there simply is no active agent and the material must be put impersonally.'

Rodman, Lilita. JAC (1981). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Technical and Business Writing

English 301 is an introductory course in the principles and practice of technical and business writing. Technical and business writing is, of course, part of the universe of written discourse, and so you will be building on writing skills that you already have and acquiring skills that you will be able to use in other writing tasks. While it is difficult to define technical and business writing precisely, we can say that it differs, generally, from other kinds of writing in its subject matter, purpose and approach, formal conventions, and style. At the same time, the differences are differences of degree rather than absolute differences. The subject matter of technical and business writing is, obviously, the world of science, technology, and business. However, subject matter that is not normally considered 'technical' can be the subject of technical writing, provided the approach to it is objective rather than subjective. In other words, the purpose and approach may allow an otherwise 'untechnical”'subject to become 'technical.' The two primary purposes of the writing you do in this course will be to inform and to persuade. You will study some basic principles of defining, instructing, and evaluating, and you will concentrate on presenting material objectively. When you persuade, you will persuade on the basis of verifiable evidence, not on the basis of appeals to emotion. Most technical and business writing observes specific conventions of form, and you will be introduced to a variety of these. Three elements of form that are particularly important in technical and business writing and are seldom used in other kinds of writing are headings, lists, and illustrations. These elements of form, when used effectively, will, of necessity, also affect organization and style. In addition, there are specific conventions of form that govern memo writing, letter writing, and report writing, and you will practice using these.

Rodman, Lilita. University of British Columbia. Academic>Courses>Writing>Business Communication