Active/Passive Voice in History Books

First off, if you need a refresher to help you understand the topic of this post, here's a lesson on Active vs. Passive Voice from Grammar Girl,  one of my favorite online sources for tricky grammar conundrums.
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Yesterday during our review about of emphasis and active vs. passive voice, students asked whether or not writers ever used passive voice intentionally. I was quick to respond, with something definitive like "No! Passive voice is bad form! A total No-No!! Don't do it!" Hmmmmm... And then, last night I read this editorial about the use of passive voice as a method to make US history books, well, let's just say, less than forthright. (You can read the arguments and evidence for yourself!)

So, never say never I guess. Passive voice lives.

While this doesn't mean that passive voice has redeemed itself as effective syntax, there is a valuable lesson here about writing.Writing strategies can certainly be used to manipulate and shape the message to suit the writer's purpose. But if your strategies are what Rockmore calls "tricks of obfuscation," (love that word!) you need to know that you may have to answer for it. Critical readers, like the author of this editorial, Ellen Bresler Rockmore, and Bobby Finger, who wrote about the history books on the website Jezebel, can call you out on that manipulation.

And there is another valuable lesson about reading. Learning about sentence structure and being able to analyze strategies makes you capable of evaluating the methods and motives of the writer...or in this case, editors and corporate textbook publishers.

It'd be an interesting experiment to look for passive voice in your own history books. Do you find any? If so, question why the authors chose passive voice. Assume they had a reason to do so. Do you think it might be used to lessen the harsh realities of our country's actions? Let me know what you find! Talk to your history teachers about this also. I think they'll be impressed by your ability to read, think and question the text.

Ms. A.

October Suggested BLOG Reading

Share your suggestions for blogs and posts we all should read.

Use the COMMENTS to this post.
Include a link to the post you recommend.
Write 1-3 sentences giving us a reason to read it. (Why will we find it worthwhile? Etc.)

Reading and Commenting on 10.19

Please spend some time today reading and commenting on your peers' blogs.

On the back side of the previous sheet (Ms. A. will have these in the lab), note the following:

What blog/posts did you read? Give title of both! (Example: PotterMania, "Why I could not resist the Illustrated Sorcerer's Stone")

For each that you read and list, indicate whether or not you left a comment.


Make a note about your observations--both general and specific.

Make notes on any new ideas for your own blog.

See post above about suggesting other blogs/posts for others to read!