THE cult of the active voice is an enduring influence in English grammar. From grade school onwards most everybody is taught that sentences in the active voice are the end-all and be-all of English, and that passive-voice sentences should be avoided like the plague. Grammar teachers furiously drill into every learner's head that the sentence "Emilio hit Andres violently with a bat" is superior to "Andres was hit violently by Emilio with a bat." The active-voice is thus elevated to icon status, never to be questioned nor resisted. No wonder then that many writers come up with clumsy, rubberstamp active-voice English sentences almost entirely and speak like the perpetually active-voice talking robots in science-fiction movies.
