THE cult of the active voice is one of the most enduring 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 sentences in the passive voice should be avoided like the plague. Grammar teachers furiously drill into every pupil's or student's head that the sentence 'Emilio hit Andres violently with a bat' is superior to 'Andres was hit violently by Emilio with a bat' or 'A bat was used by Emilio to violently hit Andres.' As a result, the active-voice is elevated to icon status, never to be questioned or resisted.

No wonder, then, that many English language users — particularly those who learn it as a second or third language — write English-language essays that consist almost entirely of clumsy, rubberstamp active sentences and speak English like the perpetually active-voice talking robots in science-fiction movies.