Park Your Amusements Here

[tushantin]

Ugly Renaissance Babies.

I admit, I like snarky humour more than I should, but that aside, it is refreshing to see the Renaissance not being held as "teh best of evers."

This is yet another example of the great boon tumblr provides humanity. Where else could all the ugly Renaissance babies be catalogued???

Also, I just choked on my coffee.

HOLLY SHEEPS! Is that my brother in there?!

[Thought]

I've been reading Steven King's "On Writing," which has generally been a good romp, but he, like many others, hates the passive voice with a holy fire. I'm amused because, despite people repeatedly telling me it is horrible, I still like it and intentionally use it from time to time (and unintentionally use it more often than I should). Admittedly, it is a great place to hide, but the passive voice has so many fun uses that I cannot endure parting with it.

[tushantin]

Admittedly, it is a great place to hide, but the passive voice has so many fun uses that I cannot endure parting with it.

Haha, I remember an editor of mine constantly telling me that. Active voices signify swiftness and action, and something else I'm missing. But what uses would a Passive Voice have, according to you?

[Truthordeal]

The active voice seems more swift and what not because there are fewer words. This is generally why people tell you not to use passive voice: you're quickly killing your word count or character limit and haven't said as much as you could. It's often seen as being fluffy and insubstantial.

As for what passive voice does, well, re-read the last statement I made:

It's often seen as being fluffy and insubstantial("by people" is implied).

People often see it as being fluffy and insubstantial.

In one case, the object mentioned first is "it," in this case, the passive voice. The passive voice is "being seen" and is receiving the action. In the second, the object is "people," which is "giving" the action. So in a sense, yes, active voice does give the feeling of action because the action is being taken rather than passive voice, which signifies inaction, or mere subjugation to another action. Passive voice is properly used for things that cannot act, like...well, the passive voice. It can also be done to subtly shift blame:

"X did Y." "Y was done by X."

In one case, X initiated it. In the other, Y seems to have.

Active voice can also be helpful if you're focusing on one character. It seems less "scattered" in narratives.

[Thought]

Kitchens are the most polite room of the house. Why? Because many are grate(r)-full!
Kitchens are one of the strongest rooms in the house. Why? Because they hold the refrigerator, and damn, that thing can run.
Kitchens are also the most loyal room of the house. Why? Because you can count(er) on them!
Kitchens are also the richest room of the house. Why? Because they have all the dough!

So a kitchen, a Dining Room, and a Bathroom walked into a bar. The kitchen said that it was the most important room in the house, because it was where the food was prepared. The dining room said it was the most important, because it was where the food was consumed. The bathroom said it was the most important, because it was where the food ended up afterwards. Frustrated, the kitchen turned to the bartender and asked him which was the most important room of the house. The bartender promptly had himself committed to a mental institution for seeing talking-rooms.

[Lord J Esq]

The harping against passive voice is one of those artifices of an education in literacy as channeled through people who don't really understand what they're talking about. Don't use the passive voice when you shouldn't use the passive voice, unless you're trying to make some kind of point. In all other instances, it's fair game.

So simple.

[tushantin]

Kitchens are the most polite room of the house. Why? Because many are grate(r)-full!
Kitchens are one of the strongest rooms in the house. Why? Because they hold the refrigerator, and damn, that thing can run.
Kitchens are also the most loyal room of the house. Why? Because you can count(er) on them!
Kitchens are also the richest room of the house. Why? Because they have all the dough!

So a kitchen, a Dining Room, and a Bathroom walked into a bar. The kitchen said that it was the most important room in the house, because it was where the food was prepared. The dining room said it was the most important, because it was where the food was consumed. The bathroom said it was the most important, because it was where the food ended up afterwards. Frustrated, the kitchen turned to the bartender and asked him which was the most important room of the house. The bartender promptly had himself committed to a mental institution for seeing talking-rooms.

XDDD I simply have no words to praise you in equivalent humor.  LMFAO HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO THAT

The harping against passive voice is one of those artifices of an education in literacy as channeled through people who don't really understand what they're talking about. Don't use the passive voice when you shouldn't use the passive voice, unless you're trying to make some kind of point. In all other instances, it's fair game.

That's something I've been wondering about too. Many folks discourage the use of Passive Voice outright blindly, though I assumed there may be instances where it would undoubtedly fit.

Where should one use Passive Voice though? What are the instances?

[Lord J Esq]

Back in the 1990s I saw a movie that had a certain scene which made a powerful impression on me. Over time that memory faded, so that I could not be entirely sure of its veracity. I couldn't get my hand on the movie, an anime motion pictured called Galaxy Express 999, but eventually I found the television series counterpart to it. It contained nothing of the scene I remembered. I was disappointed.

Tonight I found and watched the movie version, and the scene was there just as I had remembered it. Oh, happy! I am pleased and amused.

[tushantin]

I've always prided myself for being 'Manly' and 'Masculine', but I was baffled when Foram (yes, that's her real name) mentioned that I'm quite feminine.

Like... quite feminine. Yes, she said "quite". She even went to great lengths to describe it for me.

I don't understand. How can I be feminine? Was it Mary's own nature that rubbed off on me?

I'm not so sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but that it amuses me to know something I didn't before. What do you folks think?

[Thought]

XDDD I simply have no words to praise you in equivalent humor.   LMFAO HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO THAT

I'm glad that someone was amused by my *ahem* "Kitchen jokes."

Where should one use Passive Voice though? What are the instances?

A lot of language is knowing it in your gut. This comes from reading a lot, listening, and writing. A strict adherence to a language's rules might get a text technically correct, but it will sound stilted. It is zen-like in that regard.

It certainly has a place in dialogue. Even if the writer agrees that the passive voice should be avoided, the characters in the text might not. It can be used, then, to the extent that the character might use it. Same with a narrator, although that can be a bit more tricky. The passive voice is a great place to hide because it has an air of authority to it. Compare "the meeting is at 11" with "the meeting will be held at 11." The former is informal, and as such something that you might want to double check. The latter, though, sounds formal and authoritative. That meeting WILL be at 11, come hell or high water! Thus, characters (and narrators) accustomed to lecturing or authority might use the passive voice often. Likewise with characters who are unsure of themselves: it's safer to make things sound authoritative, as it is less likely to be called into question.

It also can be used to add a bit of variety (I tend to find texts that are nothing but the active voice to be stale and repetitive). Since it is best as a spice rather than as bread, though, it can also be used to call attention to an important line in a text. This ties back into its air of finality: if used judiciously, it will call attention to itself when it is used. Since English trains us to look for the important thing at the beginning of a sentence, this also allows us to emphasize the thing acted upon more than the actor. And lastly, it can also be used as a link in a train of thought. Imagine a court scene. "No one questions that this gun shot Ms. Example. The bullet from that gun is what killed her. And this gun was shot by that man!" It creates a link between two different ideas, and thus eases the transition between the two.

[Lord J Esq]

It's more than a little ironic that conservatives are abandoning Herman Cain, ostensibly for his endless sex scandals, in favor of...wait for it...Newt Gingrich.

This is the guy who as Speaker of the House during his impeachment of President Clinton over an affair, was having an affair. This is the guy who came to his wife's hospital bed as she lay convalescing from cancer treatment to discuss the particulars of their pending divorce. That's hardcore!

I think it's pretty likely that Newt Gingrich is going to lose his flavor of the week status a lot faster than Herman Cain did, and when it's all over I guess we'll be left with Mitt Romney--the most difficult nominee to win against. Our best hope is that his moderate conservative credentials and rampant Mormonism will dampen right-wing electoral turnout next year.

(I guess that puts me in the camp of those who oppose the sentiment of "It doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote.")

[Mr Bekkler]

http://hornblower24601.tumblr.com/post/13351075421/lord-kitschener-blwatslock

Shirts!

[tushantin]

[Thought]

What Scientists Can Be Grateful for on Thanksgiving

We are thankful for our families who don’t flinch when we say that we need to go into the lab at midnight, even though the gist of this sentiment is that we’re choosing bacterial cultures over them.

[Sajainta]

Cross-posting from Facebook.

I, uh, I think my favourite kind of music is Christmas music.  Out of every kind of genre that I love--melodic death metal (and death metal in general), nostalgic late 90s and early millennium alternative, classic rock, the great early heavy metal bands (Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath I <3 you forever), and crappy 90s euro techno...I love Christmas music the most.  -______-

So I'm pretty sure the next time I get the inevitable "So, what kind of music do you like?", I'll be honest.

"So, what kind of music do you like?"
"CHRISTMAS MUSIC!"