----- Original Message ----- 

From: Frans De Becker <[log in to unmask]>

To: <[log in to unmask]>

Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2000 8:19 AM

Subject: Re: Horrors before a long weekend.





> Battling over here in Germany to teach my students the use of the passive, I'm

> beginning to wonder if it is worth the effort! Could someone  give some examples

> of misused passives and  cludgy, overnominalized sentences with weak passives. I

> can't imagine what a weak passive is and, although I'm quite used to seeing

> overnominalization because of German interference, I'd be interested in seeing

> what your students do to their mother tongue.

> 

> By the way, Of-genetives haven't been completely abolished, have they?

> I'm beginning to wonder if I'm not missing out in some issues.

> 

> Patricia Reeve- De Becker.

> Max Morenberg wrote...

> 

> >  And he/she (The advanced comp teacher) also could have pointed out that such

> > > writing ( academic and business writing) often misuses passives and that

> > writers should be careful about

> > > both-cludgy, overnominalized sentences and weak passives.  It wouldn't take

> > > much for a student to confuse the issues.

> > ...

> > >

> > > Max Morenberg

> > > English Department

> > > Miami University

> > > Oxford, OH 45056