Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Auto de fe

MS Word's auto correct features rides me about my use of the passive voice with as much insistence as my 12th grade English teacher (and with good reason). But not everything is as active a player as Word might imagine. In a draft of my column for Easter week I wrote this: By Tuesday morning the signs will have vanished; and the marshmallow chicks and jelly beans will be piled on half-off tables.

MS wondered if this might be better: Tuesday morning the signs will have vanished; and the marshmallow chicks and jelly will pile beans on half-off tables.

The image of all those yellow peeps and jelly jars industriously piling cans of beans on the sale table was too, too funny!

Which one do you like better?

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