# passive voice (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 5 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover passive voice. Page: Feed: --- ## [Passive Voice Harmful.](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/blog/passive_voice_is_harmful) _2026-08-12 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ I consider “x considered harmful” harmful compared to something like “I observe y and conclude x is harmful in expectation.” The passive voice often obscures what actually happened or what the speaker/writer is describing. ## [Humanist Computing](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/humanist-computing) _2026-08-12 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ A collection of aphorisms and other thoughts on computing. If I’ve accidentally quoted you or someone you know without attribution, email me. ## [Hello, World](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/) _2026-08-12 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ Hi, I’m Aidan. Welcome to my digital garden. For a top level index of my presence on the web visit my index. ## [3. The Memory Model as a World Model](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/Spaced-Repetition/The-Memory-Model-as-a-World-Model) _2026-08-12 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ Funding and Authorship This post was made possible by research funding generously provided by Anki, formerly AnkiHub, and was written in collaboration with Giacomo Randazzo. ## [Roadmap decisions rather than dates.](https://lethain.com/decisions-not-dates/) _2026-08-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ One thing that bothered me about Imprint’s product after joining was our lack of passkey support. Passkey support is a rare opportunity to increase resiliency to phishing attacks while simultaneously reducing login friction. If it’s good for our members, our partners, and our product, it felt like something we should have already shipped. Nonetheless, it was hard to get it onto the… ## [Middle management roles are also a trap.](https://lethain.com/middle-management-roles-were-also-a-trap/) _2026-08-08 · Irrational Exuberance_ Six years ago, I wrote Tech Lead Management roles are a trap . My argument then was that TLM roles present themselves as easier than moving into a full management role, but the tension between doing the software engineering and engineering management aspects of the role made being a TLM a much harder first management role than a pure engineering management role. I still agree with that post, and I… ## [Why I Stopped "Creating Content"](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/why-i-stopped-creating-content/) _2026-07-20 · Refactoring English_ The first time I saw Michelangelo’s David in person, I wept. Never in my life have I witnessed a more beautiful piece of content. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Museum patrons all around me were looking up from their phones to admire David as well. Despite it being legacy content, David was so scrollstoppingly captivating that it generated stronger engagement than TikTok and… ## [Generated and suppressed demand.](https://lethain.com/generated-demand/) _2026-07-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ Eight years ago, I wrote about my theory of restoring struggling teams , which came down to four steps: A team is falling behind if each week their backlog is longer than the week before. Solve by hiring more. A team is treading water if they’re able to get their critical work done, but are not able to start paying down technical debt or start major new projects. Solve by reducing… ## [Generated and suppressed demand.](https://lethain.com/generated-demand/) _2026-07-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ Eight years ago, I wrote about my theory of restoring struggling teams , which came down to four steps: A team is falling behind if each week their backlog is longer than the week before. Solve by hiring more. A team is treading water if they’re able to get their critical work done, but are not able to start paying down technical debt or start major new projects. Solve by reducing… ## [Make no assumptions.](https://lethain.com/make-no-assumptions/) _2026-07-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ I’ve recently been thinking a lot about the concept of “soil horizons”, which is the idea that there are many distinct layers of soil, from topsoil all the way down to bedrock, which all combine into a soil horizon. Translating this idea into software, the ideal codebase would have a single uniform “code layer”, but a surprisingly large percentage of production… ## [Stream Torrents & IPTV Instantly (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/1Sfz1GdClknR) _2026-07-11 · **Sponsored**_ Search magnet links and stream movies, music, books, and live TV in-browser ## [Make no assumptions.](https://lethain.com/make-no-assumptions/) _2026-07-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ I’ve recently been thinking a lot about the concept of “soil horizons”, which is the idea that there are many distinct layers of soil, from topsoil all the way down to bedrock, which all combine into a soil horizon. Translating this idea into software, the ideal codebase would have a single uniform “code layer”, but a surprisingly large percentage of production… ## [How to Write an Effective Software Design Document](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/write-an-effective-design-doc/) _2026-06-24 · Refactoring English_ A good design doc can save you years of development time. Writing a design doc forces you to think through important decisions before you waste time on the wrong implementation or paint yourself into a corner. It’s also the best way to coordinate design decisions among teammates and partner teams. I’ve written design docs as a developer at Google, Microsoft, and within my own companies… ## [Revised rules of engineering leadership.](https://lethain.com/revised-rules-of-engineering-leadership/) _2026-06-15 · Irrational Exuberance_ From early 2014 through late 2020, I was working in hypergrowth environments, which are challenging, but also educational. The most valuable feature of hypergrowth is that your mistakes reveal themselves next month rather than next year, because things go wrong very loudly when you’re moving fast. I’ve been thinking a lot about hypergrowth recently, because Imprint’s business is… ## [2. Evaluating Memory Models](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/Spaced-Repetition/Evaluating-Memory-Models) _2026-04-29 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ Funding and Authorship This post was made possible by research funding generously provided by Anki, formerly AnkiHub, and was written in collaboration with Giacomo Randazzo. ## [Early and late-stage hypergrowth.](https://lethain.com/early-late-stage-hypergrowth/) _2026-04-27 · Irrational Exuberance_ Last week, a colleague asked why I’d hired an additional new leader onto an important area rather than expanding an existing leader’s scope to incorporate that area as well. The existing leader was a known quantity and doing well, so why not keep expanding them? It’s a good question, and depending on the circumstances I might have done either, but explaining why I specifically… ## [Agents as scaffolding for recurring tasks.](https://lethain.com/agents-as-scaffolding/) _2026-04-12 · Irrational Exuberance_ One of my gifts/curses is an endless fixation with how processes can be optimized. For a brief moment early in my career, that was focused on improving how humans collaborate, but that quickly switched to figuring out how we can minimize human involvement, and eliminate human-to-human handoffs as much as possible. Lately, every time I perform a recurring task–or see someone else perform… ## [The agentic passive voice.](https://lethain.com/agentic-passive-voice/) _2026-03-29 · Irrational Exuberance_ At some point, you will have learned about the passive voice, where the actor in a sentence is unclear. For example, my software didn’t compile. That’s a good example of the passive voice. However, you might not know the full set of rules, because here are some sentences in the passive voice that you might not recognize: Claude made an error in my writeup. ChatGPT messed up the… ## [The agentic passive voice.](https://lethain.com/agentic-passive-voice/) _2026-03-29 · Irrational Exuberance_ At some point, you will have learned about the passive voice, where the actor in a sentence is unclear. For example, my software didn’t compile. That’s a good example of the passive voice. However, you might not know the full set of rules, because here are some sentences in the passive voice that you might not recognize: Claude made an error in my writeup. ChatGPT messed up the… ## [Which Design Doc Did a Human Write?](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/ai-vs-human-design-doc/) _2026-03-25 · Refactoring English_ I created three design docs for the same open-source web app: I spent 16 hours writing one of the design docs completely by hand. I generated one using Claude Opus 4.6 (medium effort). I generated one using GPT-5.4 (high effort). I generated the AI versions in a few minutes. I fed the agents a prompt that included the design docs chapter of my book and a skeleton design doc structure. The agents… ## [1. Formalizing Memory Models](https://garden.amcampbell.xyz/Spaced-Repetition/Formalizing-Memory-Models) _2026-03-23 · A. M. Campbell's Digital Garden_ Funding and Authorship This post was made possible by research funding generously provided by AnkiHub and was written in collaboration with Giacomo Randazzo. ## [Open-source Screen Sharing with Control (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/66bYwNnyyoLq) _2026-03-22 · **Sponsored**_ WebRTC screen sharing with simultaneous mouse & keyboard control; viewers join in browser. ## [Judgment and creativity are all you need.](https://lethain.com/judgment-is-all-you-need/) _2026-03-11 · Irrational Exuberance_ When I joined Imprint a little less than a year ago, our deploys were manual, requiring close human attention to complete. Our database migrations were run manually, too. Developing good software is very possible in those circumstances, but it takes a remarkable attention to detail to do it. It was also possible to develop good software using Subversion and developing by ssh’ing into a… ## [Why Improve Your Writing?](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/why-improve-your-writing/) _2026-03-03 · Refactoring English_ I’ve worked as a developer for 20 years, and I’ve always cared about clear writing. When I join a new team, the first thing I do is ask to update the onboarding documents. As I ramp up on the team, I document what I learn and encourage my teammates to do the same. Sometimes, other developers ask me why I invest so much into writing. Programming is technical, so why spend time on a… ## [Moods in English Grammar : Complete Guide with Types, Rules & Examples](https://mycoaching.in/moods-in-english-grammar) _2026-02-22 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ In English grammar, verbs have six main features: form, tense, voice, number, person, and mood. Most students learn the first five easily because they are taught again and again. But... The post Moods in English Grammar : Complete Guide with Types, Rules & Examples appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Use of Able To : अर्थ एवं वाक्यों के उदाहरण](https://mycoaching.in/use-of-able-to) _2026-02-20 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ Use of Able To Able का मतलब होता है सक्षम / योग्य / कर पाने वाला। इसे अक्सर be able to + verb (V1) के साथ use करते हैं। “Be able... The post Use of Able To : अर्थ एवं वाक्यों के उदाहरण appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Hindi to English Passage Translation: Examples & Exercises | Class 10 & 12](https://mycoaching.in/passages-translation) _2026-02-15 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ Translation is a vital part of the UP Board Class 10 & 12 English paper. In this post, curated passages and translations based on themes and sentences frequently seen in previous year papers (PYQs) and Important Passages. The post Hindi to English Passage Translation: Examples & Exercises | Class 10 & 12 appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Refactoring internal documentation in Notion](https://lethain.com/refactoring-internal-docs-notion/) _2026-02-05 · Irrational Exuberance_ In our latest developer productivity survey, our documentation was the area with the second most comments. This is a writeup of the concrete steps I took to see how much progress one person could make on improving the organization’s documentation while holding myself to a high standard for making changes that actually worked instead of optically sounding impressive. Diagnosis There were a… ## [Phrasal Verbs : 100 Verbs with Hindi meanings and examples, definitions and rules](https://mycoaching.in/phrasal-verbs) _2026-01-24 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ Phrasal verbs are verbs made by combining a main verb with a preposition or adverb. The post Phrasal Verbs : 100 Verbs with Hindi meanings and examples, definitions and rules appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Regular and Irregular Verbs: Learn Regular and Irregular English Verbs](https://mycoaching.in/regular-and-irregular-verbs) _2026-01-22 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ To use many verb tenses in English, we must know the past forms of verbs. Every verb has a base form or infinitive, such as look, make, and play. Most verbs... The post Regular and Irregular Verbs: Learn Regular and Irregular English Verbs appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Linking Verbs: Definition, Rules and Examples](https://mycoaching.in/linking-verbs) _2026-01-21 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ What are Linking Verbs? Linking verbs are verbs that do not show action. They link (connect) the subject to more information about the subject, such as a noun or adjective.... The post Linking Verbs: Definition, Rules and Examples appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Action Verbs: Physical and Mental Action Verbs](https://mycoaching.in/action-verbs) _2026-01-20 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ What is Action Verbs? Action verbs are verbs that show what the subject does. They express physical or mental actions. (Action verbs वे क्रियाएँ होती हैं जो यह बताती हैं... The post Action Verbs: Physical and Mental Action Verbs appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Ship everywhere from one CLI (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/5BFngYR1MBrx) _2026-01-20 · **Sponsored**_ One codebase, hosted runners, encrypted credentials, and automated submissions across stores ## [Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, Rules and Examples](https://mycoaching.in/subject-verb-agreement) _2026-01-20 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ Subject-Verb Agreement वह व्याकरणिक नियम है जिसके अनुसार क्रिया, कर्ता के वचन और पुरुष के अनुसार होती है। The post Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, Rules and Examples appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Transitive and Intransitive Verbs – Transitivity in Verbs](https://mycoaching.in/transitive-and-intransitive-verbs) _2026-01-20 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ What is Verb? A verb is a word that shows an action, state, or possession. (Verb वह शब्द है जो काम, अवस्था या होने का भाव बताए।) Verb Types by Transitivity... The post Transitive and Intransitive Verbs – Transitivity in Verbs appeared first on My Coaching . ## [Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs : Primary & Modal Auxiliary Verbs](https://mycoaching.in/helping-auxiliary-verbs) _2026-01-15 · Editorial Team · My Coaching_ Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs Be, Do, Have; Will, Shall, Would, Should; Can, Could, May, Might, Must Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) are used with main verbs to show tense, voice,... The post Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs : Primary & Modal Auxiliary Verbs appeared first on My Coaching . ## [The Most Popular Blogs of Hacker News in 2025](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/2025-hn-top-5/) _2026-01-02 · Refactoring English_ With 2025 wrapped up, I can finally answer a question I’m curious about every year: who were the most popular bloggers of Hacker News ? Who counts as a blogger? I explain more in the about page , but it’s basically anyone who blogs as an individual rather than as part of a company or a team. For example, John Graham-Cumming blogged while he was the CTO of Cloudflare, so I count his… ## [What Makes the Intro to \*Crafting Interpreters\* so Good?](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/crafting-interpreters-intro/) _2025-11-19 · Refactoring English_ One of my favorite programming books is Crafting Interpreters by Bob Nystrom. It teaches you how to build a programming language from scratch. Along the way, you learn about text parsing, data structures, virtual machines, and several other skills that make you a stronger developer. I was re-reading the book recently and realized that its introduction is delightfully effective. Developers are… ## [How to Get Meaningful Feedback on Your Design Document](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/useful-feedback-on-design-docs/) _2025-11-03 · Refactoring English_ You’ve spent weeks carefully writing a design document for your software project, but what happens next? How can you get useful feedback from your teammates? How do you prevent your design review from devolving into petty arguments? I’ve been through many design reviews in my career as both the author and reviewer, and I have a special fondness for effective reviews. Through trial and… ## [The Software Essays that Shaped Me](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/software-essays-that-shaped-me/) _2025-09-30 · Refactoring English_ I started reading software blogs before I got my first programming job 20 years ago. At this point, I’ve read thousands of blog posts and essays about software, but only a small handful stuck in my mind and changed the way I think. “The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code” by Joel Spolsky (2000) “Parse, don’t validate” by Alexis King (2019) “No Silver… ## [Adam Gordon Bell on Attracting Customers through Blogging](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/interview-adam-gordon-bell/) _2025-09-12 · Refactoring English_ Adam Gordon Bell is a developer, blogger, and the host of the software engineering podcast, CoRecursive . I interviewed Adam about writing and his success at attracting customers through his blog posts when he worked at Earthly. We talk about: How Adam consistently wrote blog posts that reached the front page of Hacker News Discovering blog topics that attract potential customers Techniques Adam… ## [Reader Feedback about my Chapter List](https://refactoringenglish.com/blog/chapter-interest-results/) _2025-08-29 · Refactoring English_ For the past eight months, I’ve been working on my book, Refactoring English: Effective Writing for Software Developers . I’m publishing the book incrementally as I write, which means readers give me feedback about the book in real time. I started writing the chapters I felt most confident readers would like, but now that I’m about 50% complete, I want to make sure the remaining… ## [Underused Techniques for Effective Emails](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/techniques-for-writing-emails/) _2025-07-16 · Refactoring English_ For software developers, there’s tremendous value in writing effective emails. Good emails save time, reduce misunderstandings, and earn you recognition within your company. ## [How to Write Compelling Software Release Announcements](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/release-announcements/) _2025-06-25 · Refactoring English_ A release announcement showcases how the user’s experience is better today than it was yesterday. That sounds obvious, but most release announcements seem to forget that there’s a user at all. So many release announcements just enumerate new features in a way that’s totallly divorced from how real people use the software. The announcement is essentially just a changelog with… ## [How to Write Blog Posts that Developers Read](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/write-blog-posts-developers-read/) _2025-03-27 · Refactoring English_ I recently spoke to a developer who tried blogging but gave up because nobody was reading his posts. I checked out his blog, and it was immediately obvious why he didn’t have any readers. The developer had interesting insights, but he made so many mistakes in presenting his ideas that he was driving everyone away. The tragedy was that these errors were easy to fix. Once you learn to… ## [How to Write Useful Commit Messages](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/commit-messages/) _2025-03-07 · Refactoring English_ Effective commit messages simplify the code review process and aid long-term code maintenance. Unfortunately, commit messages don’t get much respect, so the world is littered with useless messages like Fix bug or Update UI . There’s no widespread agreement about what makes a good commit message or why it’s useful, so I’m sharing my thoughts based on my 20 years of… ## [Can You Spot the Passive Voice?](https://refactoringenglish.com/exercises/recognize-passive-voice/) _2025-01-31 · Refactoring English_ This exercise tests your ability to recognize the passive voice in the context of developing software. For each sentence, click: Active ⚡ if the sentence has no passive voice (active voice only) Passive 😴 if the sentence contains passive voice Start Does this sentence contain passive voice? Passive 😴 Active ⚡ Next Question Accuracy: 0 % ## [Passive Voice Considered Harmful](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/passive-voice-considered-harmful/) _2025-01-31 · Refactoring English_ Your high school English teachers probably warned you that passive voice is dangerous and forbidden. Then, when you were an adult, some guy in a leather jacket told you that passive voice is cool and should be used whenever it’s desired. Well, the tide has turned again. If you’re a software developer, stop using the passive voice. Wait, what’s passive voice? In English, sentences… ## [Rules for Writing Software Tutorials](https://refactoringenglish.com/excerpts/rules-for-software-tutorials/) _2025-01-02 · Refactoring English_ Most software tutorials are tragically flawed. Tutorials often forget to mention some key detail, preventing readers from replicating the author’s process. Other times, the author brings in hidden assumptions that don’t match their readers’ expectations. The good news is that it’s easier than you think to write an exceptional software tutorial. You can stand out in a sea of…