ABSTRACT
The writer may have taken to heart the maxim that academic writing should be impersonal, and this has driven her to use the Passive voice. However, the desire for impersonality is probably outweighed by the need for smooth distribution of Given and New information. If impersonality is insisted upon, then an alternative possibility would be:
Comment 3
Underlining indicates the Themes of the sentences in the two passages. In (1) there is no particular pattern for the choice of Theme, except that two out of the five Themes refer to trees and flowers. By contrast, (2) shows a very tight control in the choice of Themes, with all five referring to seasons.
