Acted upon vs. acting …

… The Active Voice | Science Set Free. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In 1999, I was astonished to read in my 11-year-old son’s science notebook, “The test tube was heated and carefully smelt.” At primary school his science reports had been lively and vivid, but when he moved to secondary school they became stilted and artificial. His teachers told him to write that way, and gave him a style sheet to copy.