“Alright,” she said, pouring more wine. “What about the passive voice? ‘Mistakes were made’?”
Eleanor blinked. “You’ve read Aarts?” oxford modern english grammar by bas aarts
Tom nodded, chewing. “Aarts calls it a ‘thematic choice.’ The agent is suppressed because the speaker wants to avoid blame. Not bad grammar—just politics.” “Alright,” she said, pouring more wine