Senseless Shooting in Illinois
Cahokia fire kills mother, 3 children
I am trying to figure out the use of passive/active voice in
St. Louis Post-Dispatch headlines. I think the rules are something like this:
- If it's an intentional act of causing harm performed by a perpetrator of a crime, it calls for passive voice: Man Is Killed In Robbery.
- If it's an act of nature that can show no mens rea, use a transitive verb that implies intention in the active voice: Cahokia Fire Kills Mother, 3 Children.
Does that about cover it?