Twice yesterday, in two separate articles, I saw a usage that absolutely set my teeth on edge.

quote:

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A recent National Petroleum Council study reports that North America is becoming increasingly reliant on higher-cost sources of natural gas.

Many have argued that the payroll survey is the most reliable survey in a purely statistical sense. This is true. It has a very large sample size and is not reliant on volatile population estimates.

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But what is it about these sentences that sets my teeth on edge? (Seeing the word "is" in them, I at first thought I was reacting to verbs used in the passive voice. But the usage of "is" is different here, and anyway my objection here is far stronger than my feelings toward passive voice.) I know these sentences are clumsy, but I can't put my finger on precisely what's wrong with them.

Seeing the word "is" in them, I at first thought I was reacting to verbs used in the passive voice. But the usage of "is" is different here, and anyway my objection here is far stronger than my feelings toward passive voice.)
Perhaps we were too critical of Clinton's comment that "it all depends on what you mean by is."

I think it is a matter of style, though "is reliant on" sounds more awkward to me than "relies on."

Both sentences seem fine to me - but then I like the passive voice.

Actually, to pick a nit, neither of the example sentences is passive. Reliant is an adjective and not a verb. As a fun experiment, try to turn them into active sentences.