Mastering the Active and Passive Voice in English Grammar
Subject : English Grammar
Class : SS 2
Term : Third Term
Week :Week 3
TOPICS
Structure: Active and Passive Voices
Content
What is an active voice?
In grammar, the active voice is a type of sentence construction where the subject performs the action described by the verb. This is in contrast to the passive voice, where the subject receives the action described by the verb. Here are some examples of sentences in the active voice:
- Jane ate an apple. In this sentence, “Jane” is the subject who performs the action “ate” on “an apple.”
- The cat chased the mouse. Here, “the cat” is the subject who performs the action “chased” on “the mouse.”
- The company launched a new product. In this sentence, “the company” is the subject who performs the action “launched” on “a new product.”
- John wrote a book. Here, “John” is the subject who performs the action “wrote” on “a book.”
- The teacher graded the exams. In this sentence, “the teacher” is the subject who performs the action “graded” on “the exams.”
These sentences are in the active voice because the subjects are actively performing the actions described by the verbs.
What is a passive voice?
In grammar, the passive voice is a type of sentence construction where the subject is acted upon by the verb, rather than performing the action themselves. Here are some examples of sentences in the passive voice:
- The apple was eaten by Jane. In this sentence, “the apple” is the subject that receives the action “was eaten” by “Jane.” The subject is passive because it is not actively performing the action.
- The mouse was chased by the cat. Here, “the mouse” is the subject that receives the action “was chased” by “the cat.”
- A new product was launched by the company. In this sentence, “a new product” is the subject that receives the action “was launched” by “the company.”
- The book was written by John. Here, “the book” is the subject that receives the action “was written” by “John.”
- The exams were graded by the teacher. In this sentence, “the exams” is the subject that receives the action “were graded” by “the teacher.”
These sentences are in the passive voice because the subjects are not actively performing the actions described by the verbs. Instead, they are receiving the actions. The passive voice is often used to shift focus away from the subject and onto the action or object being acted upon
Voice is a term that is used to explain whether the performer of an action comes before the action (verb) or whether it comes after the verb in a sentence. When the performer comes before the verb (action) we say the verb is in the active form e.g.
Dairo killed a snake. (Active voice)
S o
However, when the two nouns in the sentence above are swapped, we say the sentence is in the passive form.
A snake was killed by Dairo (Passive voice)
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Active Voice Passive Voice
Bola prepared dinner. Dinner was prepared by Bola.
Shade wrote a letter. A letter was written by Shade.
Daddy is building a house. A house is being built by Daddy.
Sola makes beads. Beads are made by Sola.
John will kick the ball. The ball will be kicked by John.
Rules
- There is an exchange of positions between the subject and the object
- The tense of both voices (active and passive) must be the same.
- There is an introduction of ‘by’ in the passive voice
- A form of the verb ‘BE’ is also introduced in the passive voice.
How to change from active voice to passive voice
To change a sentence from active voice to passive voice, you generally need to follow these steps:
- Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
- Move the object to the beginning of the sentence.
- Add a form of “be” (such as “is,” “was,” “are,” or “were”) and the past participle of the verb to create the passive voice.
Here are some examples to help illustrate this process:
Active Voice: The teacher graded the exams.
Passive Voice: The exams were graded by the teacher.
In this example, “the exams” is the object of the active sentence. To make it the subject of the passive sentence, we move it to the beginning. Then, we add “were” (a form of “be”) and “graded” (the past participle of “grade”) to create the passive voice.
Active Voice: She is writing a novel. Passive Voice: A novel is being written by her.
In this example, “a novel” is the object of the active sentence. To make it the subject of the passive sentence, we move it to the beginning. Then, we add “is being” (a form of “be” plus the present participle of “write”) and “written” (the past participle of “write”) to create the passive voice.
Active Voice: They built a house on the hill. Passive Voice: A house was built on the hill by them.
In this example, “a house” is the object of the active sentence. To make it the subject of the passive sentence, we move it to the beginning. Then, we add “was” (a form of “be”) and “built” (the past participle of “build”) to create the passive voice. We also add “by them” to indicate who performed the action.
Here are ten examples of sentences that are in active voice and passive voice, tabulated for comparison:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| The cat chased the mouse. | The mouse was chased by the cat. |
| John is washing the dishes. | The dishes are being washed by John. |
| She wrote the report last night. | The report was written by her last night. |
| The dog ate the bone. | The bone was eaten by the dog. |
| They are discussing the project. | The project is being discussed by them. |
| The children played soccer in the park. | Soccer was played by the children in the park. |
| He fixed the car this morning. | The car was fixed by him this morning. |
| The company will launch a new product next month. | A new product will be launched by the company next month. |
| The teacher graded the exams. | The exams were graded by the teacher. |
| The storm destroyed the house. | The house was destroyed by the storm. |
In each pair of sentences, the first sentence is in active voice, while the second sentence is in passive voice
EVALUATION
- In which type of sentence is the subject performing the action? a) Passive voice b) Active voice c) Both
- What is the purpose of using passive voice in writing? a) To emphasize the subject b) To make the sentence more concise c) To shift focus onto the action or object being acted upon
- Which of the following is NOT a form of “be” used to form passive voice? a) Is b) Have c) Was d) Are
- Which of the following is a sentence in the passive voice? a) The cat chased the mouse. b) The mouse was chased by the cat. c) The book is on the table.
- What is the first step in changing a sentence from active voice to passive voice? a) Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence. b) Add a form of “be” and the past participle of the verb. c) Move the object to the beginning of the sentence.
- Which of the following is the correct passive voice form of the sentence “She is cooking dinner”? a) Dinner is being cooked by her. b) She is being cooked dinner. c) Cooking is being done by her for dinner.
- Which of the following sentences is in active voice? a) The report was written by Jane. b) Jane wrote the report. c) The report had been written by Jane.
- Which of the following is a reason to use active voice in writing? a) To emphasize the action or object being acted upon b) To avoid using too many words c) To make the sentence more concise
- Which of the following sentences is in passive voice? a) The students are studying for the exam. b) The exam is being studied by the students. c) The teacher is grading the exams.
- What is the correct passive voice form of the sentence “They will finish the project tomorrow”? a) The project will be finished by them tomorrow. b) The project will have been finished by them tomorrow. c) The project will be finishing tomorrow by them.
Change the following sentences to the passive form.
- Amaka sings a song.
- Bukola was cooking a nice meal.
- Emmanuel has posted the letter.
- The principal granted me the permission.
- They offered him a nice job.
Here are the passive forms of the given sentences:
- A song is being sung by Amaka.
- A nice meal was being cooked by Bukola.
- The letter has been posted by Emmanuel.
- The permission was granted to me by the principal.
- He was offered a nice job by them
Evaluation
- What is the active form of the sentence “Amaka sings a song”?
- What is the passive form of the sentence “Bukola was cooking a nice meal”?
- What is the passive form of the sentence “Emmanuel has posted the letter”?
- Who granted permission in the sentence “The principal granted me the permission”?
- What is the passive form of the sentence “They offered him a nice job”?
- presentation for the topic “Active and Passive Voice”:
Lesson Plan Presentation: Active and Passive Voice
Previous Lesson
Speech Work: Stress Patterns – Identification and Examples.
I. Introduction
- Engage students in a brief discussion on the importance of using different sentence structures in writing to convey different meanings
- Introduce the topic of active and passive voice and explain why it’s important to understand the difference between the two
II. Learning Objectives
- Define active and passive voice
- Identify examples of sentences in active and passive voice
- Understand the difference between active and passive voice
- Convert sentences from active voice to passive voice and vice versa
III. Instructional Strategies
- Lecture and discussion to introduce the concept of active and passive voice
- Examples and practice exercises to help students identify and convert between active and passive voice
- Group activities and discussions to promote student engagement and understanding
IV. Assessment Strategies
- In-class activities to assess student understanding of active and passive voice
- Homework assignments to reinforce learning and encourage independent practice
- Quizzes and exams to evaluate student mastery of the topic
V. Conclusion
- Review the key concepts covered in the lesson
- Encourage students to continue practicing and using active and passive voice in their writing
- Provide resources for further learning and practice
VI. Materials
- Whiteboard and markers
- Handouts with examples and exercises
- Worksheets for practice and assessment
- Online resources and tools for further learning and practice
VII. Timeframe
- This lesson can be taught in one or two class periods, depending on the pace of the class and the level of prior knowledge on the topic
Homework
- Which of the following sentences is in active voice? a) The ball was thrown by John. b) John threw the ball. c) The ball will be thrown by John. d) The ball had been thrown by John.
- What is the difference between active and passive voice? a) Active voice emphasizes the object of the sentence, while passive voice emphasizes the subject. b) Active voice uses more words than passive voice. c) Active voice is used for formal writing, while passive voice is used for informal writing. d) Active voice indicates past tense, while passive voice indicates present tense.
- Which of the following sentences is in passive voice? a) The dog chased the cat. b) The cat was chased by the dog. c) The cat chased the dog. d) The dog was chasing the cat.
- What is the correct passive form of the sentence “The teacher is teaching the students”? a) The students are being taught by the teacher. b) The teacher is being taught by the students. c) The students are teaching the teacher. d) The teacher was teaching the students.
- Which of the following sentences is in active voice? a) The book was read by me. b) I read the book. c) The book is being read by me. d) The book had been read by me
- What is the difference in meaning between the active and passive forms of a sentence? a) There is no difference in meaning. b) Active voice emphasizes the subject doing the action, while passive voice emphasizes the action being done to the subject. c) Passive voice is used for positive statements, while active voice is used for negative statements. d) Active voice indicates past tense, while passive voice indicates future tense.
- Which of the following sentences is in passive voice? a) The teacher teaches the students. b) The students are learning from the teacher. c) The students teach each other. d) The teacher is explaining the lesson.
- What is the correct passive form of the sentence “She will finish the project tomorrow”? a) The project will be finished by her tomorrow. b) The project will have been finished by her tomorrow. c) She will be finishing the project tomorrow. d) She finished the project tomorrow.
- Which of the following sentences is in active voice? a) The cake was baked by Mary. b) Mary baked the cake. c) The cake is being baked by Mary. d) The cake had been baked by Mary.
- Which of the following sentences is in passive voice? a) I wrote a letter to my friend. b) My friend received a letter from me. c) I mailed the letter to my friend. d) My friend and I exchanged letters.
Weekly Assessment /Test
- What is active voice? a) A type of sentence where the subject performs the action. b) A type of sentence where the object performs the action. c) A type of sentence where the subject and object switch places. d) A type of sentence that does not use a subject or object.
- What is passive voice? a) A type of sentence where the subject performs the action. b) A type of sentence where the object performs the action. c) A type of sentence where the subject and object switch places. d) A type of sentence that does not use a subject or object.
- What is the difference between active and passive voice? a) Active voice emphasizes the subject, while passive voice emphasizes the object. b) Active voice uses more words than passive voice. c) Active voice is used for formal writing, while passive voice is used for informal writing. d) Active voice indicates present tense, while passive voice indicates past tense.
- What is the correct passive form of the sentence “The cat chased the mouse”? a) The mouse was chased by the cat. b) The cat was chased by the mouse. c) The mouse chased the cat. d) The cat had been chasing the mouse.
- What is the correct active form of the sentence “The book was read by Mary”? a) Mary read the book. b) The book read Mary. c) Mary was reading the book. d) The book had been read by Mary.
- When is passive voice used? a) To emphasize the subject of a sentence. b) To make a sentence more concise. c) To avoid stating who performed the action. d) To indicate present tense.
- What is the correct passive form of the sentence “She will finish the project tomorrow”? a) The project will be finished by her tomorrow. b) The project will have been finished by her tomorrow. c) She will be finishing the project tomorrow. d) She finished the project tomorrow.
- What is the correct active form of the sentence “The ball was caught by Tom”? a) Tom caught the ball. b) The ball caught Tom. c) Tom was catching the ball. d) The ball had been caught by Tom.
- What is the difference in meaning between the active and passive forms of a sentence? a) There is no difference in meaning. b) Active voice emphasizes the subject doing the action, while passive voice emphasizes the action being done to the subject. c) Passive voice is used for positive statements, while active voice is used for negative statements. d) Passive voice indicates past tense, while active voice indicates future tense.
- What is the correct passive form of the sentence “The teacher is grading the exams”? a) The exams are being graded by the teacher. b) The teacher is being graded by the exams. c) The exams are grading the teacher. d) The teacher graded the exams.
