The Passive Voice Grammar Lesson

Introduction to the Passive Voice

In English grammar, there are two primary voices: the active voice and the passive voice. These voices determine how the relationship between the subject, the verb, and the object is expressed in a sentence.

Warm-up Exercises and Concept Checks

To begin understanding the passive voice, consider these descriptive categories and examples:

• Naming Items (Passive Contexts):

  • 5 objects that are made of wood.

  • 5 animals that are kept as pets.

  • 5 subjects that are taught at school.

  • 3 cities where the Olympic Games have been held.

  • 3 films that are produced in the USA.

  • 2 skills that are needed to be a good student.

• Identifying True Passive Sentences (Group A):

  • "The dog is chasing the cat." (Right answer - Active)

  • "The cat is chasing the dog." (Right answer - Active)

  • "The cat is chased by the dog." (Wrong answer - Passive)

• Identifying True Passive Sentences (Group B):

  • "The letter is delivered." (Right answer - Passive)

  • "The child delivered the letter." (Right answer - Active)

  • "The man delivered the letter." (Wrong answer - Active)

Sentence Structure and Comparison

The structure of a sentence shifts when moving from the active to the passive voice. Consider the example of English speakers:

• Active Voice:

  • Structure: $\text{Subject} + \text{Verb} + \text{Object}$

  • Example: "1.5 billion people (Subject) speak (Verb) English (Object)."

• Passive Voice:

  • Structure: $\text{Object} + \text{Verb (be + past participle)} + \text{by} + \text{Subject}$

  • Example: "English (Object) is spoken (Verb) by (Preposition) 1.5 billion people (Subject)."

General Rules for Passive Voice Formation

The passive voice is formed using two essential components:

1. The verb "to be" conjugated in the appropriate tense.

2. The past participle of the main verb.

Example: "The essay (Object) is (to be) written (past participle) by her (Agent)."

Comprehensive Tense Table

The following table outlines how the active voice is transformed into the passive voice across various English tenses:

Agents and Instruments

When constructing passive sentences, you may need to include the person or the thing that performed the action.

• The Agent (Who): If you want to include the person who performed the action, introduce them with the preposition "by" at the end of the sentence.

  • Example: "This film was directed by James Cameron."

  • Example: "The house has been decorated by her friends."

• The Instrument (What): If you want to include an instrument, material, or ingredient used to perform the action, introduce it with the preposition "with."

  • Example: "The window has been broken with a stone."

  • Example: "Modern paintings can be created with very unusual materials."

Sentence Transformation Drills

Active to Passive Transformations:

1. Active: Someone took photos with a camera.

   • Passive: Photos were taken with a camera.

2. Active: Someone decorated the classroom with bunting.

   • Passive: The classroom was decorated with bunting.

3. Active: My grandfather has planted some flowers.

   • Passive: Some flowers have been planted by my grandfather.

4. Active: A bee stung the child.

   • Passive: The child was stung by a bee.

5. Active: Malevich painted "Black Square."

   • Passive: "Black Square" was painted by Malevich.

Prompt-Based Sentence Creation:

• Sushi / Associate / Japanese culture (Present Simple): Sushi is associated with Japanese culture.

• Dog / Feed / I (Past Simple): The dog was fed by me.

• Letter / Write (Present Continuous): The letter is being written.

• House / Decorate / We (Present Perfect): The house has been decorated by us.

• Mural / Paint / Famous artist (Past Perfect): The mural had been painted by the famous artist.

• Pizza / Deliver / Soon (Future Simple): Pizza will be delivered soon.

Advanced Selection Exercises

• New Sports Centre Case:

  • "Soon we won’t have to travel for an hour to the swimming pool. A new sports centre (is being built / had been built) near our school."

  • Correct: is being built (Right).

  • "The new sports centre (has opened / is opened / will be opened) next year."

  • Correct: will be opened (Right).

• Travel and Logistics:

  • "We are travelling by train, because my car (is being / were being / had been) repaired."

  • Correct: is being (Right).

• Expectations and Discovery:

  • "The star figure skater (has expected / was expected / is being expected) to win the world championship in 2020."

  • Correct: was expected (Right).

  • "Many Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone (is already / was already / have already been) found."

  • Correct: have already been (Right).

  • "Life (isn’t / was not / hasn’t been) discovered outside the Earth yet."

  • Correct: hasn’t been (Right).

Creative and Practical Application

Scenario: Alice’s Birthday Party Preparation Using the Past Perfect Passive, describe what had been done to prepare for the party:

• Example: "The balloons had been filled with air."

Case Study: The National Museum of Qatar Fill in the gaps using the passive voice:

• This stunning building is located (locate) in Qatar.

• This national museum is known (know) for its striking and innovative design.

• It was designed (design) by a famous modern architect Jean Nouvel.

• It was completed in 2019.

• It has been constructed (construct) around an ancient palace.

• The palace has been conserved (conserve) carefully for future generations.

• A new research center and laboratories are offered (offer) to scholars and students.

Questions & Discussion

• Can you create three meaningful sentences in the passive voice using different tenses?

• What new things have you learnt today?

• Was this lesson difficult, easy or just right?

• Which activity did you like the least?

• Which activity did you enjoy the most?

• How would you assess your efforts during this lesson?