Mastering the Passive Voice

Mastering the Passive Voice

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to identify and form the passive voice in English.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and explain why it's important to learn the passive voice.

What do you already know about the passive voice?

What is Passive Voice?

The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the object of the sentence takes the subject position. The focus is on the action and not the doer.

Explain the definition of the passive voice and provide examples of passive and active voice sentences.

Structure of the Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed by using the auxiliary verb 'to be' + past participle. For example: The cake was baked by the chef.

Explain the structure of the passive voice and provide examples of different tenses in the passive voice.

Using the Passive Voice

The passive voice is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or when the focus is on the action. It is also used in formal writing.

Explain the different situations where the passive voice is used and provide examples of sentences in which the passive voice is more appropriate than the active voice.

Active vs Passive Voice

In the active voice, the subject performs the action, while in the passive voice, the subject receives the action. For example: Active voice - The dog bit the man. Passive voice - The man was bitten by the dog.

Explain the difference between active and passive voice and provide examples of the same sentence in both voices.

Identifying the Passive Voice

To identify the passive voice, look for the auxiliary verb 'to be' + past participle. The doer may or may not be mentioned in the sentence.

Provide multiple sentences and ask students to identify which ones are in the passive voice. Encourage them to look for the auxiliary verb and the focus of the sentence.

Practice Exercise

Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice: 1. The teacher gave the students a test. 2. The storm destroyed the house.

Provide an exercise for students to practice forming sentences in the passive voice. Go over the answers as a class.

Conclusion

The passive voice is a useful grammatical construction that is used in various situations. By understanding its structure and usage, you can communicate more effectively in English.

Review the key points of the lesson and encourage students to practice using the passive voice in their writing.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.