2TTO - Unit 8 - Passives

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• Middelbare school
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Unit 8

Passives

Y2

What is the passive and active?

What is an active sentence?

In active sentences the subject does the action:

• The lion killed the hunter.

The ‘lion’ in this sentence is the subject and the ‘hunter’ is the object.

• The lion is hugging the hunter.

The ‘lion’ in this sentence is the subject and the ‘hunter’ is the object.

Passive sentences

In passive sentences, the subject doesn’t do the action: it is the ‘receiver’ of the action.

The object comes first (and becomes the subject):

•  The hunter was killed by the lion.
•  The hunter is being hugged by the lion.

If we want to say who acted (= the agent) then we must add 'by'.

• Active sentences: [Subject] + [verb] + [object]
• Passive sentences: [Subject] + [form of be] + [past participle] (+ [by] + [agent])

Why are passives used?

Passives are used when:

• The action is more important than who/what does the action

 The city was destroyed in 1755.

• We are unsure who exactly does/did the action

 Many objects have been stolen.

• It is obvious or understood who does/did the action

The patient was cured.

• We want to shift focus (object becomes subject)

Let's practice! ✍️

Grab a piece of paper.

1. First, decide what tense it is: active or passive.

2. Then, change it into the passive or active.

1a. "I built a house."
Is this the active or passive voice?

1. active
2. passive

1b. "I built a house."
We change it into the passive voice.

2a. "The obstacle course was run (by me) in record time."
Is this the active or passive voice?

1. active
2. passive

2b. "The obstacle course was run (by me) in record time."
Now, we change it into the active voice.

Change the rest of these sentences!

a. Decide if it is in the active or passive tense.           b. Change it.

1. Harry ate six shrimp at dinner.

2. Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah.

3. The critic wrote a scathing review.

4. The whole suburb was destroyed by the forest fire. 

5. The kangaroo carried her baby in her pouch. 

✅ Correct answers

1. Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (= ACTIVE)         

Six shrimp were eaten by Harry at dinner.

2. Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah.  (= ACTIVE)    
The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes.

3. The critic wrote a scathing review.  (= ACTIVE)  
A scathing review was written by the critic.

4. The whole suburb was destroyed by the forest fire. (= PASSIVE)
The forest fire destroyed the whole suburb.

5. The kangaroo carried her baby in her pouch. (= ACTIVE)
The baby was carried in her pouch by the kangaroo.

I completely understand the passive and active voice now!

😒🙁😐🙂😃