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The Passive Voice

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The passive voice

be able to recognize the passive voice

be able to write in the passive voice

know when to use the passive voice.

Do you know the difference between the active and the passive voice?

Soon you will…

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The passive voice

Here are some sentences in the passive. Can you spot the ways they are different to active (’normal’) sentences?

The sulphuric acid was poured into a beaker.

The thief was seen by several witnesses.

The cake was placed into the oven.

The Reverend Green was killed in the library, with a gun by Miss Plum.

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How did you get on? Click to see the active versions. Can you explain the differences now?

The sulphuric acid was poured into a beaker.

The thief was seen by several witnesses. Several witnesses saw the thief.

The cake was placed in the oven.Frankie placed the cake in the oven.

The Reverend Green was killed in the library, with a gun by Miss Plum.Miss Plum murdered the Reverend Green in the library with a gun.

The passive voice

I poured the sulphuric acid into a beaker.

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The passive voice

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The object

In the passive voice the object comes at the start of the sentence.

In the active voice we write:Subject Verb ObjectFor example: Romeo proposed to Juliet.

However, in the passive the object comes before the subject.For example: Juliet was proposed to by Romeo.

Sometimes the subject is left out completely: Juliet was proposed to.

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Why do we use the passive voice?

What happened is more important than who did it. The sulphuric acid was poured into a beaker. It doesn’t really matter who poured the sulphuric acid. What is important is what happened to it. So, the subject is often left out of the sentence.

You want to create some suspense. The Reverend Green was killed in the library, with a gun by Miss Plum.Everybody wants to know the name of the murderer. The passive voice keeps them on the edge of their seats.

We use the passive voice when…

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Activity

Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice.

I broke the window.The window was broken.

A man discovered stolen jewels whilst out walking his dog.The stolen jewels were discovered by a man out walking his dog.

Ivor Brush painted the winning picture.The winning picture was painted by Ivor Brush.

The police recovered the stolen car.The stolen car was recovered by the police.

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Activity

Use these prompts to write sentences in the passive voice.

……..man…………………hunted……………police.

Noddy’s car…………stolen…………naughty goblins.

The cup………won………………Brazil.

The silence………….broken…………loud whistle.

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Are you getting the hang of it?

Answers

A man was being hunted by the police.

Noddy’s car was stolen by the naughty goblins.

The Cup was won by Brazil.

The silence was broken by a loud whistle.

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Activity

When we write up a science experiment it’s best to use the passive voice. Ann has used the active voice. Can you rewrite her report in the passive?

Purifying Rock SaltsI ground the rock salt.I mixed it with water.Then I stirred it.I took a filter, folded it and put it in the funnel.Next I filtered the solution.Then I heated it.Finally, I left it to evaporate.

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puts the object at the start of the sentence

often omits the subject

can be used when what happened is more important than the agent

you want to create suspense or mystery

is often used when writing up scientific experiments

is sometimes used in newspapers.

To sum up

So, to sum up, the passive voice…