Passive voice

Integrating Target Grammar Structures

This week's feature focuses on an integrating a lesson plan to focus on one targeted area in using different
language skills. The example lesson plan focuses on the use of recycling language, namely the passive
voice, to help students learn inductively while at the same time improve their oral production skills. By
often repeating the passive voice in various guises the students become comfortable with the use of the
passive and can then go on to actually employ the passive voice in speaking. It is important to remember
that the subject area that they should speak about needs to be limited as to not make the task too difficult
by giving students too much choice. In the past, I have often allowed students to choose their subject,
however I have noticed that when the oral production task is clearly defined, students are more able to
produce the targeted structure because they are not worried about inventing some subject or saying
something clever.
Please feel free to copy this lesson plan or use the materials in one of your own classes.
LESSON AIMS
1. Students will improve recognition of the differences between the passive voice and active voice with
particular attention paid to the present simple, past simple, and present perfect passive forms.
2. Students will inductively review passive form structures.
3. Students will quickly review language used to express opinions.
4. Students will contextualise the use of the passive by first making guesses about Seattle, and then
finding out about certain facts about that city
5. Students will focus on passive oral production skills in the context of speaking about Tuscany.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
1. Students will almost certainly have problems with using the passive form in production activities. As
the class is an intermediate level, students have principally concentrated on acquiring oral skills
using the active voice. For this reason, I have chosen the narrow focus area of speaking about
Tuscany so that students can focus on a specific subject in the context of speaking about their part
of the world.
2. Students might tend to place the subject of the passive sentence after the participle as they are
used to an object being the object of a verb and not the subject of the sentence.
3. Students might have difficulties in recognising the difference between the passive voice and the
present perfect active.
4. Students might substitute /d/ for /t/ in certain participle endings with verbs such as 'send'.
SKILLS
Reading Short prepared text with passive and active in the present simple, past simple, and present
perfect forms.
1. Develop skimming skills by scanning text to locate facts about Seattle.
Speaking Making guesses and expressing opinions about Seattle.
Speaking about Tuscany using the passive voice.

GRAMMAR
Inductive grammar review of the differences between the passive and active focusing mainly on the
present simple, past simple and present perfect passives.
MATERIALS
Teacher produced
Lesson Plan
Lesson
Phase

Exercises

Warm-up 5
minutes

Relate story about Cavalleria

Rusticana which was written by
To call to mind and refresh student awareness of the
Mascagni in Leghorn, ask students passive voice in a relaxed introductory segment. By
if there are any other famous
taking about Leghorn, students are prepared for the
things that are produced etc. in
following activities concerning Seattle.
Leghorn.

Purpose

Quick review of language used to expresses opinions

A. As a class, illicit language used and make guesses. By working through the fact sheet
to express opinions.
students will hopefully begin to intuitively use the passive
Guess Work
B. Look at Seattle fact sheet
voice while contextualising the use of the passive when
10 minutes
C. In pairs, quickly discuss which used to describe a native city or region. This section also
facts they think are true or false. creates student interest in the following reading selection
by asking them to guess if the facts are true or false.

Reading 15
minutes

To inductively improve the recognition of the

A. Have students read short text differences between the active and passive voice. In
about Seattle
section A students become aware of the differences by
B. Have students underline
seeing repeated use of both the active and passive voice.
passive voice structures.
In section B students inductively increase their recognition
C. Students discuss what the
skills by underlining the passive form. At the same time,
differences are between the active students improve their skimming skills by checking if their
and passive voice.
previous guesses about Seattle were correct. Section C
D. Class review of passive
allows students to learn from each other in a relaxed
structure.
manner. Finally, section D helps students review the
passive voice as a class with confirmation by the teacher.

A. As a class, discuss which

passive utterances could be used
to describe a region. (i.e. Wine is
produced in Chianti)
B. Have students divide into
Oral
groups of three.
Production 15
C. Each group should focus on
minutes
using the passive voice to
describe Tuscany to his/her
partners.
D. Class correction of common
errors.

Use of passive voice to describe favourite subjects.

By having students speak about Tuscany, students con
focus on correct passive voice production in the
contextualised situation of speaking about your native
region or city. After having listened to group work around
the class, the teacher can then help students with
common mistakes.

Here are the Materials used for the lesson:

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Seattle Fact Sheet

The basketball team "The Lakers" are from Seattle

It often rains in Seattle

Silicon valley is near Seattle

Bill Gates and Microsoft are located in Seattle

Chrysler cars are manufactured in Seattle

Bruce Springsteen was born in Seattle

"Grunge" music comes from Seattle

Seattle is in the Southwest of the United States

My Hometown

Many years ago, I was born in Seattle, Washington USA. Seattle is located in the Northwest corner of the
USA. Recently, Seattle has become the focus of much international attention. Many films have been made
there, probably the most famous of which is "Sleepless in Seattle" starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Seattle is also known as the birthplace of Grunge music, both Pearl Jam and Nirvana are from Seattle. For
older people like myself, it should be noted that Jimmy Hendrix was born in Seattle! NBA fans know
Seattle for the "Seattle Supersonics" which has played basketball in Seattle for more than 30 years.
Unfortunately, Seattle is also famous for its bad weather. I can remember weeks and weeks of grey, wet
weather when I was growing up.
Seattle has also become one of the fastest growing business areas in the United States. Two of the most
important names in the booming business scene in Seattle are Microsoft and Boeing. Microsoft was
founded and is owned by the world-famous Bill Gates (how much of his software is on your computer?).
Boeing has always been essential to the economic situation in Seattle. It is located to the north of Seattle
and famous jets such as the "Jumbo" have been manufactured there for more than 50 years!
Seattle is positioned between the Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains. The combination of its scenic
location, thriving business conditions and exciting cultural scene makes Seattle one of America's most
interesting cities.

Exercise 1 Focus on Passive Voice

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Generally, students coming from around the world are more than happy to speak about their native
country. Obviously, when speaking about a country (city, state etc.) the passive voice is required. I have
found the following activity using the computer to be of great assistance in helping students focus on the
correct use of the passive voice for communication and reading and writing skills.

Inductively review the passive structures in class (or introduce the passive structures)
Provide a text example, focusing on a specific location, that includes many passive voice structures
Have students read through the text
As a follow up, have students separate passive voice and active voice examples
Using a program such as Microsoft Encarta or any other multimedia encyclopaedia, (or the Internet)
have students working in small groups find information about their own nation (or any city, state etc.)
Based on the information they have found, students then write a short report together at the
computer (using a spell check, communicating about formatting etc.)
Students then report back to the class presenting their report created at the computer

This exercise is a perfect example of involving students in an "authentic" activity that focuses on
communication skills while at the same time including a grammar focus, and uses the computer as a tool.
Students have fun together, communicate in English and are proud of the results they achieve - all
ingredients for successful inductive learning of the passive voice in a communicative manner.

Passive voice

Definition:
A verb form or voice in which the grammatical subject receives the verb's action. Contrast with active
voice.
Examples and Observations:
"Indiscriminate slandering of the passive voice ought to be stopped. The passive should be
recognized as a quite decent and respectable structure of English grammar, neither better nor
worse than other structures. When it is properly chosen, wordiness and obscurity are no more
increased than when the active voice is properly chosen. Its effective and appropriate use can be
taught."

"The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions but by his habitual
acts."

"I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true."

"We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the
passive voice to the active voice--that is, until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost
it.'"

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have
been tried."

"America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else . . ..
America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very
chancy."

"The young gentleman was later seen by me in front of the gare Saint-Lazare."

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been
widely regarded as a bad move."

"Fiction was invented the day Jonas arrived home and told his wife that he was three days late because he
had been swallowed by a whale."
Passive to Active Transformations
Take the following sentences in the passive voice and put them into the active voice. Once you have
decided on your answer, click on the arrow to see if you have answered correctly. For more information
about how to use the passive voice, refer to this passive voice usage chart.
1. The instructions have been changed.
Someone

the instructions.

2. She will have to be taught.

Someone

her.

3. This car was manufactured in Japan by Toyota.

Toyota

this car in Japan.

4. Why aren't the exercises being finished on time?

Why

the exercises on time?

5. Last year 2,000 new units had been produced by the time we introduced the new design.
We

2,000 new units by the time we introduced the new design last year.

6. Casual clothes must not be worn.

You

casual clothes.

7. $400,000 in profit has been reported this year.

The company

$400,000 in profit this year.

8. The test will be given at five o'clock this afternoon.

The school

the test at five o'clock this afternoon.

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9. Students are required to wear uniforms at all times.

The school

students to wear uniforms at all times.

10. This rumor must have been started by our competitors.

Our competitors

this rumor.

11. All work will have been completed by five o'clock this evening.
You

all work by five o'clock this evening.

12. We were told to wait here.

Someone

us to wait here.

13. Lunch was being served when we arrived.

They

lunch when we arrived.

14. Lectures are recorded and posted on the Internet.

They

lectures on the Internet.

15. Portuguese has always been spoken in this village.

People in this village

Portuguese.

Active to Passive Transformations

Put the following sentences into the passive voice or form. Once you have decided on your answer, click
on the arrow to see if you have answered correctly. Remember that the agent should not be used unless
important. For more information about how to use the passive voice, refer to this passive voice usage
chart.
1. They make shoes in that factory.
Shoes

in that factory.

2. People must not leave bicycles in the driveway.

Bicycles

in the driveway.

3. They built that skyscraper in 1934.

That skyscraper

in 1934.

4. The students will finish the course by July.

The course

by July.

5. They are repairing the streets this month.

The streets

this month.

6. They make these tools of plastic.

These tools

of plastic.

7. They have finished the new product design.

The new product design

8. They were cooking dinner when I arrived.

Dinner

when I arrived.

9. Smithers painted 'Red Sunset' in 1986.

'Red Sunset'

in 1986 by Smithers.

10. Did the plan interest you?

in the plan?
11. They had finished the preparations by the time the guests arrived.
The preparations

by the time the guests arrived.

12. You should take care when working on electrical equipment.

Care

when working on electrical equipment.

13. They are going to perform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony next weekend.
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

next weekend.

14. Someone will speak Japanese at the meeting.

Japanese

at the meeting.

15. Karen is going to prepare the refreshments.

The refreshments

by Karen.