Passive (Year 3)
Passive
I can talk about actions that are done by someone else.
Lesson duration is: 15 minItems in this lesson
Passive
I can talk about actions that are done by someone else.
Complete the sentence:
The ball ___ (kick) by the boys at the beginning of each match.
Complete the sentence:
The toilets ___ (clean) by the cleaning lady.
Complete the sentence:
The burglar ___ (arrest) yesterday.
Complete the sentence:
Thousands of plastic bottles ___ (find) on the beach recently.
Complete the sentence:
My dog ___ (hurt) in an accident last week.
Complete the sentence:
James ___ (watch) by his aunt as we speak.
You have just used passive forms!
Hold on: what is a passive?
Active vs passive
Active sentence:
The boy kicks the ball.
Passive sentence:
The ball is kicked by the boy.
What is the difference between an active and a passive sentence?
Active vs passive
Active sentence:
The boy kicks the ball.
The boy (subject in the sentence) is the one doing the action in the verb (kicking)
Active vs passive
Passive sentence:
The ball is kicked by the boy.
The ball (subject in the sentence) does nothing. Someone else is doing the action in the verb (kicking), namely the boy.
In Dutch we do the same
Active sentence:
De jongen schopt de bal.
Passive sentence:
De bal wordt geschopt door de jongen.
There are many forms
But you only have to know a few of them:
The present simple passive
The past simple passive
The present continuous passive
The past continuous passive
The present perfect passive
The modal passive
So what do you need to do?
Change the sentences from active to passive.
You can do this via a few steps.
Step 1: Identify the subject (onderwerp), verb (werkwoord) and object (lijdend/meewerkend voorwerp) in the sentence.
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
The police arrested the burglar.
They teach English at this school.
Step 1: Identify the subject (onderwerp), verb (werkwoord) and object (lijdend/meewerkend voorwerp) in the sentence.
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
The police arrested the burglar.
They teach English at this school.
Step 2: Start a new sentence by taking the object from the active sentence and making it the subject of the passive sentence.
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
A cake
The police arrested the burglar.
The burglar
They teach English at this school.
English
Step 3: Identify in which tense the sentence is written
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
A cake (present perfect)
The police arrested the burglar.
The burglar (past simple)
They teach English at this school.
English (present simple)
How do you identify them?
Present simple:
Past simple:
Present continuous:
Past continuous:
Present perfect:
Modal passive:
verb or verb+(e)s
verb + (e)d or irregular form (e.g. went)
am / are / is + present participle (verb-ing)
was / were + present participle
have / has + past participle (voltooid deelwoord)
modal verb + be + past participle
What tense is each sentence in?
They are cleaning the toilets as we speak. present continuous
They clean the toilets every Friday. present simple
They might clean the toilets today. modal verb
They cleaned the toilets yesterday. past simple
They have cleaned the toilets. present perfect
They were cleaning the toilets when I came in. past continuous
Once you have identified them, you can apply the form:
Present simple passive:
Past simple passive:
Present continuous passive:
Past continuous passive:
Present perfect passive:
Modal passive:
am / are / is + past participle (voltooid deelwoord)
was / were + past participle
am / are / is + being + past participle
was / were + being + past participle
have / has + been + past participle
modal verb + be + past participle
Step 4: change the verb into its correct form.
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
A cake has been baked
The police arrested the burglar.
The burglar was arrested
They teach English at this school.
English is taught
Step 5: change the subject from the active sentence into the object of the passive sentence using the word by.
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
A cake has been baked by Jamie
The police arrested the burglar.
The burglar was arrested (by the police)
They teach English at this school.
English is taught (by them)
Step 6: add the final information
(if is is there)
Jamie has baked a cake for us.
A cake has been baked by Jamie for us.
The police arrested the burglar.
The burglar was arrested (by the police).
They teach English at this school.
English is taught (by them) at this school.
Why are some parts between parentheses?
The burglar was arrested (by the police).
English is taught (by them) at this school.
It's not always important who does something (they = general) or it is logical (police are the only ones who can arrest)
Mini-practice
Change the sentences from active to passive:
The angry teacher told the students to leave.
Peter loves Macy.
My father was painting the room when I entered.
I have killed a bug recently.
The teacher should explain the grammar to his students.
The angry teacher told the students to leave.
The students were told by the angry teacher to leave.Peter loves Macy.
Macy is loved by Peter.My father was painting the room when I entered.
The room was being painted by my father when I entered.I have killed a bug recently.
A bug has been killed (by me) recently.The teacher should explain the grammar to his students.
The grammar should be explaind by the teacher to his students.
Answers
