Active and Passive Sentences – SS2 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

Voice shows whether the performer of an action comes before the verb or after it in a sentence. In an active sentence, the performer comes before the verb, as in “Dairo killed a snake.” In a passive sentence, the two nouns swap places and the sentence becomes “A snake was killed by Dairo.”

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain what is meant by voice;
2. identify a sentence as active or passive;
3. state the rules for changing an active sentence to the passive form;
4. change active sentences in different tenses to the passive form.

What are active and passive voice?

Voice is a term used to explain whether the performer of an action comes before the action (verb) or after the verb in a sentence.

Active voice

When the performer comes before the verb (action), we say the verb is in the active form, for example:

Dairo (subject) killed a snake (object). (Active voice)

Passive voice

When the two nouns in the sentence above are swapped, we say the sentence is in the passive form:

A snake (subject) was killed by Dairo (agent). (Passive voice)

Examples of active and passive sentences

What are the rules for changing active to passive?

1. There is an exchange of positions between the subject and the object.
2. The tense of both voices (active and passive) must be the same.
3. There is an introduction of “by” in the passive voice.
4. A form of the verb “be” is also introduced in the passive voice.

Evaluation

1. What is meant by voice?
2. State two rules for changing a sentence from the active to the passive voice.
3. Say whether this sentence is active or passive: “A letter was written by Shade.”
4. Change “John will kick the ball” to the passive voice, and name the tense used.

Assignment

Change the following sentences to the passive form.

1. Amaka sings a song.
2. Bukola was cooking a nice meal.
3. Emmanuel has posted the letter.
4. The principal permitted me.
5. They offered him a nice job.