Rewriting Passive Voice Sentences in Active Voice
About this lesson
Students look at passive voice sentences, work out who or what did the action, and rewrite each one in active voice. They also discuss when passive voice is a reasonable choice. You need only six sentences written on the board, and the activity takes about 15 minutes.
- Grade
- 8
- Subject
- ELA
- Time
- 15 min
- Prep
- 3 min
Objective
Students will identify passive voice in sentences and rewrite them in active voice by naming the doer of the action as the subject.
Prep
3 min: write six passive voice sentences on the board
Materials
- whiteboard and markers
- scrap paper
- pencils
Steps
- Write 'The window was broken by the students' and 'The students broke the window' on the board, and ask which sentence puts the doer first. Explain that passive voice uses a form of 'to be' plus a past participle, and the doer comes last or is missing.
- Show the six prepared sentences, for example 'The game was won by our team in overtime,' 'A new rule was announced by the principal,' 'The cake was eaten by the dog,' 'The essay will be graded by the teacher,' 'The test results were posted online,' and 'Mistakes were made.'
- Have pairs underline the 'to be' verb and circle the doer in each sentence, then rewrite all six in active voice on scrap paper. For sentences with no doer, they must invent a sensible one.
- Call on pairs to read their rewrites aloud and ask the class whether each new sentence puts the doer first and keeps the same meaning.
- Finish by asking why someone might write 'Mistakes were made' instead of naming who made them, and when passive voice is a fair choice, such as when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Quick Check
Each student writes one new passive sentence on a sticky note, swaps with a neighbour, and rewrites the neighbour's sentence in active voice before leaving.
Differentiation
Make it easier: Use only sentences that include 'by' and the doer, so students can simply move the doer to the front.
Make it harder: Give students a short paragraph full of passive voice to revise, and have them justify any sentence they choose to leave passive.
Good For
- Review
- Before lunch
- Supply teacher
- End of day
