For example, “She threw the ball for her dog. ” “She” is the subject and “threw” is the verb.
In the sentence “She threw the ball for her dog,” “She,” the subject, comes before “threw,” the verb.
Passive voice is okay sometimes, but it should be used sparingly and in the right context.
For example, “The fish was caught by the seagull” uses the passive voice. “The fish” is the object of the sentence, and “was caught” is the verb.
For example, the sentence “The documents were stolen” uses the passive voice because you don’t know who stole the documents.
For example, in the sentence “The cat is scared by the dog,” “scared” is the verb. In the sentence “The machines are used to mix ingredients,” “used” is the verb.
For example, in the sentence “The cat is scared by the dog,” “the dog” is the subject. In the sentence “The machines are used to mix ingredients,” you don’t know who or what the subject is because it is not included. Use context clues to come up with the subject. In this example, “The chefs” or “The bakers” are 2 potential subjects.
For example, in “The cat is scared by the dog,” “is scared” is present tense. In “The machines are used to mix ingredients,” “are used” is present tense.
For example, “The cat is scared by the dog” becomes “The dog scares the cat. ” ”The machines are used to mix ingredients” becomes “The chefs use machines to mix ingredients. ”
If you are teaching high school or college students, this activity may be too juvenile for them. Stick with changing sentences from passive to active voice.
If your students are understanding the passive voice so far, they may be able to figure out the passive form of your action on their own.
Your students should write “The pens were dropped on the floor. ” Point out the importance of “were” versus “was. ”
For example, your students could say, “The roads were fixed. ” “Hospitals were built. ” “The park benches were painted. ”
