English Language Arts
Grade 9
15 min
Identify active and passive voice
Identify active and passive voice
What you'll learn
- Identify if a sentence is a statement by correctly pointing to the period at the end in 8 out of 10 sentences.
- Explain the difference between a question and a command using simple words, giving one example of each.
- Sort 5 out of 6 sentences correctly into the categories: statement, question, command, or exclamation.
- Identify an exclamation by correctly pointing to the exclamation mark at the end in 4 out of 5 sentences.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define active and passive voice and identify their core components (subject, verb, object, agent).
Accurately identify the voice of a sentence by analyzing its grammatical structure.
By the end of a lesson, students will be able to convert sentences from active voice to passive voice.
By the end of a lesson, students will be able to convert sentences from passive voice to active voice.
Analyze how authors use active and passive voice for specific rhetorical effects in literature.
Evaluate when to use active or passive voice to improve clarity and impact in their own analytical writing.
In a courtroom drama, which statement is more powerful: 'The evidence was reviewed by the jury' or 'The jury reviewed the evidence'? Let's find out...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
VoiceThe form of a verb that indicates whether the grammatical subject performs the action (active) or receives the action (passive).Active: 'The author *writes* the novel.' Passive: 'The novel *is written* by the author.'
Active VoiceA sentence structure where the subject performs the action of the verb.'Macbeth murders King Duncan.' (The subject, Macbeth, performs the action, murders).
Passive VoiceA sentence structure where the subject receives the action of the verb. The doer of the action is either omitted or placed in a 'by' phrase.'King Duncan is murdered by Macbeth.' (The subject, King Duncan, receives the action, is murdered).
SubjectThe noun or pronoun that the sentence is about. In active voice, the subject...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Active Voice Formula
Subject (Doer) + Action Verb + Object (Receiver)
Use this formula to construct or identify a standard active voice sentence. The focus is clearly on the subject performing the action.
Passive Voice Formula
Subject (Receiver) + Verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were) + Past Participle + (optional 'by' phrase with Agent/Doer)
This is the key pattern for identifying passive voice. Look for a form of the verb 'to be' immediately followed by a past participle.
The 'Doer' Test
Ask: 'Who or what is performing the action of the main verb?'
If the answer is the grammatical subject of the sentence, the voice is active. If the subject is having the action done to it, the voice is passive.
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
You are writing a formal scientific report where objectivity and focus on the process are key. Which sentence is most appropriate for this context?
A.I heated the beaker to 50°C for ten minutes.
B.The beaker was heated to 50°C for ten minutes.
C.We observed the beaker heating to 50°C for ten minutes.
D.Heating the beaker was the next step I performed.
Challenging
Read the paragraph: 'The general made his decision. The orders were dispatched at dawn. Every bridge was secured by midnight.' What is the primary rhetorical effect of the shift from active to passive voice after the first sentence?
A.It suggests the general was not actually in charge of the operation.
B.It creates a sense of detachment and focuses on the large-scale, impersonal execution of the plan.
C.It proves that the author does not know who dispatched the orders or secured the bridges.
D.It slows down the pacing of the narrative to build suspense.
Challenging
A student's essay argues that a corporation is avoiding blame. The student writes: 'Mistakes were made, and the safety regulations were ignored.' Why is the use of passive voice particularly effective for this argument?
A.It is ineffective because it makes the argument sound weak and uncertain.
B.It is effective because it mimics the evasive language the corporation might use, thereby strengthening the student's critique.
C.It is ineffective because active voice ('The corporation made mistakes') is always more persuasive.
D.It is effective because it emphasizes the 'mistakes' and 'regulations' as the most important subjects.
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What grade level is "Identify active and passive voice"?
Identify active and passive voice is a Grade 9 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Identify active and passive voice?
You'll be able to: Identify if a sentence is a statement by correctly pointing to the period at the end in 8 out of 10 sentences; Explain the difference between a question and a command using simple words, giving one example of each; Sort 5 out of….
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How many practice questions are included with Identify active and passive voice?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.