Grade 9
English Home Language
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
•• In ACTIVE VOICE sentences the subject does the action.
Example: Liz played the piano.
Subject + verb + object
•• IN PASSIVE VOICE sentences the subject receives the action.
Example: The piano was played by Liz.
Object + verb + subject
- The sentence that uses the active voice is stronger, uses fewer words, and clearly
- shows who performs the action.
- The sentence that uses the passive voice is weaker and less direct. It is, however, not
incorrect to use the passive voice.
•• Sometimes the doer of the action is omitted in passive voice sentences.
Example: The piano was played.
SUBJECT, VERB AND OBJECT
In order to change a sentence form ACTIVE- to PASSIVE VOICE you need to identify the
subject, verb an object in a sentence.
A subject is a noun or a pronoun that performs the verb in a sentence.
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.
An object is the part of a sentence that gives meaning to the subject’s action of the verb.
For example: Alice caught the baseball. Subject=Alice Verb=caught Object=baseball
A direct object answers the question of who(m) or what. In the sentence above, you
could determine that ‘baseball’ is a direct object by asking the question: What did
Alice catch? She caught the baseball. Baseball is the direct object.
An indirect object answers the question of to whom, for whom, or for what. For
1
, Example: Max pitched Alice the baseball.
Max (subject) pitched (verb) the baseball (direct object) to whom? He pitched it to Alice.
Alice is the indirect object.
STEPS TO CHANGE A SENTENCE FROM ACTIVE VOICE TO PASSIVE VOICE:
Example:
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 1: Identify the verb – underline it in green and make the letter “v” above it.
V
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 2: Identify the subject – underline it in red and make the letter “s” above it.
To find the subject take the verb and ask yourself who or what?
So… Who or what + is reading (verb)? “The teacher”
S V
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 3: Identify the object – underline it in blue and make the letter “O” above it.
To find the object take the subject and the verb and ask yourself who or what?
So… The teacher (subject) + is reading (verb) who or what? “the book”
S V O
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 4: Switch the subject and object around + re-write the sentence
The subject should become the object and vice-e-versa while changing a
sentence from Active to Passive voice or reverse.
Start the sentence with the active voice object.
The book…
Step 5: Identify the tense of the verb and change it to passive using the formula
The teacher is reading the book. = present continuous
Find the tense on the formula table below!
2
English Home Language
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
•• In ACTIVE VOICE sentences the subject does the action.
Example: Liz played the piano.
Subject + verb + object
•• IN PASSIVE VOICE sentences the subject receives the action.
Example: The piano was played by Liz.
Object + verb + subject
- The sentence that uses the active voice is stronger, uses fewer words, and clearly
- shows who performs the action.
- The sentence that uses the passive voice is weaker and less direct. It is, however, not
incorrect to use the passive voice.
•• Sometimes the doer of the action is omitted in passive voice sentences.
Example: The piano was played.
SUBJECT, VERB AND OBJECT
In order to change a sentence form ACTIVE- to PASSIVE VOICE you need to identify the
subject, verb an object in a sentence.
A subject is a noun or a pronoun that performs the verb in a sentence.
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.
An object is the part of a sentence that gives meaning to the subject’s action of the verb.
For example: Alice caught the baseball. Subject=Alice Verb=caught Object=baseball
A direct object answers the question of who(m) or what. In the sentence above, you
could determine that ‘baseball’ is a direct object by asking the question: What did
Alice catch? She caught the baseball. Baseball is the direct object.
An indirect object answers the question of to whom, for whom, or for what. For
1
, Example: Max pitched Alice the baseball.
Max (subject) pitched (verb) the baseball (direct object) to whom? He pitched it to Alice.
Alice is the indirect object.
STEPS TO CHANGE A SENTENCE FROM ACTIVE VOICE TO PASSIVE VOICE:
Example:
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 1: Identify the verb – underline it in green and make the letter “v” above it.
V
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 2: Identify the subject – underline it in red and make the letter “s” above it.
To find the subject take the verb and ask yourself who or what?
So… Who or what + is reading (verb)? “The teacher”
S V
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 3: Identify the object – underline it in blue and make the letter “O” above it.
To find the object take the subject and the verb and ask yourself who or what?
So… The teacher (subject) + is reading (verb) who or what? “the book”
S V O
The teacher is reading the book.
Step 4: Switch the subject and object around + re-write the sentence
The subject should become the object and vice-e-versa while changing a
sentence from Active to Passive voice or reverse.
Start the sentence with the active voice object.
The book…
Step 5: Identify the tense of the verb and change it to passive using the formula
The teacher is reading the book. = present continuous
Find the tense on the formula table below!
2
