Distinguish active and passive voice

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
• Worked case: Excerpt A: Reading is useful practice; analyze Reading. Excerpt B: Jo drafted the note. Excerpt C: Jo checks the diagram each morning. Excerpt D: "I thought the note—" Jo stopped mid-sentence; analyze the dash.
• Primary check: Excerpt A: The folded paper rests on the table; analyze folded. Excerpt B: The note was drafted by Jo. Excerpt C: Check the diagram before leaving. Excerpt D: "I thought it might…" Jo’s voice trails away; analyze the ellipsis.

Learn the idea

In active voice the subject performs the action. In passive voice the subject receives it, with an optional by-agent. A be verb alone does not prove passive voice.

Locate actor, action and receiver. Check for a passive participle rather than assuming any is phrase is passive.

Original worked input: Original excerpt B: Jo drafted the note. The task is to distinguish active and passive voice. The answer is “active voice”. Evidence: Jo drafted the note. Reasoning: active voice is supported because Jo or Lea is the subject carrying out the action. The poster is blue is a state description.

1. Read the supplied worked case and identify the part named in this lesson. An adult can model unfamiliar words.
2. Locate actor, action and receiver. Check for a passive participle rather than assuming any is phrase is passive.
3. Check the worked solution: active voice. Evidence: Jo drafted the note. Reasoning: active voice is supported because Jo or Lea is the subject carrying out the action. The poster is blue is a state description.
4. Use the new primary and practice cases. Give a reason from the actual words before checking the feedback.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Changed-input task: Original excerpt B: The report was written; no writer is named. Give an evidence-based answer before looking at the model. Expected reasoning: Evidence: The report was written; no writer is named. Reasoning: passive with agent omitted is supported because the subject receives the action but no actor is supplied. The poster is blue is a state description. Then write a brief alternative sentence, paragraph, source note or scene that demonstrates the same operation; label new fictional details and preserve source limits.

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