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Year 6

Identifying the active and passive voice

I can identify whether sentences are written in the active or passive voice.

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New
New
Year 6

Identifying the active and passive voice

I can identify whether sentences are written in the active or passive voice.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are different tenses and ways of forming verbs in English.
  2. The subject of the clause does or is the verb in the active voice.
  3. The active voice makes it clear to the reader who is doing or being the verb in a clause.
  4. In the passive voice, the position of the subject and object changes.
  5. A clause in the passive voice contains two verbs: an auxiliary verb from the infinitive 'to be' and the past participle.

Common misconception

Pupils may believe any words after a verb are an object.

An object must be a noun, noun phrase or pronoun that the verb is done to directly.

Keywords

  • Subject - the noun, noun phrase or pronoun that does or is the main verb in the active voice

  • Active voice - a spoken or written voice in which the subject does the verb in a sentence

  • Passive voice - a spoken or written voice in which the subject is acted upon by the verb

  • Object - the noun, noun phrase or pronoun that receives the action of the main verb in the active voice

  • Verb - a being, a doing or a having word

Encourage children to think about the different relationship between the subject and verb in the passive voice - often, the verb is being 'done to' as opposed to being 'done by' the subject. This is a subtle difference which will need explanation.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Place these sentences in order from least certain to happen to most certain to happen.
1 - We could stay here a bit longer.
2 - We ought to stay here a bit longer.
3 - We will stay here a bit longer.
Q2.
Match the types of modal verb to the correct modal verb examples.
Correct Answer:modal verbs of certainty,will

will

Correct Answer:modal verbs of possibility,might

might

Correct Answer:modal verbs of obligation,should

should

Q3.
Match the type of modal verb to the example.
Correct Answer:modal verb of certainty,We shall succeed by any means.

We shall succeed by any means.

Correct Answer:modal verb of possibility,It may rain later.

It may rain later.

Correct Answer:modal verb of obligation,You have to work harder.

You have to work harder.

Q4.
Which of these speech sentences use a modal verb?
Correct answer: Miss O'Neill asked, 'Will we all be ready to go in five minutes?'
Correct answer: 'I can help!' smiled Aisha happily.
'What's wrong?' Sam asked with a smile.
Q5.
Which words in the following persuasive speech sentence are modal verbs? 'We have to play more aggressively, or we will lose this competition.'
Correct answer: have to
play
Correct answer: will
lose
Q6.
Which modal verbs could come at the start of the following rhetorical question? '__________ this situation be allowed to continue?'
Correct answer: Should
Must
Ought to
Correct answer: Will

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word in the following sentence is the subject? 'She gave the ball to me.'
Correct answer: she
the ball
to
gave
me
Q2.
Which word in this sentence is the object? 'Jun threw the ball to Laura.'
Jun
threw
Correct answer: the ball
Laura
Q3.
Select the sentences that have an object.
Correct answer: He pushed the door.
He pushed past.
Correct answer: He pushed her.
He pushed gently.
Q4.
Which of these are true for the passive voice?
The subject is doing the verb.
Correct answer: The verb is 'done to' the subject.
Correct answer: It often uses the preposition 'by'.
Correct answer: What would normally be the object becomes the subject.
Q5.
Select all the passive voice sentences.
Correct answer: We were seen by many people.
Many people saw us.
Miss O'Neill taught us Spanish.
Correct answer: We were taught Spanish by Miss O'Neill.
Q6.
Which is the correct passive voice version of the following active sentence? 'A loud noise broke the silence.'
A silence broke the loud noise.
Correct answer: The silence was broken by a loud noise.
The silence was broken a loud noise.
A loud noise was broken by the silence.