Active and Passive Voice Application

Sort each sentence into Active Voice or Passive Voice.

Groups:

(a) Active Voice

,

(b) Passive Voice

• The lesson was explained clearly by the teacher.

• The teacher explained the lesson clearly.

• The dog chased the ball across the yard.

• She completed the project ahead of schedule.

• Mistakes were made during the process.

• The ball was chased across the yard by the dog.

• The project was completed ahead of schedule by her.

• They made mistakes during the process.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Sort each sentence into Active Voice or Passive Voice.

Groups:

(a) Active Voice

,

(b) Passive Voice

• A new playground is being built.

• He fixed the broken chair.

• The chef prepared a delicious meal.

• The broken chair was fixed.

• The song was sung beautifully by her in the choir.

• She sings beautifully in the choir.

• The meal was prepared deliciously by the chef.

• They are building a new playground.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Sort each sentence into Active Voice or Passive Voice.

Groups:

(a) Active Voice

,

(b) Passive Voice

• “Mistakes were made, and feelings were hurt during this situation.”

• “Comments that were shared online were taken out of context.”

• “I should have handled the situation differently, and I take full responsibility.”

• • “I made a mistake, and I hurt people who trusted me.”

• “I failed to speak up when it mattered, and that silence caused harm.”

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Match each sentence to the purpose it best serves. Focus on why the writer chose active or passive voice.

• Clearly assigns responsibility for an action (Active Voice)

• • The committee approved the revised policy.

• Establishes credibility and clarity in academic writing (Active Voice)

• The researcher analyzed the data and reported the findings.

• Avoids naming who is responsible for the problem (Passive Voice)

• The revised policy was approved after a lengthy review.

• Emphasizes the process or outcome rather than the actor (Passive Voice)

• • Mistakes were made during the data collection process.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Match each sentence to the purpose it best serves. Focus on why the writer chose active or passive voice.

• Clearly takes ownership of a personal decision (Active Voice)

• I evaluated my habits each month and adjusted my goals when they were unrealistic.

• Softens responsibility for failure by emphasizing circumstances (Passive Voice)

• • I committed to waking up earlier this year so I could manage my time better.

• Focuses on planning rather than action or accountability (Passive Voice)

• Important routines were gradually abandoned as the semester became busier.

• Emphasizes reflection and revision over success or failure (Active Voice)

• Several time-management goals were discussed at the start of the year.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

The sentence below appears in a reflection about collecting personal items.

“Several stuffed animals were collected over the years.”

Which revision best improves clarity?

• Several stuffed animals have been collected over the years.

• Stuffed animals were collected carefully over the years.

• Over the years, several stuffed animals were collected.

• I collected several stuffed animals over the years.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Which revision best improves clarity?

Several deadlines were missed last semester.

• Several deadlines have been missed last semester.

• Deadlines were missed repeatedly last semester.

• During last semester, several deadlines were missed.

• I missed several deadlines last semester.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.3A

CCSS.L.5.1.B-D

CCSS.L.5.1B

CCSS.L.5.1C

CCSS.L.5.1D

Match each sentence to its primary purpose.

• Direct accountability

• I reviewed feedback and revised my approach.

• Maintains academic tone because the experiment is the focus, not who performed i

• The experiment was conducted over six weeks.

• Emphasizes reflection and accountability

• I failed to meet my study goals.

• • Avoids naming responsibility

• Study goals were not consistently met.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.1.1J

CCSS.L.8.1C

CCSS.L.K.1D

What changes most between these sentences?

1. 1. The rule was broken during the assembly.

2. 2. Several students broke the rule during the assembly.

• . Verb tense

• Formality

• .Clarity of responsibility

• Sentence length

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A

Why might a writer choose passive voice in scientific writing?

• To sound more emotional

• To sound more emotional

• To make sentences longer

• To emphasize results over who performed the experiment

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1F

CCSS.L.8.1B

CCSS.L.8.1D

CCSS.L.8.3A