The passive voice Soon you will… Be able to recognise the passive voice Be able to write in the passive voice Know when to use the passive voice Today you will be taught all about the Passive Voice!

Here are some sentences in the passive Here are some sentences in the passive. Can you spot the ways they are different to active (’normal’) sentences? The sulphuric acid was poured into a beaker. The thief was seen by several witnesses. The cake was placed into the oven. The Reverend Green was killed in the library, with a gun by Miss Plum.

How did you get on? Here they are again but this time the active version is with them. Can you explain the differences now? The sulphuric acid was poured into a beaker. I poured the sulphuric acid into a beaker. The thief was seen by several witnesses. Several witnesses saw the thief. The cake was placed in the oven. Frankie placed the cake in the oven. The Reverend Green was killed in the library, with a gun by Miss Plum. Miss Plum murdered the Reverend Green in the library with a gun.

You’ve probably spotted by now that in the passive voice the object comes at the START of the sentence. In the normal, ACTIVE, voice we write: Subject Verb Object However, in the passive the OBJECT comes before the subject. Sometimes the subject is left out completely.

Why do we use the passive voice? We use the passive voice when… What happened is more important than who did it. For example, it doesn’t really matter who poured the sulphuric acid. What is important is what happened to it. So, the subject is often left out of the sentence. You want to create some suspense. In the previous example, everybody wants to know the name of the murderer. The passive voice keeps them on the edge of their seats.

How did you do? I broke the window. The window was broken. or The window was broken by me. A man discovered stolen jewels whilst out walking his dog. The stolen jewels were discovered by a man out walking his dog.

How did you do? Ivor Brush painted the winning picture. The winning picture was painted by Ivor Brush. The police recovered the stolen car. The stolen car was recovered. or The stolen car was recovered by the police.

A man was being hunted by the police Are you getting the hang of it? A man was being hunted by the police Noddy’s car was stolen by the naughty Goblins The Cup was won by Brazil The silence was broken.

Plenary So, to sum up, the passive voice… Puts the object at the start of the sentence Often omits the subject Can be used when what happened is more important than the agent. You want to create suspense or mystery. Is often used in Science Is sometimes used in newspapers