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Learner converts back to the active where the passive serves no purpose, and can name the purpose in the cases where it stays.
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Six sentences. One of them is an active that should not be.
After: The scheme began in 2019. — It was extended twice the following year. What is the passive doing?
The three reasons, why counting fails, and where it goes badly.
1 holding the topic
2 unknown agent
3 irrelevant agent
If one of them applies, keep the passive.
If none does, the active is shorter and says the same thing.
Twelve sentences. One is active and belongs in neither.
Sort each item into the correct category
Eight passives. Four stay, and you name why.
Paragraph about the mayor. The decision was taken by the mayor in March. →
Paragraph about a scheme. It was extended twice in 2020. →
The report was stolen. →
Paragraph about the union. Strike action was called by the union in April. →
The data were collected in 2019. →
The plan was approved by a committee of seventeen regional health authorities. →
Paragraph about a scheme; it becomes the subject again two sentences later. It was reviewed in 2021. →
Paragraph about ministers. The bill was drafted by ministers over the summer. →
Use both voices, and name the reason for each passive.
Topic: a city introducing or scrapping a transport scheme.
Write four sentences using both voices.
Then, in the second box, name the reason for each passive: holding the topic, unknown agent, or irrelevant agent.
One paragraph.
One line per passive.
Pick your weakest passive. Which reason were you using?