This

booklet

belongs to

__________

_____

Learning Objectives

• I can recognise when a sentence is passive or active and

use the passive in my own writing.

Success Criteria

• I can identify the subject, verb and object in an active

sentence.

• I can identify the past participle and preposition phrase

in a passive sentence.

• I can recognise if a sentence is active or passive.

• I can change a sentence from active to passive.

• I can use the passive in my own writing.

Why use the passive?

- It draws attention to the person or thing being

affected by the verb (the object is the most I mportant thing

in the sentence).

e.g. Jabba the Hut captured Princess Leia. (emphasis on

Jabba the Hut)

Princess Leia was captured by Jabba the Hut. (emphasis on

Princess Leia)

- When use passive?

- to make a text more formal (less personal)

- to make a text seem less immediate (timeless)

- to make a text more mysterious

- News reports

- Sports reports

- Police reports

- Accounts of events (description of a battle)

- Explanation of how something was built / fixed / created

Passive Episode 1 – SAMPLE TEXT / LONGER WRITING

TASK BASED ON A MODEL

DESTROYING THE DEATH STAR

After many attempts to blow up the Death Star,

Luke was one of the only X-wing pilots left.

Darth Vader led the Imperial pilots. Luke flew

his X-wing at high speed to out run the Imperial

TIE fighters. Luke flew his X-wing at full

throttle. Luke’s partner covered him. A missile

broke the stabiliser on Luke’s X-wing. R2D2

locked down the stabiliser. The Death Star guns

fired at Luke’s X-wing. The bullets hit Luke’s

partner. The TIE fighters caught up to the X-

wing pilots. The TIE fighters attacked the rebel

pilots. R2D2 increased their power. Darth Vader

shot Luke’s partner. Luke zoomed in on the

radar. Obi Wan Kenobi told Luke to use the

force. Darth Vader felt the force. A missile hit

R2D2. Darth Vader shot at Luke. Suddenly, Han,

who came to help Luke, attacked the TIE

fighters. Han flew the Millennium Falcon. Luke

aimed at the targets on the Death Star. Luke hit

the target with two shots. Luke pulled up his X-

wing just in time. The missiles blew up the

Death Star.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Passive Episode 2 – SORTING GAME /

GRAMMAR

THE REBELS – PART ONE

The rebels were helped by the brave Ewoks.

Han Solo hid from the Star Destroyer in an asteroid field.

The Millennium Falcon was hidden by the asteroid field.

The brave Ewoks helped the rebels.

The disgusting monster was killed by Luke.

Luke killed the disgusting monster.

Leia attacked the stormtroopers.

The stormtroopers were attacked by Leia.

R2D2 hid the secret plans in his memory.

The secret plans were hidden.

The rebels blasted the door open.

The door was blasted open by the rebels.

C3PO translated the strange language.

The strange language was translated by C3PO.

The droids were abandoned on a sandy planet.

The escape pod left the droids abandoned on a sandy planet.

The rebels protected the base.

The base was protected by the rebels.

THE REBELS – PART TWO

A subject is the person or

thing doing the verb. An object

has something done to it.

1. Highlight the subject/verb/object in

each of the sentences below.

a. The brave Ewoks fought the enemy.

b. The stormtroopers attacked the forest

moon of Endor.

c. Luke Skywalker flew his X-wing right

up to the Death Star.

d. Jabba the Hut captured Princess Leia.

e. Leia used her chains to defeat Jabba

the Hut.

f. Obi-Wan Kenobi escaped from the fierce

monster.

g. Obi-Wan’s friends arrived just in

time.

h. The rebel pilots defeated the AT-AT

tanks.

2. Look at options a) – c)

below.

Write an ‘S’ in the boxes next

to the underlined parts that are subjects

Write an ‘O’ in the boxes next to the

underlined parts that are objects.

a. Yoda fought Lord Dooku with a light

sabre.

b. A Star Destroyer chased a rebel chip

called the Millennium Falcon.

c. On Friday, Han Solo led a dangerous

attack mission.

3. Highlight the object in

each sentence below. Then

rewrite each sentence

replacing the object with your

own object. The first one has been done

for you.

Han Solo and Chewbacca welcomed the

visitors onto the ship.

Han Solo and Chewbacca welcomed the year

six children onto the ship.

He saw a droid on the roof.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Luke Skywalker met Han Solo at the alien

restaurant.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

THE REBELS – PART THREE

An active sentence has a

subject that does something.

In passive sentences, something is done

to the subject.

1. Draw lines to show whether each

sentence is active or passive.

The planet sparkled

in the moonlight.

The ship was damaged

in the battle.

The damaged droids

were quickly

repaired.

The light sabre

ripped through his

chest.

Active

Passive

2. Rearrange these words to form a

passive sentence.

the awarded were rebels

the medal a general by

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Now rewrite the sentence as an active

sentence.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

3. Rewrite this active sentence as a passive

sentence.

The stormtroopers captured the droids.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

4. Rewrite this passive sentence as an active

sentence.

Luke was chased by a sand monster.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Passive Episode 3

DARTH VADER

SPOT THE PASSIVE GAME – PART 1

Cut out the sentence cards and lie them face down on

the table.

Take turns to turn over a card and read the sentence.

If you think the sentence is passive, call out passive

as quickly as you can.

If you are correct and the first to call, you keep the

card.

If you are incorrect, the other player keeps the card.

If the sentence is active, leave it face up on the

table.

Continue playing until only active sentences are left.

The man

who made

the mistake

was strangled.

The droids

with the

information were

discovered.

The

secret

plans were

saved by R2D2.

The two

droids worked

together to save the

plans.

The

general was

threatened by Darth

Vader.

Darth Vader

terrified the men.

Princess

Leia was captured.

Darth Vader

was ignored.

Darth Vader

threatened

his general.

The men were

terrified

by Darth Vader.

Darth Vader

ordered

the troops to

search the ship.

The stormtroopers

were ordered

to attack by Darth Vader.

Darth

Vader controlled

the Death Star.

The Empire

was led by Darth

Vader.

Darth

Vader breathed

heavily through

his black

mask.

The force was

used by Darth Vader to stop

the man.

DARTH VADER – PART TWO

Change the following active

sentences to passive AND improve

each sentence with adverbials,

adjectives, relative clauses etc.

Example: Darth Vader controlled the Death Star.

The mighty Death Star which was floating through

space was always completely controlled by the

evil Darth Vader who would never give up.

1. Darth Vader killed the man.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

2. Darth Vader wanted the droids.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

3. Darth Vader ordered the attack.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Now change passive sentences to

active AND improve each sentence

with adverbials, adjectives,

relative clauses etc.

4. The rebels were hated by Darth Vader.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

5. A black suit was worn by Darth Vader.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

6. Terror was struck into the hearts of anyone

who met Darth Vader.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

DARTH VADER – PART THREE

Write a passive sentence using a word from each

column.

Add adverbials, adjectives and relative clauses

to improve each sentence.

Example: The droids / help / Princess Leia

Brave Princess Leia was usually helped by the

clever droids who could speak many languages.

Subject Verb Object

Darth Vader attack Luke

Skywalker

Stormtroopers protect Stormtroopers

Princess Leia take The Death

Star

Vader’s

general

help Princess Leia

Han Solo order Han Solo

The droids capture Darth Vader

1.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

2.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

3.

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Passive Episode 4

USE THE FORCE

1. Read two accounts of the same event (one active,

one passive)

- Discuss which is more effective and why

USE THE FORCE

Active or Passive – Which is better?

1.a This text is written in ________________________

voice.

A suspicious chest was found on a far away planet by a

young girl who was following a strange sound. The

silver chest was opened to reveal an unusual, old

light sabre. The green light sabre was taken by the

girl because she thought it might be valuable. At the

time, she didn’t realise the power that was held by

the light sabre.

1.b. This text is written in ________________________

voice.

A young girl, who was following a strange sound, found

a suspicious chest on a far away planet. She opened

the silver chest to reveal an unusual, old light

sabre. The girl took the green light sabre because

she thought it might be valuable. At the time, she

didn’t realise the power the light sabre held.

2.a. This text is written in ________________________

voice.

Last month, the Skywalker home was destroyed by a

sandstorm. The roof was ripped off during the storm.

The sand buggy was picked up by strong winds and

dropped 2 miles from the house. Most of their

possessions were lost in the storm. The Skywalkers

were housed and fed during the ordeal by family and

friends. Luckily, the Skywalkers were able to find

help to rebuild their home. The walls are being

repaired, the roof is being rebuilt, and all of the

rooms are being repainted. A lot of money is being

spent to repair the house but at least the family

wasn’t killed by the storm.

2.b. This text is written in ________________________

voice.

Last month, a sandstorm destroyed the Skywalker home.

The storm ripped the roof off. Strong winds picked up

the sand buggy and dropped it 2 miles from the house.

The family lost most of their possessions in the

storm. Family and friends housed and fed the

Skywalkers during the ordeal. Luckily, their home will

be rebuilt with help. Friends are repairing the walls,

friends are rebuilding the roof and friends are

repainting all of the rooms. The Skywalkers are

spending a lot of money to repair the house but

luckily the storm did not kill the family.

USE THE FORCE

Active or Passive – Which is better?

3.a. This text is written in ________________________

voice.

Stealthily, Luke crept down the stairs, dodging the

fourth step in case it creaked. At the bottom, he

paused but all he could hear was a silence that filled

the corridor. Suddenly, something opened a door and a

lone droid rolled towards him.

3.b. This text is written in ________________________

voice.

Stealthily, the stairs were crept down by Luke. The

fourth step was dodged in case it creaked. At the

bottom, the walking was paused by Luke. The corridor

was filled with silence. Suddenly, a door opened and

towards him was rolling a lone droid.

4.a This text is written in ________________________

voice.

A mechanic attaches the pedals on a sand bike to a

toothed wheel – the chain wheel. Someone else fixes a

smaller wheel, which an engineer calls a sprocket, to

the middle of the rear wheel of the bike. Another

person in the team connects the chain wheel and the

sprocket using a link chain. If anyone breaks the

chain, the back wheel cannot turn.

4.b This text is written in ________________________

voice.

The pedals on the sand bike are attached to a toothed

wheel – the chain wheel. A smaller wheel, which is

called a sprocket, is fixed to the middle of the rear

wheel of the bike. The chain wheel and the sprocket

are connected by a linked chain. If the chain is

broken, the back wheel cannot turn.

Episode 5

CHOOSE YOUR CHALLENGE

Choose one of the four Star Wars writing activities.

Be sure to include at least 5 passive sentences in

your writing.

Plan your passive sentences carefully. Only use them

where they are appropriate.

Remember, you may make up as many interesting details

as you wish.

Choices:

1. Poe’s Mission –

Write a report of

what happened on

Poe’s mission to

the planet Jakku.

2. X-wing

Explanation – Write

an explanation of how

an X-wing is built.

Use mechanical and

technical language.

3. Ewok Battle – Write a

report of the battle

between the Ewoks and the

Stormtroopers on the

forest moon of Endor.

4. Han Solo’s Escape –

Write a description of

how Han Solo manages to

escape from Darth

Vader’s Star Destroyer.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Destroying the Death Star

Episode 1 Teacher’s notes

Is Active or Passive more appropriate?

1. Watch a video clip of a mission from Star

Wars. The most important thing is what happened

– not who did each action. (Episode 4 – 1:49 –

1:53)

2. Read an account of the mission written in

active. Emphasise how awkward and repetitive it

is.

3. How would we rewrite this as passive? Would it

read better? Think it, say it, write it ... for

every sentence. Discuss together as they write.

The paragraph may not get finished.

4. Sample answer to help the member of staff give

advice.

5. Discuss how a piece of writing isn’t best in

all active or all passive. There should be a

combination when it’s appropriate.

Possible answer:

(Passive Voice)

After many attempts to blow up the Death

Star, Luke was one of the only X-wing

pilots left. The Imperial pilots were led

by Darth Vader. His X-wing was flown at

high speed to out run the Imperial TIE

fighters. It was flown at full throttle.

Luke was covered by his partner. The

stabiliser was broken. It was locked down

by R2D2. Luke’s X-wing was fired at by the

Death Star guns. Luke’s partner was hit.

The X-wings were caught by the TIE

fighters. The rebel pilots were attacked.

Their power was increased by R2D2. Luke’s

partner was shot by Darth Vader. The Radar

was zoomed in. Luke was told to use the

force. The force was felt by Darth Vader.

R2D2 was bit by a missile. Luke was shot at

by Darth Vader. Suddenly, the TIE fighters

were attacked by Han Solo who came to help

Luke. The Millennium Falcon was flown by

Han. The targets on the Death Star were

aimed at by Luke. The target was hit with

two shots. The X-wing was pulled up just in

time. The Death Star was blown up.

THE REBELS

Episode 2 Teacher’s Notes

Is it Active or Passive?

1. Sort the sentences into Active or

Passive hoops

- Be able to explain each decision

- Compare similar active/passive sentences.

Discuss which is more effective and why.

Which noun needs to be emphasised in the

sentence?

2. SPAG test type questions based on Star

Wars – “Subject & Object” and “Active &

Passive Voice”

DARTH VADER

Passive Episode 3 Teacher’s Notes

PARTNER GAME / CHANGING & IMPROVING SENTENCES /

SENTENCE BUILDING

1. Spot the Passive Game (Resource example:

Activity Sheet Spot the Passive)

- 7 sets prepared ahead of time (partner game)

2. Change active to passive / passive to active

AND improve each sentence with adverbials,

adjectives, relative clauses etc (Resource

example: Activity sheet Active to Passive)

3. Passive sentence builder (Given a table with

subject / verb / object, write a passive

sentence BUT add extra description) (Resource

example: Activity Sheet Passive Sentence

Builder)

USE THE FORCE

Passive Episode 4 Teacher’s Notes

– COMPARING LONGER TEXTS, LOOKING AT PRACTICAL

EXAMPLES

1. Read two accounts of the same event (one active,

one passive)

- Discuss which is more effective and why

2. Repeat with other pairs of texts.

- Emphasis on text 4 where the passive is very helpful

in the explanation text.

- Text 4 in passive takes away the unnecessary

language (we don’t need to know who did what)

3. GAME

- Volunteers go up to the front to act out

instructions

– Only give instructions to a volunteer in active or

passive depending on the decision of the group