What you will learn in Grade 5
Today's goal: Compare active and passive sentences and notice how the focus changes.
Active: The chef cooked the meal.
Active voice puts the person or thing doing the action in the subject position.
Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
Passive voice puts the receiver of the action in the subject position and often uses a form of be plus a past participle.
Active focuses on the doer.
Active voice is useful when we want to highlight who or what performs the action.
Passive focuses on the receiver of the action.
Passive voice is useful when the receiver or result of the action is more important than the doer.
Core idea
Read the explanation, study the examples and explain the idea in your own words.
Learn with examples
chef → cooked → meal
“chef → cooked → meal” puts the doer of the action first.
meal → was cooked → by chef
“meal → was cooked → by chef” puts the receiver of the action first.
doer vs receiver
“doer vs receiver” helps compare the doer with the receiver of the action.
See the skill in action
Quick check
Which sentence focuses on the receiver: active or passive?
Practice like a learner
- Identify active/passive.
- Change one simple active sentence to passive.
- Underline the receiver in a passive sentence.
- Write one active sentence.
- Explain when passive voice can be useful.
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