Contextualization

Introduction to Passive Voice

The Passive Voice is a grammatical construction that is widely used in the English language. It allows us to focus on the subject that is receiving the action, rather than the one performing the action. In a passive sentence, the subject is usually the one being acted upon, and the agent, or the one doing the action, may not even be mentioned.

In English, we form the passive voice by using a form of the verb "to be" (such as 'is', 'are', 'was', 'were', etc.) and the past participle of the main verb. For example, in the active sentence "The cat chased the mouse," the subject (the cat) is performing the action (chased). In the passive sentence "The mouse was chased by the cat," the subject (the mouse) is receiving the action (was chased).

Understanding the passive voice is essential in English grammar, as its use can change the emphasis or focus of a sentence, and it is frequently used in academic and scientific writing.

Importance and Real-World Application

The passive voice is not only an integral aspect of English grammar but it is also heavily used in the real world. You can find it in various types of texts, from newspaper articles to scientific reports and literature. It's also commonly used in instructions, recipes, and legal documents to make the subject of an action less important or to make a statement more general.

Understanding the passive voice can also improve our reading and comprehension skills. By recognizing the passive voice, we can differentiate between the subject and the object in a sentence, which can help us understand the meaning more accurately.

Resources

Here are some resources that can help you with understanding and using the passive voice:

1. English Grammar: Passive Voice - This resource provides an in-depth explanation of the passive voice, with examples and exercises.

2. The Passive Voice - This article from Grammarly discusses the appropriate use of the passive voice, and provides helpful examples.

3. Passive Voice - This resource from BBC Bitesize offers an overview of the passive voice, with examples and practice exercises.

4. Passive Voice: 7 Exercises to Master this Tricky Grammar Form - This web page provides several exercises to practice using the passive voice correctly.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "Passive Voice in the News"

Objective:

The main objective of this project is for students to understand and apply the concept of the passive voice in a real-world context. By engaging with news articles, students will identify instances of passive voice usage, analyze why passive voice is used in these cases, and rewrite selected passive voice sentences into active voice.

Detailed Description:

This project will involve students working in groups of 3 to 5. Each group will be given a news article from a reputable source. The groups will then highlight and analyze instances of passive voice usage in the article. They will discuss why the passive voice is used in these cases, and propose how the sentences could be rewritten in the active voice without changing the meaning.

The project will include the following steps:

1. Reading and Highlighting: Each group will read their assigned news article and identify sentences written in the passive voice. They will highlight these sentences.

2. Analysis: The group will discuss the reasons why the author might have chosen to use the passive voice in these sentences. They will consider the emphasis, the clarity, the tone, and the style of the article.

3. Rewriting: After identifying and analyzing the passive voice sentences, the group will rewrite them in the active voice without changing the meaning. They will discuss any changes in emphasis or tone that result from the change of voice.

4. Report Writing: Finally, each group will write a report detailing their findings. This report will follow the structure of Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography. The Introduction will provide an overview of the passive voice and its relevance. The Development section will detail the steps taken in the project, including the analysis and rewriting of passive voice sentences. The Conclusion will summarize the main findings and learnings from the project. The Bibliography will list the sources used to understand and apply the concept of passive voice.

Necessary Materials:

• News articles (one for each group)
• Highlighters
• Writing materials (pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.)
• Internet access for research

Project Deliverables:

At the end of the project, each group will submit a written report and present their findings and analysis to the class.

The written report should contain the following:

1. Introduction: The students should contextualize the theme, its relevance, and real-world application, as well as the objective of the project.

2. Development: Here, the students should explain the theory behind the passive voice, the steps they took in the activity, and the methodology they used. They should also discuss the results of their analysis and the changes in meaning, emphasis, or tone that resulted from the rewriting of passive voice sentences into active voice.

3. Conclusion: The students should revisit the main points of the project, explicitly state the learnings obtained, and draw conclusions about the project.

4. Bibliography: The students should list the resources they used to understand the passive voice and complete the project.

The presentation to the class should be a summary of the written report, highlighting the main findings and learnings from the project. Each group will have 10 to 15 minutes for their presentation.

Project Duration:

The students will have one week to complete the project. This should provide ample time to read and analyze their news article, rewrite the passive voice sentences into active voice, write the report, and prepare the presentation.