Standard 5: Language

Students will apply knowledge of grammar and rhetorical style to reading and writing.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will make and use verbs in the active voice.
• Students will make and use verbs in the passive voice.
• Students turn passive voice example text to active voice and discuss the difference between the text.

• Teachers explain that sentences written in active voice, the focus of the sentence is on who or what does the action.  Example: The student carefully measured the chemicals.
• Teachers will provide opportunities for students form and use verbs in active voice. 
• Teachers will monitor and provide feedback to students when using active voice in their writing.
• Teachers explain that sentences written in passive voice, tell about someone or something that is being acted upon.  Example: The chemicals were measured by the students.
• Teachers will provide opportunities for students form and use verbs in passive voice.  
• Teachers will monitor and provide feedback to students when using passive voice in their writing.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to practice recognizing active voice, the noun or pronoun performs the action in text. (i.e., I throw the ball.)
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to practice recognizing passive voice, the action is more important than the noun performing the action. (i.e., The ball is thrown to me.)
• Teachers instruct students that most writing is clearer in active voice than passive voice. 

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights

• ESLAcademy: Active and Passive Voice
• Purdue OWL: Active and Passive Voice 

• The intent of this objective is for students to compose sentences, being mindful of when to use active and passive voice in their verbs.

• Most often, writing is clearer using active voice rather than passive.

• Using active voice for the majority of sentences makes meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy.

• The emphasis on whether or not to use active/passive voice should be on the writers’ intentions.

• Active Voice: In a sentence using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb.

• The dog bit the boy.

• Passive Voice: In a sentence using passive voice, the the object or goal of the action functions as the sentence subject and the main verb phrase includes the verb to be and the past participle.

• The boy was bitten by the dog.

• The main difference between active voice and passive voice is which part of the sentence is most important.

• In active voice, the noun/pronoun performing the action is the most important, therefore coming first in the sentence.

• The student measures the chemicals.

• Our company made some mistakes.

• In passive voice, the noun pronoun the action is being done to is more important than the noun performing the action, which is sometimes not listed.

• The chemicals were measured by the student.

• Mistakes were made.

• While it is true that for most cases, active voice is recommended, there are some instances writer’s should use passive voice. Such as:

• The actor is unknown: The painting was stolen.

• The actor is irrelevant: The thief was discovered. (we don’t really care who discovered him)

• The writer wants to be intentionally vague about the actor: Mistakes were made. (Politicians are masters at this).

• Occasionally, a writer may want to emphasize the object being acted on over the actor:  The Mona Lisa was stolen.

•  Scientific writing favors passive voice:  The sodium chloride was dissolved in the water. 

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.