Myriora English › Grammar and punctuation › Chapter 2: Sentences

Active and passive

Ages 9–11Chapter 2 · Lesson 7

In this lesson

In an active sentence, the doer comes first.
In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done to comes first.
It uses a form of be, like was or were, and the doer can come after by, or be left out.

Your turn

Which sentence is passive?

Show the answer

The ball was kicked by Sam. The ball comes first, and the kicking is done to it.

The common mistake

Here's a common mistake. A passive sentence doesn't have to say who did it. The vase was broken is still passive. We just don't know who broke it.

Try it at home

Newspaper switch: say an active sentence about something that happened at home (Dad burnt the toast.) and turn it into a passive headline (The toast was burnt!). Try leaving out who did it.

Read the whole lesson

Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! Here's one event, told two ways. The cat chased the mouse. The mouse was chased by the cat.

The first one is active. The doer, the cat, comes first, and does the action. The second one is passive. The mouse comes first, and the action is done to it.

To make a passive sentence, start with the thing the action is done to. Then use a form of be, like was or were, plus a verb like chased, eaten or broken. The doer can go at the end, after by. Or you can leave it out: the window was broken.

Let's try one together. Active or passive? The cake was eaten by the dog. Say it out loud!

Passive! The cake comes first, but the dog did the eating. Active would be: the dog ate the cake.

Here's a common mistake. A passive sentence doesn't have to say who did it. The vase was broken is still passive. We just don't know who broke it.

Your turn! Which sentence is passive? Pick the right card. You've got eight seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! The ball was kicked by Sam. The ball comes first, and the kicking is done to it.

Quick review. In an active sentence, the doer comes first. In a passive sentence, the thing the action is done to comes first. It uses a form of be, like was or were, and the doer can come after by, or be left out. See you next time!