The most common mistake in teaching the passive is presenting it as a neutral grammatical option — as if active and passive sentences are simply two ways of saying the same thing. They are not. Every choice between active and passive changes what is foregrounded, what is omitted, and what register the text projects. This lesson focuses entirely on the decision — when to choose passive, when active is better, and how to recognise when the passive is being over-used or misused. Teachers who understand this can give learners genuinely useful guidance on writing quality, not just grammatical correctness.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
Both versions contain the same facts. But only one sounds like a typical school notice. Which one? What is different about the effect of each version?
Version B (passive) sounds like a typical school notice. Version A (active) sounds more like a personal message. The passive in Version B creates institutional authority and impersonality — it is not about the teacher announcing results, it is about the results being announced, which is a fact of school life. This impersonality is appropriate and expected in notices, policies, and official documents. Choosing passive or active is partly a register decision: what kind of communication is this?
Both describe the same failure. But they have very different effects. What is different about the responsibility each sentence implies? When might a writer choose each one?
Sentence A (active) names the agent clearly — the head teacher failed. Sentence B (passive) omits the agent. The responsibility is obscured. In an accountability report where the agent is known, the passive may be deliberately evasive. In an early investigation where facts are not confirmed, omitting the agent may be appropriately cautious. The passive is not always neutral — sometimes the active is more honest. Teachers should teach learners to ask: who benefits from the agent being omitted?
All five sentences are passive. Does every passive feel natural here?
The first three passives are relatively natural. But Long hours were worked by them and Poor conditions were experienced by many people are awkward — they use the passive unnecessarily and produce unnatural sentences. They worked long hours and Many people experienced poor conditions are both more natural. The problem with over-using the passive is that it becomes monotonous and creates awkward by-phrases. Good writing mixes active and passive purposefully — the passive is chosen when it serves a communicative purpose; the active when the agent matters or when the sentence sounds more natural that way.
| Tense / Form | Use / Meaning | Example | Key time words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose passive when | Example | Reason | |
| Agent is unknown | The window was broken. | We do not know who broke it. | |
| Agent is obvious or unimportant | The register is checked daily. | Everyone knows teachers check it. | |
| The thing affected is the focus | The results will be announced on Friday. | The results matter; who announces them does not. | |
| Formal or institutional register | All applications must be submitted by Monday. | Impersonal authority — appropriate for notices and policies. | |
| Diplomatic — avoid naming someone | An error was made in the earlier communication. | Acknowledges the problem without assigning blame. | |
| Choose active when | Example | Reason | |
| The agent is the communicative focus | Dr Kimani founded this school in 1952. | Who founded it is historically significant. | |
| Clarity about responsibility matters | The head teacher failed to inform parents. | The active names who was responsible. | |
| The passive would sound unnatural | She worked hard. | Some concepts are simply more natural in active. |
THE PASSIVE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
One of the most important things teachers can do is help learners understand that the passive can be used to evade responsibility. In political language, corporate communications, and management reports, the passive is sometimes used deliberately: Mistakes were made. Redundancies will be implemented. Procedures were not followed. These passive sentences remove accountability. Learners who understand this can read public communications more critically and can make more honest choices in their own writing — using the active when clarity and accountability are what the situation calls for.
READABILITY AND PASSIVE OVERUSE
Long stretches of passive voice make text harder to read. Research on readability consistently shows that active constructions are processed more quickly and remembered more easily. This does not mean the passive is bad — it means the passive should be used purposefully, not as a default. Professional writing guidance advises: use the active as your default, and switch to passive only when it serves a specific communicative purpose. Teaching learners this principle — active as default, passive by choice — produces more readable, more purposeful writing.
ACTIVE OR PASSIVE — HOW TO DECIDE - Is the agent the key piece of information? Active. - Is the agent unknown, obvious, or unimportant? Passive (omit by). - Is the agent known and relevant? Passive with by-phrase. - Does the passive create appropriate formality and impersonality? Passive. - Is the passive obscuring important accountability? Active may be more honest. - Does the passive sentence sound awkward? Consider whether active is more natural. - Is every sentence in the text passive? Mix in some active sentences for readability.
For each situation, decide whether active or passive is more appropriate and explain your choice.
Each sentence uses active or passive inappropriately for the context described. Rewrite it more appropriately and explain why.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — SAME INFORMATION, DIFFERENT EFFECT (7 minutes): Write the same piece of information in active and passive on the board — for example, an announcement and a personal message. Ask learners: which sounds like a school notice? Which sounds like a text message? Establish that active and passive create different registers and effects.
STEP 2 — WHEN IS PASSIVE APPROPRIATE? (8 minutes): Present five scenarios: (1) a window is broken — no one knows who; (2) a policy everyone must follow; (3) a school founder; (4) a mistake in a report — the author is known; (5) an annual exam schedule. For each scenario, ask: should the key sentence be active or passive? Why?
STEP 3 — THE ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTION (7 minutes): Present two passive sentences that obscure responsibility. Ask learners: who made the mistakes? Does omitting the agent serve the reader or protect the writer? Discuss when omitting an agent is appropriate and when it is evasive.
STEP 4 — OVER-USE EDITING (8 minutes): Give learners a short paragraph where every sentence is passive — including several that would be more natural in the active. Ask them to identify which passives are appropriate and which should be converted to active.
STEP 5 — WRITE WITH PURPOSE (5 minutes): Ask learners to write three sentences about a real situation at their school — one where the passive is clearly the better choice, one where the active is clearly better, and one where either could work. Share and discuss.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
Your feedback helps other teachers and helps us improve TeachAnyClass.