Maryam Bakhshian Maryam Bakhshian

Passive tense
pre-intermediate level

Description

In this lesson, students will learn and practice the passive voice to describe actions when the doer is unknown or unimportant. The lesson begins with a short “Who did it?” activity to introduce the structure, followed by examples from real-life contexts. Students compare active and passive sentences to clarify form and meaning (be + past participle). Controlled practice activities help them transform active sentences into passive, and a freer task encourages creative use of the structure.

Materials

Abc AEF2 student book-unit 9A (second conditional)
Abc Handout
Abc white board

Main Aims

  • To provide clarification and practice of Passive voice

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide accuracy speaking practice in a Passive voice

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (3-5 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

The lesson begins with a short visual activity. I will shows pictures of famous creations (e.g., the Mona Lisa, a bulb) and asks students: “Who painted it? Who invented it?” After a few guesses, I will model the passive form (e.g., The Mona Lisa was painted by Da Vinci”). This creates curiosity and smoothly introduces the target structure.

Exposure (3-5 minutes) • To provide context for the target language through a text or situation

I show 3 short sentences in active voice in a familiar context: 1.People speak English in many countries. 2.Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. 3.The Pyramids were built in Egypt. I read them aloud and ask students questions like: “What happens here?” “Who is doing the action? Is it important?” This helps students notice that sometimes the focus is on the action or object, not the doer, naturally introducing the passive voice.

Highlighting (1-2 minutes) • To draw students' attention to the target language

Students notice the structure of the passive in context by comparing active and passive sentences. Key features like object → subject and be + past participle (V3) are visually emphasized. The focus is on helping students see patterns naturally without detailed grammar rules.

Clarification (4-5 minutes) • To clarify the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language

I write the passive form on the board: Object + be + past participle (+ by + agent). Then I show examples in three forms: Affirmative: The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Negative: The Mona Lisa was not painted by someone else. Question: Was the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci? I point out key points: Verb be changes with tense (is → was, are → were) “By + agent” is optional CCQs: “Do we always need to know the doer?” → No, “Is the focus on the action or the doer?” → Action

Controlled Practice (3-5 minutes) • To concept check and prepare students for more meaningful practice

Students will do practices on page 145 part b number 1-5

Free Practice (2-4 minutes) • To provide students with free practice of the target language

Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss famous inventions or discoveries. They answer questions like: “Which invention has had the biggest impact on the world?” “Why is it important?” Students describe the invention using passive sentences, e.g.: “The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.” “Vaccines were developed to prevent deadly diseases.” I will monitor, provide feedback, and encourage students to explain why each invention or discovery is important, ensuring meaningful use of the passive structure

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