aiMOOC

E8 G - Passive voice in simple information texts

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E8 G - Passive voice in simple information texts

Look first. What can you see? What happens to paper, plastic and food waste? Do not translate every word. Use the picture and the words you know.

Mini-description: In this aiMOOC, you learn to understand common passive forms in short information texts, signs, processes and news-style sentences. The focus is on reading and listening. You do not have to produce difficult passive forms yourself.

I can ...

I can find common passive forms in short texts.
I can understand what happens in a simple process.
I can understand passive forms in signs and short news-style sentences.
I can use context, keywords and grammar signals before I ask for German help.
I can give a short opinion with a reason and write a short information text with support.

Your learning route

English first → context → try → ask → hint → German help if needed.

First look at the situation. Then try with the English you know. Ask a partner or use a hint. Use short German help only when you still need it. Do not translate the complete text.

What you already know

You know the verb to be in forms such as is, are, was and were. You also know many past participles, for example used, opened, checked, made, built and sent.

Quick try: Which words tell you that something happens to a thing?

Paper is collected every Friday.

Hint: Look for a form of be and a past participle.

Media entry: signs, processes and news

Try: A sign gives information fast. You often do not need to know who did something. Think of places where you can read sentences such as:

Tickets are checked at the entrance.

Phones must be switched off.

The doors are locked at 6 p.m.

The important information is the action or rule, not the person who does it.

Process picture

Look at the production line. Say three words you know about the picture. Then read:

The products are moved on a line. They are checked by machines. At the end, they are packed.

Question: What is more important here: the products and the process, or the names of the workers?

News picture

News reports often focus on events and results.

Fictional news example:

A new cycle path was opened on Monday. The project was planned by the local council. No injuries were reported during the work. The council says that the path is used by many students.

The people and places in this example are fictional. The text is only for language practice.

Reading: three short information texts

Text A: School recycling

At Green Hill School, paper is collected in blue boxes. The boxes are emptied every Friday. Plastic bottles are taken to a recycling centre. Food waste is used for compost.

Try first: Find four forms of be + past participle.

Context help: collect = sammeln, empty = leeren, take = bringen, waste = Abfall.

Question: What happens to plastic bottles?

Text B: At a science museum

Bags are checked at the entrance. Food is not allowed in the exhibition rooms. Phones must be switched off during one special show. Photos can be taken in most rooms.

Try first: Which sentence is a rule? Which sentence is about permission?

Hint: Look at must and can.

German help if needed: Nach einem Modalverb steht im Passiv oft be + past participle: must be switched off, can be taken.

Text C: Short news update

A small bridge was closed after heavy rain. The road was checked in the morning. It was reopened at 2 p.m. A local official says that the bridge is safe now.

Try first: Put the events in the correct order.

Word help: heavy rain = starker Regen, safe = sicher.

Look only: a harder form

At G level, some forms are mainly for understanding, not for producing.

The road had been closed before the repair team arrived.

You do not have to build this form yourself. For understanding, notice had been + past participle. It tells you that one action was already completed before another past action.

You may also meet reported speech without changing the tense:

The council says that the path is safe.

For this course, understanding is enough. Do not force difficult forms into your own text.

Functional grammar: How the passive works

Active: Workers collect the paper.

Passive: The paper is collected.

The passive often puts the thing or result first.

Useful pattern: be + past participle

is collected

are checked

was opened

were reported

must be switched off

You may see a by phrase when the person or group is important:

The project was planned by the council.

But a by-phrase is often not needed:

The road was closed.

Why do information texts use the passive?

The passive is useful when the writer wants to focus on:

the thing or result: The bottles are recycled.
a process: The parts are checked and packed.
a rule: Phones must be switched off.
an event: The bridge was reopened.

Watch out: not every form with be is passive

The door is open. → open describes a state.

The door is opened at 8 a.m. → is opened describes an action.

Use the context. Ask: Does something happen to the subject?

Listening and Viewing

BBC Learning English: active and passive voice

First listening: Watch the beginning once without subtitles or transcript. Listen for active, passive, be and one example.

Second listening: Watch again. Now you may use English subtitles.

After the second listening: Check the transcript or notes if you need them.

Listening task: Complete the idea: In the passive, the focus is often on __________ rather than the person who does it.

Short review video

Before you watch, predict: Which two words will probably be important?

After you watch, say one example you understood. You do not need to repeat every rule.

Context vocabulary

English	Simple help	Example
collect	sammeln	Paper is collected.
check	prüfen / kontrollieren	Tickets are checked.
allow	erlauben	Food is not allowed.
report	melden / berichten	No injuries were reported.
open	öffnen	The bridge was opened.
close	schließen	The road was closed.
recycle	recyceln	Bottles are recycled.
pack	verpacken	Products are packed.

Do not learn the whole table at once. First use the words in the texts.

Pronunciation

Understanding is more important than sounding like a native speaker.

Read these chunks slowly:

Paper is COLLECTED / every Friday.

The road was CLOSED / after the rain.

Tickets are CHECKED / at the entrance.

Stress the main information word. The forms is, are, was, were are often shorter and less stressed in normal speech.

Private practice: You may record yourself on your own device and listen once. Recording is voluntary. Do not upload your voice unless you want to and your school rules allow it.

Speaking

Work with a partner. Choose one situation: school recycling, museum rules or a simple production process.

Student A asks: What happens?

Student B answers with one or two connected statements.

You may use a model:

First, the bottles go into a box. Then they are collected on Friday.

At G level, a correct active sentence is also fine. Use a passive form only when it helps you communicate.

Opinion: Add one reason.

I think the rule is useful because ...

Writing

Write a short information text of about 5–6 sentences.

Choose one topic: a school rule, a recycling process or a simple event report.

Use this small plan:

Start: What is the topic?
Middle: What happens first and next?
End: What is the result or why is it useful?

Helpful words: first, then, after that, because, finally.

You may copy the structure of one model sentence, but do not copy a whole text. One passive sentence is optional at G level.

Mediation

You see this English notice:

Phones must be switched off during the show.

A German-speaking classmate asks what it means.

Explain the important message in one short German sentence. Do not translate word for word.

Then explain why the notice uses a short, direct form.

Hints in steps

Hint 1: Find is, are, was, were or be.

Hint 2: Look directly after it. Is there a past participle such as checked, opened, taken or made?

Hint 3: Ask: What happens to the person or thing at the beginning of the sentence?

German help: Im englischen Passiv steht häufig eine Form von be plus Past Participle. Im Mittelpunkt steht oft, was mit einer Sache passiert. Wer handelt, kann unwichtig oder unbekannt sein.

Direct feedback and error analysis

Sentence	Check	Feedback
The bottles are recycle.	Not correct	After are, use the past participle: recycled.
The paper collected every Friday.	Not complete	The passive needs a form of be: is collected.
The road was closed after the rain.	Correct	was + closed is a common past passive form.
The tickets are check at the door.	Not correct	Use the past participle: checked.

When you correct a sentence, say what changed. Do not only write wrong or right.

Safe and responsible media and AI use

Use only materials that your class is allowed to use. The images in this course come from Wikimedia Commons, and the videos are embedded from educational YouTube channels.

Recordings are voluntary and can stay private. Do not upload private data, voices, photos or profiles without permission.

If you use an AI tool, check its English level, facts and feedback. Ask it for hints or examples, but do not let it replace your own text. Never send private school data to an external AI service without permission.

Can-do check

Mark what you can do now:

I can spot be + past participle in a short text.
I can understand the main idea of a passive sentence from context.
I can understand a simple passive rule or sign.
I can follow a short process with words such as first and then.
I can explain a simple notice without translating every word.
I can give a short opinion and a reason.

If two or more points are still difficult, repeat one reading text and one video section before you continue.

Follow-up course

Next, continue with E8 G - Reported speech in simple information texts. Keep the same learning route: context first, then try, ask, use a hint and use German help only when needed.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which sentence is passive? (The tickets are checked at the entrance.) (!The visitors check their tickets.) (!The visitors are at the entrance.) (!The ticket office opens early.)

What is the basic passive pattern in this course? (be plus past participle) (!have plus infinitive) (!do plus adjective) (!will plus noun)

What is the focus in The bottles are recycled? (what happens to the bottles) (!the name of the worker) (!the exact time of day) (!the speaker's age)

Which sentence is a past passive form? (The bridge was closed.) (!The bridge closes.) (!They close the bridge.) (!The bridge is near the river.)

Which form fits a rule with must? (must be switched off) (!must switched off) (!must is switched off) (!must was switch off)

Why is a by phrase often missing in passive sentences? (The person who acts is not important or not known.) (!English sentences cannot use by.) (!The verb has no meaning.) (!A passive sentence never has a subject.)

Which sentence describes an action, not only a state? (The door is opened at 8 a.m.) (!The door is open.) (!The door is green.) (!The door is near the stairs.)

What should you do before using a German translation? (Use context and try the English first.) (!Translate every word immediately.) (!Skip the complete text.) (!Change every sentence into German.)

Which harder form is mainly receptive at G level here? (had been closed) (!is closed) (!was closed) (!are checked)

What is a good first step when listening to the video? (Listen once for the main idea without the transcript.) (!Read the full transcript before listening.) (!Translate every sentence before the video.) (!Stop after every single word.)

Memory

passive voice	be plus past participle
process	shows what happens step by step
by-agent	names who performs an action
news report	focuses on events and results
context	helps you understand unknown language
mediation	gives the important message for another person

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
is collected	present passive
was opened	past passive
must be switched off	rule with modal passive
by the council	named agent
had been closed	receptive harder form

Kreuzworträtsel

passive	Welche englische voice stellt oft Handlung oder Ergebnis in den Mittelpunkt?
process	Welches englische Wort bezeichnet einen Ablauf in mehreren Schritten?
participle	Welches Wort ergänzt past zu dem Verbteil in be plus past ...?
agent	Wie heißt die handelnde Person oder Gruppe in einer Passivbeschreibung?
report	Welches englische Wort passt zu einem kurzen sachlichen Bericht?
notice	Welches englische Wort bezeichnet einen kurzen öffentlichen Hinweis?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Sign hunt: Find three public English signs online or in a textbook. Mark which one contains a passive form. Use only public, school-safe sources.
Picture talk: Choose one Commons picture from this course and say four English words that fit the situation.
Passive highlighter: Copy one short course text and highlight every form of be and every following past participle.
Notice helper: Explain two short English notices to a German-speaking partner without translating every word.

Standard

Video note: Watch one embedded video twice and write three keywords after the first listening and one rule after the second.
Mini information text: Write 5–6 connected sentences about a school process. Use first, then and finally. A passive sentence is optional.
Rule discussion: Choose one school rule, state your opinion and give one reason. Use a model sentence if needed.
Fix and explain: Correct four passive mistakes from the feedback table and explain each change in simple German or English.

Schwer

News rewrite: Turn three active news-style sentences into a short information text. You may keep active forms if the passive is too difficult, but explain which information you want to put first.
Compare focus: Compare Workers collect the paper and The paper is collected. Explain how the focus changes.
Media check: Check one image and one video source from the course. Note author or channel, topic and why the source can be used for learning.
New context: Create a short museum, sports-centre or library information card. Use clear English for Grade 8 G level and add one reason for an important rule.

Lernkontrolle

Focus change: Read an active and a passive version of the same short message. Explain which information comes first and why that may help a reader.
Main idea first: Listen to a short passive example from one course video and write only the main event. Then compare it with the transcript.
New sign: A visitor sees Bags are checked at the entrance. Explain what the visitor should expect and why the sentence does not name a person.
Correction: Correct The bottles are recycle every week and explain the two grammar signals you used.
Information structure: Write a short process with three connected steps. Decide whether active or passive wording is clearer in each step and give one reason.
Meaning before wording: Explain Phones must be switched off during the show to a German-speaking classmate without giving a word-for-word translation.