E8 M - Form and use the passive voice
aiMOOCE8 M - Form and use the passive voice
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E8 M - Form and use the passive voice
Mini-Beschreibung: In this aiMOOC you form and use the passive voice in the simple present and simple past. You also use the present perfect passive when a present result is important. Your main contexts are processes, news and descriptions. You work mainly in English; short German help is available only when needed.
Media start – Look before you read: What happens to the plastic? Say three short sentences. Start with: The plastic is ...
I can ...
- Passive voice: I can explain when the action or result is more important than the person who does it.
- Simple present passive: I can form sentences with is/are + past participle.
- Simple past passive: I can form sentences with was/were + past participle.
- Present perfect passive: I can use has/have been + past participle in suitable result contexts.
- Speaking: I can describe a process and report simple news using passive forms.
- Writing: I can write a short news report or process description with mostly accurate passive forms.
- Accuracy: I can find and correct common passive-voice mistakes.
Before you start: What do you already know?
Try first. Complete the verb forms in your head.
- Today: They collect bottles. → Bottles ___ collected.
- Yesterday: They repaired the door. → The door ___ repaired.
- Result now: They have printed the posters. → The posters ___ been printed.
- Verb check: write – wrote – ___
Ask yourself: Which word shows the tense? Which verb form follows it?
Hint: In the passive, a form of be carries the tense. The main verb is the past participle.
Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Im Passiv steht die Handlung oder ihr Ergebnis im Mittelpunkt. Achte besonders auf die Form von be und die 3. Verbform.
Media context: Processes
Context: A recycling centre explains what normally happens to plastic bottles.
Read aloud:
Plastic bottles are collected. They are sorted by type and colour. Then they are washed and shredded. The small pieces are heated and used to make new products.
Try: Point to the image above and add two more process sentences.
Ask yourself: Do we need to know who collects or sorts the bottles?
Hint: For routines and processes use am/is/are + past participle.
Media task: Follow one loop in the diagram. Describe it with four passive sentences. Use sequence words: first, then, next, finally.
Functional grammar
Why do we use the passive?
Use the passive when the action, process, object or result is more important than the doer.
| Context | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Workers sort the bottles. | The bottles are sorted. |
| News | Someone damaged the gate last night. | The gate was damaged last night. |
| Result now | The team has repaired the gate. | The gate has been repaired. |
| Important doer | Year 8 students designed the mural. | The mural was designed by Year 8 students. |
Rule of use: Add a by-agent only when the doer is useful or important.
Form: simple present passive
am / is / are + past participle
The newspaper is printed at night. The bottles are washed before recycling.
Use it for routines, processes and general descriptions.
Form: simple past passive
was / were + past participle
The window was repaired yesterday. Three new bins were installed last week.
Use it for completed past events.
Form: present perfect passive
has / have been + past participle
The broken window has been replaced. Three posters have already been printed.
Use it when a past action has an important result now or when the time period connects to the present.
Accuracy alert: Do not use the present perfect with a finished time such as yesterday.
Yesterday the bins were emptied. ✓ Yesterday the bins have been emptied. ✗
Media context: News production
Look closely: What is being produced? What matters more here: the workers or the newspaper?
Try: Create three captions:
- one simple present passive sentence,
- one simple past passive sentence,
- one present perfect passive sentence.
Compare: The paper is set in place. In an older printing process, many steps were done by hand.
Listening and Viewing
Before viewing: Predict two words you expect to hear: active, passive, subject, object, be, participle.
First viewing: Listen for the difference between active and passive voice. Do not stop the video.
Second viewing: Note three passive examples or patterns.
After viewing: Explain to a partner: We use the passive when ...
Hint: Focus on meaning first. Then check the form.
Viewing challenge
Challenge: Play along with the grammar game. Pause before an answer is given and decide yourself.
Self-feedback:
- Did you choose the correct form of be?
- Did you use the past participle?
- Did the tense fit the time expression?
Reading: Rivergate School News
The following school-news text is fictional.
GREEN WEEK UPDATE
A new recycling station was opened at Rivergate School on Monday. Four containers were placed near the main entrance. Plastic bottles are now collected separately, and paper is stored in a dry room before it is picked up. Since Monday, more than 300 bottles have been collected. Two damaged signs have already been replaced. The new system was planned by the Eco Team, but students from several classes helped with the design. Next month, the results will be discussed by the school council.
Try:
- Find two simple present passive forms.
- Find two simple past passive forms.
- Find two present perfect passive forms.
- Decide why the passive is useful in this news text.
Hint: Circle the form of be first. Then underline the past participle.
Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Suche zuerst nach is/are, was/were oder has/have been. Prüfe dann die Verbform danach.
Context vocabulary
| Word | Simple English meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| process | a series of steps | The process is explained in five steps. |
| collect | bring things together | Bottles are collected every day. |
| sort | put things into groups | Plastic is sorted by type. |
| shred | cut into very small pieces | The plastic is shredded. |
| publish | make information available | The article was published yesterday. |
| damage | harm something | The gate was damaged. |
| replace | put a new thing in place of an old one | The sign has been replaced. |
| report | give information about an event | The result was reported in the school news. |
German help only if needed: sortieren – veröffentlichen – beschädigen – ersetzen can help you unlock the meaning. Return to English after that.
Pronunciation and fluency
In passive sentences, the important information often receives the strongest stress.
The BOTTLES are COLLECTED every DAY.
Past participles ending in -ed do not all sound the same. Compare the final sound in washed, repaired and printed. In printed, an extra syllable is heard.
Speaking goal: Be understandable and keep your sentence rhythm. Clear communication is more important than sounding like a particular accent.
Speaking: Process reporter
Context: You are explaining a process to a visitor.
Try: Speak for about 45–60 seconds. Use at least four passive sentences and the words first, then, after that, finally.
Ask yourself: Is this a routine process or a finished past event?
Hint 1: Routine → is/are + past participle. Hint 2: Finished past event → was/were + past participle. Hint 3: Present result → has/have been + past participle.
You may record yourself, but recording is voluntary. Keep recordings private unless you deliberately choose to share them. Do not upload classmates' voices or images without permission.
Informal discussion
Work with a partner.
Question: Which sounds more natural in a school news report, and why?
The caretaker repaired the door yesterday. The door was repaired yesterday.
Give a reason. Then create one situation where the active voice is better and one where the passive voice is better.
Writing: School news
Write a short school-news report of about 100–130 words.
Choose one fictional event:
- a new bike station,
- a repaired sports hall,
- a recycling campaign,
- a school exhibition.
Include:
- at least two simple past passive forms,
- at least one simple present passive form,
- one suitable present perfect passive form,
- one reason or result.
Writing frame:
Yesterday, ... was/were ... At the school, ... is/are ... every ... Since ..., ... has/have been ... This is useful because ...
Mediation
Situation: A German notice says: Die Fahrradständer wurden gestern repariert. Seit Montag wurden außerdem neue Markierungen angebracht. Die Fahrräder werden jetzt nach Bereichen abgestellt.
Give the key information in natural English for a visiting student. Do not translate word for word.
Useful starts: The bike racks ... / New markings ... / Bikes are now ...
Error analysis and direct feedback
Correct the mistakes.
- The bottles are collect every Friday.
- The door were repaired yesterday.
- The posters have printed already.
- Yesterday the gate has been painted.
- The article was publish by the school team.
Feedback path:
- Check the tense signal.
- Choose the correct form of be.
- Add the past participle.
- Check singular or plural.
- Use by only if the doer matters.
Solutions:
- The bottles are collected every Friday.
- The door was repaired yesterday.
- The posters have already been printed.
- Yesterday the gate was painted.
- The article was published by the school team.
AI and responsible learning
You may use AI tools only when your school rules allow it.
- Use AI to ask for explanations or feedback, not to replace your own text.
- Check tense, past participles and factual claims yourself.
- Do not enter private social-media data or personal information.
- Do not upload recordings, photos or classmates' work without permission.
- Treat AI feedback as a suggestion that must be checked.
Can-do check
| I can ... | Yes | Almost | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| form the simple present passive | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| form the simple past passive | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| use the present perfect passive in a suitable present-result context | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| explain why a passive sentence is useful | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| describe a process with passive forms | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| write a short news report with mostly accurate passive forms | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Next step if “Almost” or “Not yet”: Return to one context only: process, news or description. Write three correct sentences before you continue.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
Which sentence is in the simple present passive? (The bottles are collected every day.) (!The workers collect the bottles every day.) (!The bottles were collected yesterday.) (!The bottles have collected every day.)
Which form builds the simple past passive? (was or were plus past participle) (!is or are plus infinitive) (!has or have plus infinitive) (!did plus past participle)
Which sentence fits a finished event yesterday? (The gate was repaired yesterday.) (!The gate has been repaired yesterday.) (!The gate is repaired yesterday.) (!The gate was repair yesterday.)
Which sentence is a correct present perfect passive? (The posters have already been printed.) (!The posters have already printed.) (!The posters are already been printed.) (!The posters were already been printed.)
Why is the passive useful in a process description? (It focuses on the action or object rather than the doer.) (!It always makes a sentence shorter.) (!It changes every verb into the future.) (!It is only used when the doer is unknown.)
Which sentence uses a useful by-agent? (The mural was designed by Year 8 students.) (!The bottles are sorted by every day.) (!The door was by repaired yesterday.) (!The article by was published.)
Which sentence is correct? (Plastic is sorted by type.) (!Plastic is sort by type.) (!Plastic are sorted by type.) (!Plastic was sorting by type.)
Which sentence best reports a present result? (The broken window has been replaced.) (!The broken window has replaced.) (!The broken window was replace.) (!The broken window is been replaced.)
Which time expression normally calls for the simple past here? (yesterday) (!already) (!since Monday) (!so far)
What comes after the form of be in a normal passive sentence? (the past participle) (!the base form only) (!the present participle only) (!a question word)
Memory
| Simple present passive | current routines |
| Simple past passive | finished past events |
| Present perfect passive | present result |
| by-agent | named doer |
| past participle | third verb form |
| process | sequence of steps |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| Simple present passive | Bottles are collected every day. |
| Simple past passive | The gate was repaired yesterday. |
| Present perfect passive | The posters have already been printed. |
| Process description | Plastic is washed and shredded. |
| News report | A new bike station was opened on Monday. |
Kreuzworträtsel
| process | What word means a sequence of steps? |
| agent | What do we call the doer that can follow by in a passive sentence? |
| participle | Which verb form follows be in the passive voice? |
| result | What can be important now after a completed action? |
| headline | What short line introduces a news story? |
| recycling | What process turns used materials into usable material again? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Passive captions: Choose one Commons image in this course and write three correct passive captions.
- Mini process: Describe how paper, plastic or another everyday object is processed in four passive sentences.
- Grammar detective: Create three incorrect passive sentences and correct them underneath.
- One-minute reporter: Give a short spoken update about a fictional school event. Recording is optional and private.
Standard
- School news: Write a 100–130 word fictional news report using at least four passive forms.
- Process interview: Interview a classmate about how something is made or organised, then report the process mainly in the passive.
- Media language: Watch one embedded BBC video again and collect the grammar rules in your own words.
- Visitor information: Turn a short German school notice into natural English information without translating word for word.
Schwer
- Style comparison: Rewrite a short paragraph once mainly in the active and once mainly in the passive. Explain the different effect.
- Newsroom project: Create a fictional school-news page with a headline, short report, image caption and at least five accurate passive forms.
- Process explainer: Plan a 60–90 second private explainer video using images or objects. Use passive voice for the process. Do not upload it unless you deliberately choose to and have permission.
- Grammar choice: Find six sentences in your own English work and decide whether active or passive voice communicates the message more clearly. Give reasons.
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Lernkontrolle
- Process transfer: You receive a five-step process in note form. Turn it into a connected explanation and justify where you use the passive.
- News report: Rewrite a short active news text so that the event and result become more important than the doer. Keep the meaning.
- Tense choice: Explain why was repaired yesterday and has been repaired already use different passive forms.
- Error diagnosis: Correct a short text containing errors with be, agreement, tense and past participles. Explain two corrections.
- Audience choice: Compare a process poster and a personal story. Decide where passive voice is more useful and explain why.
- Independent writing: Write a brief fictional school update that combines a current routine, a past event and a present result.
Lernnachweis
For a successful learning record, you should be able to:
- form simple present and simple past passive accurately,
- use present perfect passive in suitable present-result contexts,
- choose active or passive voice for a communicative reason,
- use common past participles accurately,
- describe a process in a logical order,
- report a past event in a short news text,
- notice and correct typical passive-voice errors,
- speak understandably and connect fluency with accuracy,
- use media responsibly and protect private data,
- check AI suggestions instead of copying them without review.
OERs zum Thema
Verknüpfte Lernbereiche
Folgekurs
Continue with E8 M - Reported speech: reporting statements, questions and commands with an increasing focus on independent speaking and writing.