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E8 M - Passive voice with and without by-agent

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E8 M - Passive voice with and without by-agent

Mini description: Decide when a by-agent is useful and when the focus should stay on the process or the result.

Level: English as a first foreign language, Year 8, M level, Baden-Württemberg.

Datei:Broken window.jpg

Look first. What can you say about the picture?

The window was broken.
The window was broken by ...
Which sentence is useful if you do not know who did it?

Try before you read the rule. Say one sentence about the picture. Then decide: Do we need the person who caused it?

Need help? Focus on what happened first. Add a person only if that person is important.

I can ...

After this course, you can:

use the passive voice in present and past situations.
decide when a by-agent adds important information.
leave out the agent when the process or result matters more.
explain your choice with a short reason.
use passive sentences in speaking, reports and short professional messages.
check common passive errors and improve your own text.

What you already know

Quick check.

Active: A student repaired the box.

Passive: The box was repaired by a student.

What changed?

The object the box moved into the focus.
was + repaired forms the passive.
by a student names the doer.

Your turn: Change this sentence: The club designed the poster.

Hint: Start with The poster ...

Deutsch-Hilfe, falls nötig: Im Passiv steht nicht zuerst die handelnde Person, sondern das, was mit etwas geschieht.

Media start: What matters?

Context: A parcel arrives at a school media club. It is damaged.

Which sentence fits a first report better?

The parcel was damaged.
The parcel was damaged by the delivery driver.

The first sentence is safer if you do not know who caused the damage. The result is important; the agent is unknown.

Datei:Window repair - DPLA - c60b1e35fe33658ed33e3ded0f21a6c5.jpg

Now the person doing the work is visible and relevant.

The window was repaired by a worker.

Think: The by-agent is useful here because it tells us who did the repair.

Listening and Viewing

Before watching: Predict two things:

How is the passive formed?
Why do speakers sometimes leave out the agent?

While watching: Write down two passive examples or short passive patterns you hear.

After watching: Complete these ideas in your own words:

We use the passive when ...
A by-agent is useful when ...

Direct feedback: If your answer mentions focus on the action/result and the doer is important or needs to be named, you have the key idea.

Second viewing: present and past passive

Listen for forms with is/are and was/were.

Try:

The posters ___ designed yesterday.
The room ___ cleaned every afternoon.

Hint 1: Yesterday → past.

Hint 2: Plural subjects need were or are.

Check: The posters were designed yesterday. / The room is cleaned every afternoon.

Reading: The media-club report

All people and profiles in this course are fictional.

Westbridge School opened a new media room on Monday. The tables were delivered in the morning. One box was damaged during transport. The new signs were designed by two Year 8 students. The computers were checked before the first lesson. A broken shelf was repaired by Mr Reed, the school caretaker. At 2 p.m., the room was opened for the media club.

Read once for meaning. What is the report mainly about: people, or what happened in the room?

Read again. Find:

two passive sentences without a by-agent.
two passive sentences with a by-agent.
one sentence where the agent is probably not important.

Challenge: Remove by two Year 8 students. What information is lost? Is that information important in this report?

Context vocabulary

Word or phrase	Meaning in this course	Example
agent	the person or thing that does an action	The poster was designed by Maya.
process	how something is done	The parts are checked twice.
result	what is true after an action	The window was repaired.
damage	harm something	The parcel was damaged.
deliver	bring something to a place	The chairs were delivered today.
repair	make something work again	The shelf was repaired.
design	plan how something should look or work	The logo was designed by the club.
focus	what the sentence makes important	The passive changes the focus.

Try in context: Choose two words and make one short report sentence.

Functional grammar: form + purpose

Form:

subject + form of be + past participle

Present: The boxes are checked.

Past: The box was damaged.

Modal: The door must be locked.

With agent: The poster was designed by the media club.

When is the by-agent useful?

Use by + agent when the doer is important, new, surprising or needs to be identified.

The mural was painted by Year 8 students.

Leave the agent out when it is unknown, obvious, unimportant, or when the process/result is the main focus.

The package was delivered at 10 a.m.

The computers are checked every Friday.

Decision question: Does the reader need to know who did it?

If yes → a by-agent may help.

If no → leave it out.

Agent or instrument?

Compare:

The box was opened by Leo. → Leo is the agent.

The box was opened with a cutter. → the cutter is the instrument.

Common mistake: Do not use by for a tool when you mean the instrument.

Media grammar lab

Look at the production process.

Which version sounds more useful for a process description?

The parts are checked at each station.

or

The parts are checked by workers at each station.

Both can be correct. The first version keeps the focus on the process. The second version makes the workers relevant.

Datei:Assembly line.webm

Watch the short sequence. Describe three actions without naming an agent.

Sentence starters:

The parts are ...
The machine is ...
The product is ...

Stretch: Add one by-agent only where it really adds useful information.

Pronunciation: clear before perfect

Read these chunks aloud:

was repaired

were delivered

is checked

was designed by students

Keep the important content words clear. Small grammar words such as was, were and by are often less strongly stressed in natural speech.

Goal: Be easy to understand. You do not need to sound accent-free.

Private practice: You may record yourself if you want. Keep recordings private unless your teacher and school setting clearly allow sharing. Do not upload recordings without a clear reason and permission.

Speaking: Keep it or drop it?

Work with a partner.

Student A reads a sentence. Student B decides whether to keep the by-agent and gives a reason.

The sports hall was cleaned by the cleaning team.
The school logo was designed by two students.
The lights were switched off by someone.
The winner was chosen by the class jury.
The forms were collected by the office staff.

Useful phrases:

I would keep the by-agent because ...

I would leave it out because the result is more important.

The agent is already obvious.

The reader needs to know who did it.

Fluency + accuracy: Speak first. Then check one sentence for be + past participle.

Writing: short incident report

Task: Write 90–120 words about a fictional school event, delivery problem, repair or project.

Use:

at least four passive sentences.
at least one useful by-agent.
at least one passive sentence without an agent.
a clear order of events.
neutral, factual language.

Writing frame:

Yesterday, ... was/were ...

First, ...

Later, ... was ...

The problem was checked by ...

Finally, ...

Check before you finish:

Did I use the correct form of be?
Did I use the past participle?
Does every by-agent add useful information?
Can I remove an unnecessary agent?

Professional message

Write a short fictional email from a school media club to a repair company.

Situation: A screen was delivered, but the box was damaged. The screen was checked and still works. Ask what should happen next.

Use two or three passive sentences.

M-level target: Keep the message polite, structured and clear. Do not add private contact details.

Mediation: German note → English message

Do not translate word for word.

German note:

Paket heute Morgen angekommen. Karton beschädigt. Bildschirm geprüft, funktioniert. Hausmeister hat Fotos gemacht. Bitte Firma informieren.

Write a short English message that passes on the important information.

Hint: Decide whether Hausmeister needs to appear as a by-agent.

Possible reasoning: If the photos matter as evidence, naming the person can be useful. If only the result matters, Photos were taken may be enough.

Error analysis

Correct the sentences and explain the problem.

The parcel was deliver yesterday.
The posters were designed from Maya.
The window repaired by a worker.
The box was opened by a cutter.
The computers was checked.

Hints:

past participle?
by or with?
missing form of be?
singular or plural?

Feedback:

The parcel was delivered yesterday.
The posters were designed by Maya.
The window was repaired by a worker.
The box was opened with a cutter.
The computers were checked.

Smart use of AI and digital tools

Use AI only as a support, not as a replacement for your own text.

Check whether the language level fits Year 8 M level.
Check facts and grammar suggestions before accepting them.
Ask for feedback on one clear point, for example passive forms or by-agents.
Keep your own ideas, wording and decisions.
Do not enter private names, accounts, messages, recordings or social-media data into external AI systems.
Do not upload school recordings or files without permission.

Good prompt idea: Check only my passive forms. Mark errors, but do not rewrite the whole text.

Transfer: school news desk

Datei:Parcel box and mailbox.webp

Imagine you are editing a short school-news item.

Facts:

A parcel arrived at 8:10.
The office opened it.
Two microphones were inside.
The media club tested them.
One cable was missing.

Write four sentences. Use at least two passives.

Then ask yourself: Where is a by-agent actually useful?

Can-do check

Rate yourself: not yet / almost / yes.

I can form present passive sentences.
I can form past passive sentences.
I can decide whether a by-agent is useful.
I can explain why I leave an agent out.
I can use the passive in a short report.
I can spot common mistakes with be and the past participle.
I can speak clearly even if my accent is not perfect.

If you have two or more not yet answers, return to Functional grammar and Error analysis.

Follow-up course

Next step: Passive voice in reports and news.

There you can use the passive in longer news reports, interviews and formal messages.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which sentence correctly uses the passive? (The parcel was delivered this morning.) (!The parcel delivered this morning.) (!The parcel was deliver this morning.) (!The parcel were delivered this morning.)

When is a by-agent especially useful? (When the doer is important to the message.) (!When every passive sentence must be longer.) (!When the tense is always present simple.) (!When the verb has no past participle.)

Which sentence focuses mainly on the result? (The window was repaired.) (!A worker repaired the window.) (!A worker is repairing the window.) (!The worker repairs windows.)

Which sentence uses a useful by-agent? (The school logo was designed by two Year 8 students.) (!The door was opened by a key.) (!The parcel was arrived by a driver.) (!The box was with repaired by a worker.)

Which sentence correctly describes an instrument? (The box was opened with a cutter.) (!The box was opened by a cutter.) (!The box opened with by a cutter.) (!The box was opening from a cutter.)

What is the basic passive pattern? (form of be plus past participle) (!have plus infinitive) (!do plus present participle) (!modal plus simple past only)

Which passive form matches a plural subject in the past? (The posters were designed yesterday.) (!The posters was designed yesterday.) (!The posters were design yesterday.) (!The posters are designed yesterday.)

Why might a writer leave out the agent? (The agent is unknown or not important.) (!The passive never allows an agent.) (!The sentence has no verb.) (!The writer must always hide information.)

Which sentence is best for describing a routine process? (The computers are checked every Friday.) (!The computers checked every Friday.) (!The computers are check every Friday.) (!The computers were checking every Friday.)

Which sentence correctly names the doer? (The photos were taken by the caretaker.) (!The photos were taken with the caretaker.) (!The photos was taken by the caretaker.) (!The photos were took by the caretaker.)

Memory

by-agent	names the doer when the doer matters
process focus	shows how something is done
result focus	shows what happened or what is finished
past passive	was or were plus past participle
present passive	am is or are plus past participle
instrument	often introduced with with

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
by-agent useful	The mural was painted by Year 8 students.
agent not needed	The room is cleaned every afternoon.
result focus	The parcel was damaged.
process focus	The parts are checked twice.
instrument with	The box was opened with a cutter.

...

Kreuzworträtsel

agent	What do we call the person or thing that performs an action?
passive	Which voice often puts the action or result into focus?
result	What can be more important than the doer in a passive sentence?
process	What can a passive description explain step by step?
active	Which voice usually puts the doer in subject position?
participle	Which verb form follows a form of be in the passive?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Bildimpuls: Choose one Commons image in this course and write three passive sentences about it.
Satzvergleich: Write two versions of the same event, one with a by-agent and one without. Explain the different focus.
Fehlerdetektiv: Create four passive sentences with one deliberate error each. Exchange them with a partner and correct them.
Mini-Bericht: Write five sentences about a fictional classroom repair or delivery.

Standard

Audio-Kommentar: Record a private 30–45 second description of a process using at least three passive sentences. Recording is voluntary and should stay private.
Dialog: Create a longer partner dialogue in which you discuss whether four by-agents should be kept or removed.
Nachrichtenredaktion: Turn six active notes into a short school-news report and explain two focus decisions.
Berufliche Korrespondenz: Write a polite fictional message to a repair service using at least three passive forms.

Schwer

Medienanalyse: Compare two short reports about the same event. Rewrite one so that the result is more important than the people.
Prozessbeschreibung: Use the assembly-line media to create a six-step process text. Add only one by-agent and justify it.
Mediation: Turn a short German repair note into a natural English report without translating word for word.
Transferprojekt: Produce a one-page fictional school-news item with headline, image choice, 100–130 words and a short explanation of your passive choices.

Lernkontrolle

Fokus erklären: You receive two versions of a report, one with several by-agents and one with almost none. Explain how the focus changes.
Kontext entscheiden: For five situations, decide whether the agent should be named. Give a reason for each choice.
Bericht überarbeiten: Improve a short text that repeats unnecessary agents. Keep only agents that add important information.
Fehler begründen: Correct five passive errors and explain what rule was broken.
Transfer schreiben: Write a 100-word incident report with present and past passive forms. Use at least one by-agent and justify why it is useful.
Sprechen und reflektieren: Give a one-minute explanation of a process, then identify one sentence where you could improve fluency or accuracy.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should show that you can:

form present and past passive sentences correctly.
use be + past participle reliably.
choose by-agents for a clear communicative reason.
leave agents out when process or result matters more.
distinguish an agent with by from an instrument with with.
use passive forms in speaking and writing.
explain and correct typical errors.
transfer the passive to reports, messages and process descriptions.

OERs zum Thema

Media note: The embedded images and video file come from Wikimedia Commons; author and licence information is available on each file page. The YouTube grammar videos are embedded from BBC Learning English.