logounam logo-avi
logouapa

Review of Passive
Voice in Simple Present

Presentation / Objective

Passive voice in present simple.

In this topic, you are practising passive voice to explain how something is created.


It is recommendable that you follow the order given to understand better the use of this structure in a manufacturing context. Not only will you practise grammar, but also develop your speaking, reading, listening and writing skills by answering the exercises.

At the end of the learning tasks, you will take a test to verify how well you are using the new structure. Remember! The more you practice, the more you will learn, and communicate.

Objective:

By the end of this topic, you will:
• Use passive voice in present simple to emphasise on the result of an action to describe the manufacturing of objects.

Content

 

PASSIVE VOICE

Look at the following grammar information to understand the topic. It's recommendable that you make your notes to internalize the information provided.

PASSIVE VOICE

We prefer passive voice in the simple present for the following cases:

Instructions: Click on each topic to see the content. To return to the initial position, click on another concept.

When the agent or subject is unknown:

Example: The TV is designed.

Notice that the importance is not highlighted in the subject but in the action since it is not relevant who does such action.

Furthermore, passive voice is used in a more formal and polite speech.

Example: An ill-designed TV is wasted.

The previous example stresses again the action and not the ill-designing that is made by someone or something (machine) in order not to exhibit the responsible.

In the previous example, the focus is on the fact that the phone is answered. You do not know, however, who did it.

"Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:" (English Grammar Online, n.d.)

Example: An ill-designed TV is wasted.

"In this case, you focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but you do not blame anyone (YOU made a mistake)." (English Gramm

Example:

  • The cars are designed.
  • The TV is assembled.
  • The planes are tested.
  • The light bulb is transported.
  • The microprocessor is welded

 

airplane

Retrieved on April 13, 2017 from https://pixabay.com/photo-409047/

 

 

 

When the agent is important

Do not forget passive voice does not mention who or what is performing the action since it is not important or it is unknown, however, we could mention who or what is performing such activity with the use of: “by” and very after the performer(s). Furthermore, it is used to express ideas in a polite and formal way.

Example:

  • The cars are designed by the engineers.
  • The TV is assembled by machines.
  • The planes are tested by pilots.
  • The light bulb is transported by 18 wheelers.
  • The micro-processor is welded by the technician.
pilots

Retrieved on April 13, 2017 from https://pixabay.com/photo-1589516/

 

 

 

 

 

Form of passive voice

To form the passive voice in present simple you need:

Exercise 1. Manufacturing.


Do you have a cellphone? Is it helpful for you? Have you ever thought about its manufacturing process? Do you believe is lengthy or not? Let’s see!

In this activity, you are going to use the passive voice structure adequate to describe the cellphone´s briefly manufacturing where you will understand how to do emphasize of the object.

 

 

According to the previous grammar explanation, answer the diagnostic exercise.

 

 

Reading

Activity 1

Cellphones

First, click on the blue buttons next to the iPhone's image to see the text, scan it and write down all the words you don't understand then look them up in an English-English dictionary. After that, answer the questions.

Here are some options:



 

 



 

Listening

Activity 2

TV

Do you like watching TV? Have you ever wondered how a TV is made? You are going to listen to an interview made to an important TV CEO in which is briefly explained how a TV came to be.

Interview

Listen to the conversation by clicking here:

Information retrieved on April 01, 2017 from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Television.html
Conversation of David Lina Nuñez.

 

 

 

Writing

Activity 3

Inventor

You have created an important device which will help people live more comfortably, but you do not have enough money to promote it.

When you finish writing your text, use the following rubrics to assess it.

Follow the example:

This product is manufactured with the latest technology.
It is produced in countries which support fair trade and ban the use of pollutants.

 

Speaking

Activity 4

CEO

Have you ever given a presentation at school or work? Let's test out your speaking skills.

Instructions. Read the following text, then record yourself using the passive voice to describe the manufacturing process of your device. You need to include the following characteristics.

Situation.

You are the CEO of a major company in your city which manufactures devices, and you are giving a tour to new trainees:

  • Welcome them.
  • Explain the manufacturing process of your device- mentioning who or what performs such operations.
  • Possible problems that could appear during a phone's manufacturing process along with their solution.
  • Conclude the tour

Your presentation should last from 2-3 minutes.

You should use more than 12 different verbs in your presentation.

When you finish your audio evaluate yourself with the following rubrics, you can follow the example too.

 

 

Self-assessment

Passive voice

As you may have learned from this topic, the object of the active voice sentence passes to be the subject in the passive voice sentence.

Now, in this exercise, you will structure sentences transforming them from active voice to passive voice.

Example:

E.1 People watch TV as entertainment.

TV is watched as entertainment by people.

E.2 People use cellphones to communicate.

Cellphones are used by people to communicate.

Instruction. Please read the following active voice sentences, very after rewrite them using passive voice in present simple as it was shown in the previous examples. You have two opportunities to answer correctly. Once you finish, you will be able to know your results.

References

Basic references

English Grammar Online. (n.d.). Retrieved on April 20, 2017 from www.ego4u.com

Complementary references

English Grammar. (n.d.). Retrieved on April 20, 2017 from www.englishgrammar.org
Learn english british council (n.d.). Retrieved on April 20, 2017 from www.learnenglishbritishcouncil.org