Active vs. Passive Voice & Verbals
Aligned to L.8.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
In active voice the subject does the action ('The dog chased the ball'); in passive the subject receives it ('The ball was chased'). Verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) are verb forms acting as other parts of speech.
Worked examples
Example 1
Active: 'Maria wrote the report.' Passive: 'The report was written by Maria.' Gerund: 'Writing improves with practice' (writing = noun).
Example 2
Passive hides the actor: 'Mistakes were made' never says by whom, which is exactly why officials reach for it.
Example 3
Passive is right when the actor is unknown or irrelevant: 'The bridge was built in 1890' is better than naming a forgotten contractor.
Practice questions
- Rewrite a passive sentence in active voice.
- Identify the gerund in 'Running is fun.'
- When is passive voice actually the better choice?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Voz Activa y Pasiva, y Verboides
En la voz activa, el sujeto realiza la acción ('El perro persiguió la pelota'); en la voz pasiva, el sujeto la recibe ('La pelota fue perseguida'). Los verboides (gerundios, participios, infinitivos) son formas verbales que funcionan como otras categorías gramaticales.
Ejemplo 1: Voz activa: 'María escribió el reporte.' Voz pasiva: 'El reporte fue escrito por María.' Gerundio: 'Escribir mejora con la práctica' (escribir = sustantivo).
Ejemplo 2: La pasiva esconde al actor: 'Se cometieron errores' nunca dice quién, y por eso los funcionarios la usan.
Ejemplo 3: La pasiva es correcta cuando el actor es desconocido o irrelevante: 'El puente fue construido en 1890' es mejor que nombrar a un contratista olvidado.
More Language lessons
Teach this lesson today
An AI tutor that guides with questions instead of just giving answers — all K–12 core subjects, every child in the family.
Start free — no card required