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 example
Active: 'Maria wrote the report.' Passive: 'The report was written by Maria.' Gerund: 'Writing improves with practice' (writing = noun).
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: Voz activa: 'María escribió el reporte.' Voz pasiva: 'El reporte fue escrito por María.' Gerundio: 'Escribir mejora con la práctica' (escribir = sustantivo).
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