Voice, Conditional & Subjunctive
Aligned to L.8.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Writers shift verb forms for effect. Active voice is direct, passive voice hides the doer, the conditional expresses a possibility, and the subjunctive expresses a wish or hypothetical.
Worked examples
Example 1
'If I were faster, I would win' uses the subjunctive 'were' and the conditional 'would win' to describe an imagined situation, not a fact.
Example 2
'If I was late, I apologise' means it may have happened. 'If I were late, I would apologise' means it did not.
Example 3
The conditional carries distance. A writer who slips into it constantly sounds unwilling to commit to anything.
Practice questions
- Turn an active sentence into passive voice.
- Write a conditional sentence about a possible outcome.
- Use the subjunctive to express a wish or a 'what if.'
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, Condicional y Subjuntivo
Los escritores cambian las formas verbales para lograr efectos. La voz activa es directa, la pasiva oculta a quien actúa, el condicional expresa una posibilidad y el subjuntivo expresa un deseo o una hipótesis.
Ejemplo 1: 'Si yo fuera más rápido, ganaría' usa el subjuntivo 'fuera' y el condicional 'ganaría' para describir una situación imaginada, no un hecho.
Ejemplo 2: 'Si llegué tarde, pido disculpas' significa que quizá pasó. 'Si hubiera llegado tarde, me disculparía' significa que no pasó.
Ejemplo 3: El condicional lleva distancia. Quien escribe cayendo en él constantemente suena poco dispuesto a comprometerse con nada.
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