CurriculumGrade 8English Language Arts

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 example

'If I were faster, I would win' uses the subjunctive 'were' and the conditional 'would win' to describe an imagined situation, not a fact.

Practice questions

  1. Turn an active sentence into passive voice.
  2. Write a conditional sentence about a possible outcome.
  3. 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.

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En 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: 'Si yo fuera más rápido, ganaría' usa el subjuntivo 'fuera' y el condicional 'ganaría' para describir una situación imaginada, no un hecho.

More Language lessons

Active vs. Passive Voice & VerbalsL.8.1Commas, Dashes & EllipsesL.8.2Unlocking Words with RootsL.8.4Figures of Speech & ConnotationL.8.5Academic & Domain VocabularyL.8.6

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