lesson
Choose what the sentence foregrounds
1 · Learn
In 'The gardener planted the tree', the subject performs the action. In 'The tree was planted by the gardener', the subject receives the action. The passive can put the affected thing first and may omit the agent when it is unknown or unimportant.
Passive does not simply mean past tense: 'The tree is planted each spring' is present passive. Choose a form for clarity and purpose rather than making every sentence passive to sound formal.
2 · Worked example
I use 'The window was broken during the storm' when the affected window matters most. I do not invent who broke it if the evidence does not say.
3 · Your turn
Rewrite 'The team repaired the bridge' in the passive, keeping the agent.
Check your answer
'The bridge was repaired by the team.'
4 · Apply your learning
Compare active and passive versions in a report and discuss which information each places first.
Adult guidance and safety
Read the supplied text together if needed. Accept well-supported alternative interpretations, not invented evidence. Use wider whole books, poems and plays alongside these short original models; provide specific feedback on writing and revisit spelling over time.
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