lesson
Grammar can move information into focus
1 · Learn
Active and passive constructions can emphasise different participants. 'The committee rejected the plan' foregrounds the committee; 'The plan was rejected' foregrounds the plan and omits the agent. Neither form is automatically better in every context.
Ask what the reader needs to know and whether omitting an agent obscures responsibility. Grammatical analysis should connect the construction with purpose rather than labelling it in isolation.
2 · Worked example
In a report investigating responsibility, naming the committee may be important. In a summary of the plan's status, a passive construction may serve a different focus.
3 · Your turn
Rewrite 'The editor changed the headline' in the passive while retaining the agent.
Check your answer
The headline was changed by the editor.
4 · Apply your learning
Compare versions with and without the agent and explain the effect on accountability.
Adult guidance and safety
Use the actual supplied passage before asking for evidence. Accept alternative interpretations supported by precise details. These short models require wider whole-text reading, two authors studied in depth during the year, and the stage's Shakespeare provision before full KS3 coverage can be claimed.
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