Speaking: Grammar in Speaking B1
Using Simple Passive Voice in Explanations
Focusing on the Action, Not the "Doer" ✍️
Sometimes, the person who does an action is unknown or not important. In these cases, we use the Passive Voice to focus on the action itself.
🧑🌾 Active Voice (Focus on Doer)
Farmers grow a lot of rice in Battambang.
🍚 Passive Voice (Focus on Action)
A lot of rice is grown in Battambang.
Who grows it? Not important for this sentence.
❓ Active Voice (Doer is "Someone")
Someone stole my moto last night.
🏍️ Passive Voice (Focus on What Happened)
My moto was stolen last night.
Who stole it? We don't know.
How to Form the Passive Voice
Present Simple Passive
Used for facts, processes, and general truths.
[Receiver] + is/are + Past Participle (V3)
- Fish amok is made with coconut milk.
- Many motos are sold in Cambodia.
Past Simple Passive
Used for past events.
[Receiver] + was/were + Past Participle (V3)
- This bridge was built many years ago.
- My keys were lost yesterday.
Speaking Tips
🗣️ Pronunciation: Stress in Passive Sentences
In passive sentences, the helping verb "be" (is, was, etc.) is usually unstressed and weak. The main stress falls on the important content words.
- Listen: "My MOto w'z STOlen." (The focus is on the moto and what happened to it).
- Listen: "A lot of RICE iz GROWN." (The focus is on the rice and the action).
Practice the Passive Voice 🎯
Activity 1: Active or Passive?
Read the sentences. Are they in the active voice or passive voice?
- My brother cleaned the house. (Active)
- The house was cleaned. (Passive)
- English is spoken here. (Passive)
- She sells beautiful flowers at the market. (Active)
Activity 2: Change to Passive
Change the active sentence to a passive sentence. Focus on the receiver of the action.
- Active: They make these cakes in Battambang.
Passive: These cakes are made in Battambang. - Active: Someone broke the window.
Passive: The window was broken. - Active: Shakespeare wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Passive: 'Romeo and Juliet' was written by Shakespeare. (We can use 'by' if the doer is important).
Key Grammar Terms
- Active Voice The 'normal' sentence where the subject performs the action (e.g., "The cat chased the mouse.")
- Passive Voice The sentence focuses on the receiver of the action (e.g., "The mouse was chased by the cat.")
- Past Participle The third form of a verb (e.g., eat -> ate -> eaten), used to form the passive voice.
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
This week, your mission is to find and use the passive voice.
- Find: Look at the label on your shirt, your phone, or your food. Find where it was made.
- Speak: Tell a friend your finding using the passive voice. For example, "My phone was made in China," or "This shirt was made in Cambodia."