Mada za sehemu hiiUse appropriate grammar and vocabulary both orally and in writingMada 6
- Compare things based on size, quality and quantity (e.g., big-bigger-biggest, much-more-most)
- Express location using appropriate prepositions of direction (target: towards, between, beside, from, into, onto, through, across)
- Express possession using adjectives and pronouns (target: my, mine, yours, his, her, hers, their, theirs)
- Express completed and unfinished actions (structure: present perfect, past perfect tense)
- Use conjunctions in oral and written contexts (target: too...to, either...or, neither...nor)
- Use active and passive voices to communicate in different contexts
Active and Passive Voice
When we speak or write in English, we can talk about actions in two ways:
- Active voice tells us who does the action.
- Passive voice tells us what receives the action.
The focus is different in each voice.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| The doer comes first | The receiver comes first |
| The verb shows the action directly | The verb uses "be" + past participle |
| Example: The boy kicked the ball. | Example: The ball was kicked by the boy. |
Use Active Voice when:
- You want to show who did something
- The doer is important or known
Use Passive Voice when:
- You want to show what was done
- The doer is unknown or not important
- You want to focus on the thing receiving the action
To change an active sentence to passive:
- Move the receiver of the action to the start
- Change the verb: be + past participle
- Add "by + doer" (optional)
Simple Examples
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The chef cooks the food. | The food is cooked by the chef. |
| The dog chased the cat. | The cat was chased by the dog. |
| The pupils answered the questions. | The questions were answered by the pupils. |
| She is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by her. |
| They will clean the room. | The room will be cleaned by them. |
Active and passive voices also work in questions:
| Active Question | Passive Question |
|---|---|
| Does the chef cook the food? | Is the food cooked by the chef? |
| Did the dog chase the cat? | Was the cat chased by the dog? |
| Will they clean the room? | Will the room be cleaned by them? |
Look at this story about Mr Fungo:
Active: Mr Fungo damaged the village water tap. Passive: The village water tap was damaged by Mr Fungo.
Active: Mr Fungo will fix the tap on Monday. Passive: The tap will be fixed by Mr Fungo on Monday.
Try changing these sentences:
-
Mr Fungo helps everyone in the community. → Everyone is helped by Mr Fungo in the community.
-
The community likes Mr Fungo. → Mr Fungo is liked by the community.
-
The tap was repaired by Mr Fungo. (This is already passive!) → Mr Fungo repaired the tap.
-
He is called "a man of the people" in the community. → The community calls him "a man of the people."
From Active to Passive:
- Find the object (what receives the action) → put it first
- Change the verb to be + past participle
- Add "by + subject" at the end
From Passive to Active:
- Find the "by" phrase → this is the doer
- Put the doer first
- Change the verb to the simple form
- The past participle of regular verbs ends in -ed (cooked, chased, helped)
- Watch for is/are/am (present), was/were (past), and will be (future)
- The word "by" tells you who did the action in passive sentences
In Tanzania, you might hear or read the passive voice in everyday situations. For example, at school, when the headteacher announces "The school fees must be paid by Friday", the focus is on what must be done (the fees), not who must pay it. Similarly, at the market, you might see a sign saying "Mchele wa bei nzuri unauzwa hapa" — in English, "Good price rice is sold here." This focuses on the rice being sold, not who is selling it. Understanding both voices helps you communicate clearly and read announcements, news, and messages accurately.
Swali
Which sentence is written in the active voice?
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