The robbery

This is a simple transformation type activity to give restricted practice to the past passive (for when the
agent is unknown). Tell the students the following story:

Last night some people robbed the school. They took some supplies. They broke a window. They stole a
television and two computers. Finally, they photocopied all the final exam papers.

When you finish, ask them to retell the story to each other, but this time using the passive. Give them the
first sentence: Last night the school was robbed. Let them continue in pairs. Students can then make their
own story for each other (sample titles: the kidnapping, the murder, the corruption scandal).

Everything will be taken care of

Here is a freer roleplay activity to provide opportunities to practise the present and future passive voice. Put
the students into groups of three and tell them that they are going to roleplay travel agents. Each group has
a luxury package that they want to sell. They must prepare an oral description of the experience for the
tourist. For example:

Our package holiday is in Hawaii. You will be met at the airport by our representative and taken to your
hotel. Your luggage will be taken to your room for you. You are invited to the welcome cocktails on the
beach. All your meals are prepared with the finest ingredients and by the best chefs in the region…

If the students need some help or support in this, write the following prompts on the board:

 You will be met…

 You will be taken…
 Your meals will be prepared…
 You are invited…
Encourage students to think of others. When they have finished, ask groups to sit together and explain their
package holiday. Who has the most interesting?

Anchor Point:5Questionnaire
Finally, you could prepare a questionnaire with a mixture of examples, some containing the passive
voice.Here’s a sample questionnaire on the subject of 'You and the media'.

 Have you ever been asked to speak on the radio? When?

 Have you ever been filmed? When?
 Have you ever written a letter to the newspaper? Was it published?
 Have you ever been on television? What for?
 When was the last time you were moved by a news story? What was the story?
Students then interview each other using the questions.

You can change the subject of the questionnaire to something else, and don’t feel you need to have ALL
the questions in passive voice. We don’t always speak using the passive – in fact many argue that it is more
common in written English, which is why a conversation purely in the passive would sound strange to say
the least.
Group A
1. The radio was invented by __________ (who).

2. The first plane was flown in 1903.

3. The bicycle was invented in ______ (year).

4. The light bulb was invented by Edison.

5. The first human-powered flight was made in _____(year).

6. The first railway line was built in the north of England.

7. The first hamburger was made in ______(country).

8. The Chinese invented gunpowder in the 13th Century.

9. The first air-bags for cars were tested in _____ (year).

10. The first printed book was printed in Germany.

11. The tin-opener was invented in ______(year).

12. The first satellite was put into space in 1957.

13. The television was invented in _________ (country).

14. The 'Theory of Evolution' was written by Charles Darwin.

Group B
1. The radio was invented by Marconi.

2. The first plane was flown in _______ (year).

3. The bicycle was invented in 1843.

4. The light bulb was invented by _________(who).

5. The first human-powered flight was made in 1979.

6. The first railway line was built in ______________ (where).

7. The first hamburger was made in Connecticut, USA.

8. The Chinese invented gunpowder in ____________ (when).

9. The first air-bags for cars were tested in 1985.

10. The first printed book was printed in __________(where) .

11. The tin-opener was invented in 1829.

12. The first satellite was put into space in _______ (year).

13. The television was invented in Scotland.

14. The 'Theory of Evolution' was written by ________ (who).

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Passives Quiz – coffee

Organise the class into groups of 4 to 6. Divide each group into two teams, and give each their
respective handouts. The teams take it in turns to ask the other a question in the passive.
 

Coffee Quiz – true or false?

1. Coffee is ________ from the leaves of the coffee plant. (make)

 
2. Until around 1,000 AD, coffee was mainly ________ as a medicine. (use)
 
3. More than half of the world’s coffee is ________ in South and Central
America. (grow)
 
4. In decaffeinated coffee, the caffeine is ________by freezing the beans. (remove)
 
5. In the middle ages coffee was ________ by many priests to be the drink of the
devil (believe)
 
6. Until the 1870, coffee was usually ________ as fresh beans which were then
________ at home. (roast)
 
7. In the USA, 37% of coffee is ________ with artificial sweetener. (sweeten)
 
Answers: 1 False – it is made from the beans, 2 True, 3 True, 4 False, 5 True, 6 True, 7 False

Coffee Quiz – true or false?

1. Coffee was first ________ in The Middle East, approximately 1,500 years ago.
(drink)
 
2. Coffee is __________ commercial in around 50 countries. (grow)
 
3. Most coffee beans are ________ by hand. (harvest)
 
4. After they have been ________, the coffee beans are ________ to dry in the sun
for up to a year. (pick / leave)
 
5. In 1843, coffee-drinking was ________ by the Emperor of China. (forbid)
 
6. In Britain in 1675, all coffee-houses were ________ by the king. (close)
 
7. In Japan, one million litres of coffee are ________ every hour. (drunk)
 
Answers: 1 True, 2 True, 3 True 4 False - some coffee beans are dried in the sun for a few days, but
most are dried in ovens, 5 False, 6 True - coffee houses were used as meeting places for political
discussion, 7 False