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KS3 · Grammar

Y9.4 Passive Voice for Effect

Calculators not allowed · about 50 minutes

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Three Accounts of the Hartley Road Fire

Written specifically for this worksheet as three original, contrasting texts (a news report, a science method and a press statement) about the same fictional event, for passive-voice analysis practice. Not derived from or based on any published work, past paper or copyrighted text.

Text A: from the Local Gazette (news report)

A fire broke out at the Hartley Road textile factory shortly after 6 a.m. yesterday. Emergency services were called immediately, and the building was evacuated within minutes. No injuries were reported, although two workers were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and an investigation has been launched by the fire service. Residents living nearby were advised to keep their windows closed while the blaze was brought under control by crews from three stations. The factory's owners are expected to issue a statement later this week.

Text B: from a school science method (lab report)

Investigating the Effect of Temperature on Reaction Rate

50 ml of dilute hydrochloric acid was measured into a conical flask. A three-centimetre piece of magnesium ribbon was added, and the flask was immediately sealed with a bung connected to a gas syringe. The volume of gas produced was recorded every fifteen seconds for two minutes. The experiment was then repeated at four further temperatures, and the results were plotted on a graph.

Text C: statement from the Council Press Office

It has been acknowledged that delays occurred in responding to residents' concerns about the Hartley Road fire. A number of mistakes were made in how the situation was initially handled, and lessons will be learned. A full review has now been commissioned, and any recommendations will be acted upon in due course. The council remains committed to keeping residents informed.

Look again at the three texts above. For each sentence below, tick to show whether it is written in the active voice or the passive voice.

(a)'A fire broke out at the Hartley Road textile factory.'(1)

Active voice
Passive voice

(b)'The building was evacuated within minutes.'(1)

Active voice
Passive voice

(c)'A three-centimetre piece of magnesium ribbon was added.'(1)

Active voice
Passive voice

(d)'The council remains committed to keeping residents informed.'(1)

Active voice
Passive voice

(e)'A full review has now been commissioned.'(1)

Active voice
Passive voice

Sort the sentences in the box into the correct column of the table below: active voice, passive voice with the agent named, or passive voice with the agent deleted (left out).

Sentence bank:
1. An investigation has been launched by the fire service.
2. No injuries were reported.
3. The blaze was brought under control by crews from three stations.
4. A number of mistakes were made in how the situation was initially handled.
5. The results were plotted on a graph.
6. The factory's owners are expected to issue a statement later this week.

Active voice	Passive - agent named	Passive - agent deleted

(6)

Each sentence below deletes (leaves out) the agent. Based on the context of the texts above, state who most likely carried out the action, even though they are not named in the sentence.

(a)'No injuries were reported.' (Text A)(1)

(b)'A number of mistakes were made in how the situation was initially handled.' (Text C)(1)

(c)'The volume of gas produced was recorded every fifteen seconds.' (Text B)(1)

(d)'A full review has now been commissioned.' (Text C)(1)

Look at this sentence from Text C: 'A number of mistakes were made in how the situation was initially handled.'

(a)Which reason best explains why the agent has been deleted here?(1)

A) The agent is genuinely unknown to the council
B) The agent is too obvious to need stating
C) Naming the agent is deliberately avoided so that responsibility sounds less direct
D) The sentence would be grammatically incorrect if an agent were added

(b)Explain your choice, referring to who the council clearly already knows made the mistakes.(2)

Text B (the science method) uses the passive voice in almost every sentence, always without naming who carried out the steps. Explain why this is the standard convention in scientific writing, rather than an attempt to hide anything.

(2)

Explain the effect of the phrase 'mistakes were made' in Text C, comparing it to a more direct alternative such as 'We made mistakes.'

(2)

Rewrite each sentence from Text C in the active voice, restoring 'the council' as the named agent so that responsibility is made clear.

(a)'A number of mistakes were made in how the situation was initially handled.'(2)

(b)'A full review has now been commissioned.'(2)

(c)'Lessons will be learned.'(2)

Explain the effect on the reader of restoring 'the council' as the named subject in your answers to Question 7, compared with the original passive sentences in Text C.

(2)

Each sentence below has a grammar error in its passive construction. Correct each one.

(a)'The review will be completed by March, and the results will be publish shortly after.'(1)

(b)'Mistakes has been made in the handling of the incident.'(1)

(c)'The flask were sealed immediately after the magnesium was added.'(1)

(d)'A statement have been promised for later this week.'(1)

The paragraph below has three grammar errors in its passive constructions. Find and correct all three.

'It were acknowledged that delays had occurred. A review have now been commissioned, and the findings will be shared with residents once it are complete.'

(3)

Official, impersonal writing often combines the passive voice with a noun formed from a verb (called a 'nominalisation'), which can make language sound authoritative while further hiding who is responsible. Match each impersonal phrase below to its plain-English meaning from the word bank, then explain what all four phrases have in common.
Word bank (plain-English meanings, in jumbled order): Reviewers found a mistake. | Someone decided. | Officials are starting to deal with the problem. | Officials are thinking about the problem.

Impersonal phrase	Plain-English meaning
a) A decision was taken.
b) An error was identified during the review process.
c) Consideration is being given to the matter.
d) Steps are being taken to address the issue.

Explain what these four impersonal phrases have in common, and the effect this has on the reader.

(6)

Three versions of the same event are given below. Label each version as Direct, Vague, or Deliberately evasive.

A) 'Paint was spilled in the corridor.'
B) 'A workman spilled paint in the corridor while repainting the walls.'
C) 'It has been reported that an incident occurred involving paint in the corridor.'

(a)Version A(1)

(b)Version B(1)

(c)Version C(1)

Take the active sentence: 'The manager cancelled the meeting at the last minute.' Rewrite it as instructed below.

(a)Rewrite it in the passive voice for a formal, objective workplace memo, keeping the agent named.(2)

(b)Rewrite it in the passive voice, this time deliberately leaving out the agent so that it is not clear who was responsible.(2)

Text C opens with the phrase 'It has been acknowledged that delays occurred...' rather than 'We acknowledge that we caused delays...'. Explain the effect of this impersonal opening.

(2)

Compare the effect of the passive voice in Text A (the news report) and Text C (the council statement). In your answer you should consider: which agents are named and which are deleted in each text; why each writer might have made these choices; and the different effects on the reader, for example the sense of neutral convention in journalism compared with possible evasion of blame in the political statement.

(6)

A greenhouse window was broken during a school science lesson. Write two short reports about the incident, then add one sentence explaining the difference in effect between them.

Version 1 (5 marks): a short item for the school newsletter (approximately 50-70 words) that uses the passive voice and deliberately deletes the agent, so that it is not stated who broke the window.

Version 2 (3 marks): an active-voice account for a teacher's incident log (approximately 30-50 words) that makes clear exactly who was responsible.

Explanation (2 marks): explain, in one or two sentences, the difference in effect between your two versions.

(10)

Evaluate which of the three texts (A, the news report; B, the science method; C, the council statement) uses the passive voice most effectively for its purpose. Support your answer with reference to all three texts.

(8)

Mark scheme · Y9.4 Passive Voice for Effect

Question 1

(a) B1 Active voice cao
(a) Answer: Active voice
(b) B1 Passive voice cao
(b) Answer: Passive voice
(c) B1 Passive voice cao
(c) Answer: Passive voice
(d) B1 Active voice cao
(d) Answer: Active voice
(e) B1 Passive voice cao
(e) Answer: Passive voice

Question 2

B1 sentence 6 sorted under Active voice cao
B1 sentence 1 sorted under Passive - agent named cao
B1 sentence 3 sorted under Passive - agent named cao
B1 sentence 2 sorted under Passive - agent deleted cao
B1 sentence 4 sorted under Passive - agent deleted cao
B1 sentence 5 sorted under Passive - agent deleted cao
Answer: Active voice: 6. Passive - agent named: 1, 3. Passive - agent deleted: 2, 4, 5.

Question 3

(a) B1 the emergency services / fire service / journalists reporting the story, oe
(a) Answer: e.g. the emergency services (or the journalists writing the report)
(b) B1 the council (or council staff/officials), oe
(b) Answer: the council (council staff or officials)
(c) B1 the scientist/student carrying out the experiment, oe
(c) Answer: the person carrying out the experiment (the scientist or student)
(d) B1 the council (or council leaders/officials), oe
(d) Answer: the council (council leaders or officials)

Question 4

(a) B1 C cao
(a) Answer: C
(b) B1 identifies that the council itself is responsible, since the statement is about its own handling of the incident, so the agent is not genuinely unknown
(b) B1 explains that deleting the agent softens or distances the council from blame, making the mistakes sound like they simply happened rather than were caused by anyone (oe)
(b) Answer: The council clearly knows who was responsible, since it is describing its own handling of the incident, so the agent is not genuinely unknown. Deleting the agent softens the sense of blame, making the mistakes sound as though they simply occurred rather than being caused by identifiable people.

Question 5

B1 identifies that the passive voice keeps the focus on the procedure/substances/results rather than on the individual scientist
B1 links this to the purpose of a method, e.g. it should describe steps that anyone could repeat in the same way, giving an objective, impersonal, replicable account (oe)
Answer: The passive voice keeps the focus on the procedure and the substances involved rather than on the individual carrying it out. This creates an objective, impersonal account that emphasises what was done, which matters because a method should be repeatable by anyone in the same way, regardless of who performs it.

Question 6

B1 identifies that 'mistakes were made' removes any named subject taking responsibility, unlike 'We made mistakes'
B1 explains the effect, e.g. it allows the council to admit that errors happened without directly admitting fault, softening the impact on its reputation (oe)
Answer: 'Mistakes were made' removes any named subject taking responsibility, unlike the direct alternative 'We made mistakes.' This allows the council to acknowledge that errors happened without clearly admitting fault, softening the impact on its reputation while still appearing to address the issue.

Question 7

(a) B1 'the council' correctly used as the subject cao
(a) B1 verb correctly changed to an active past tense (e.g. made), with the original meaning kept cao
(a) Answer: The council made a number of mistakes in how it initially handled the situation.
(b) B1 'the council' correctly used as the subject cao
(b) B1 verb correctly changed to an active present perfect (e.g. has commissioned), with the original meaning kept cao
(b) Answer: The council has now commissioned a full review.
(c) B1 'the council' correctly used as the subject cao
(c) B1 verb correctly changed to an active future tense (e.g. will learn), with the original meaning kept cao
(c) Answer: The council will learn lessons from this.

Question 8

B1 identifies that naming 'the council' makes responsibility explicit and unavoidable, unlike the original vaguer passive versions
B1 develops the effect, e.g. the reader now knows exactly who is accountable and can hold the council to its promises, whereas the original softened this and let the council appear more distant from the mistakes (oe)
Answer: Naming 'the council' as the subject makes responsibility explicit and unavoidable, unlike the original passive versions. The reader now knows exactly who is accountable for the mistakes and the review, making it harder for the council to appear distant from what went wrong.

Question 9

(a) B1 'publish' corrected to 'published' cao
(a) Answer: ...the results will be published shortly after.
(b) B1 'has' corrected to 'have' cao
(b) Answer: Mistakes have been made in the handling of the incident.
(c) B1 'were' corrected to 'was' cao
(c) Answer: The flask was sealed immediately after the magnesium was added.
(d) B1 'have' corrected to 'has' cao
(d) Answer: A statement has been promised for later this week.

Question 10

B1 'It were acknowledged' corrected to 'It was acknowledged' cao
B1 'A review have now been commissioned' corrected to 'A review has now been commissioned' cao
B1 'once it are complete' corrected to 'once it is complete' cao
Answer: It was acknowledged that delays had occurred. A review has now been commissioned, and the findings will be shared with residents once it is complete.

Question 11

B1 a) matched to 'Someone decided.' cao
B1 b) matched to 'Reviewers found a mistake.' cao
B1 c) matched to 'Officials are thinking about the problem.' cao
B1 d) matched to 'Officials are starting to deal with the problem.' cao
B2 identifies that each phrase turns a person's action into an abstract 'thing' (a decision, an error, consideration, steps) combined with the passive voice, and explains that this hides who is acting and makes vague, unfinished actions sound official and important (oe)
Answer: a) Someone decided. b) Reviewers found a mistake. c) Officials are thinking about the problem. d) Officials are starting to deal with the problem. All four phrases turn a simple action into an abstract noun (a decision, an error, consideration, steps) and pair it with the passive voice. This hides who is acting and can make vague or barely-started actions sound official, formal and further along than they really are.

Question 12

(a) B1 Vague, oe (accept 'passive, agent unstated')
(a) Answer: Vague
(b) B1 Direct cao
(b) Answer: Direct
(c) B1 Deliberately evasive, oe
(c) Answer: Deliberately evasive

Question 13

(a) B1 correct passive construction: was cancelled cao
(a) B1 agent 'by the manager' correctly retained, with the meeting as the subject cao
(a) Answer: The meeting was cancelled by the manager at the last minute.
(b) B1 correct passive construction: was cancelled cao
(b) B1 agent correctly omitted, with the meeting as the subject cao
(b) Answer: The meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

Question 14

B1 identifies that 'It has been acknowledged' removes any personal subject taking ownership of the admission, unlike 'We acknowledge'
B1 explains the effect, e.g. it sounds formal and official while making the admission feel as though it arrived from nowhere in particular, softening the sense that the council is personally confessing fault (oe)
Answer: 'It has been acknowledged' removes any personal subject taking ownership, unlike the direct alternative 'We acknowledge'. This sounds formal and official, but it also makes the admission feel as though it arrived from nowhere in particular, softening the sense that the council is personally confessing fault.

Question 15

Level 0 (0): No relevant comparison made; comments do not engage with the passive voice in either text.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple identification of passive voice examples in one or both texts, with little or no comparison of effect.
Level 2 (3-4): Clear comparison of some named and deleted agents across the two texts, with a reasonable attempt to explain the different effects on the reader.
Level 3 (5-6): Detailed, well-supported comparison of named and deleted agents in both texts, with a convincing explanation of how each writer's choices create different effects (neutral convention versus possible evasion).
Indicative content:
- Text A names agents where it is useful for credibility (by the fire service, by crews from three stations) but deletes agents for routine actions (were called, was evacuated, were reported)
- Text C almost always deletes the agent, even where the agent (the council) is obvious, e.g. 'mistakes were made', 'a full review has been commissioned'
- Text A's passive choices reflect standard, largely neutral journalistic convention: focusing on events rather than naming every individual involved
- Text C's repeated agent deletion, especially around the word 'mistakes', can be read as a deliberate attempt to soften blame and distance the council from responsibility
- Both texts show that the same grammatical structure (the passive voice) can serve very different purposes depending on genre and intention
- A convincing answer supports each point with a precise quotation from the relevant text

Question 16

Content, register and control of voice/agent choices
- Level 1 (1-2): Simple account of the incident given in each version; little sense of a deliberate difference in register or agent choice between the two.
- Level 2 (3-4): Clear account of the incident in each version, with a reasonable attempt to use a suitably neutral register in Version 1 and a clearer, more direct register in Version 2.
- Level 3 (5-6): Convincing, well-controlled account of the incident in each version, with a genuinely neutral, agent-deleted newsletter register in Version 1 and a clear, direct, accountable register in Version 2.
Technical accuracy of passive/active constructions and explanation
- Level 1 (1-2): Passive and active constructions are attempted but contain frequent errors; the explanation of effect is thin or missing.
- Level 2 (3): Passive voice in Version 1 and active voice in Version 2 are mostly accurate; the explanation identifies a reasonable difference in effect.
- Level 3 (4): Passive voice in Version 1 (with the agent correctly deleted) and active voice in Version 2 (with the agent clearly named) are both accurate; the explanation clearly links the grammar choices to their effect on the reader.

Question 17

Level 0 (0): No relevant evaluation made; little or no reference to the texts.
Level 1 (1-3): Simple comments on the passive voice in one or two texts, with limited reference to purpose or effect and no clear overall judgement.
Level 2 (4-6): Clear evaluation referring to all three texts, with a reasonable judgement about effectiveness supported by some accurate examples.
Level 3 (7-8): Detailed, convincing evaluation referring precisely to all three texts, reaching a well-supported overall judgement about which use of the passive voice is most effective for its purpose, with sustained awareness of genre and reader effect.
Indicative content:
- Text B's passive voice is highly effective for its purpose: it is the accepted scientific convention, creating an objective, repeatable procedure with no ambiguity about what was done
- Text A's passive voice is mostly effective: it reads as normal, neutral news convention, though a stronger answer might note a small number of choices (e.g. 'is expected') that soften responsibility slightly
- Text C's passive voice is arguably the least effective for building trust, since the repeated deletion of an agent the council clearly knows (itself) can appear evasive rather than genuinely objective
- A strong answer reaches a clear overall judgement (e.g. Text B is most effective because objectivity is exactly what the genre requires, whereas Text C's use undermines its own credibility)
- Precise quotation from all three texts is used to support each point of the evaluation
- Accept any well-supported overall judgement, provided it is backed by accurate reference to all three texts and a clear sense of purpose

Passive Voice for Effect - Worksheets, Questions and Revision