Active or passive? Find the roles

Start with one simple question: who does the action, and who receives it?

In an active sentence, the thing doing the action is the subject. The thing receiving the action is the object.

[thing doing the action] + [verb] + [thing receiving the action]

Example

Peter cleaned my car.

• Peter does the action: he is the subject.
• cleaned is the verb.
• my car receives the action: it is the object.

Most everyday sentences are active. Before changing a sentence, underline the doer and circle the receiver. This small check prevents the most common error: swapping the two roles.

In a passive sentence, the receiver moves to the subject position. The doer can be added at the end with by, or omitted when it is unknown, obvious, or not important.

Quick check. In “The mechanic repaired the bike”, who does the action and what receives it? Write the two answers before moving to the next card.