A powerpoint used for a mini-lesson on the passive voice with intermediate level students.

1. The Passive Voice Used in context with the article: Who Created the Internet? It’s a Tangled Web written by David L. Chandler

2. Context of the passive voice Newspaper headlines Signs Genre Percentage of Active and Passive Voice usage in the Brown Corpus (Francis & Kucera, 1982, p.544, cited in Kennedy, 2003)

3. Active vs. Passive Active Passive E-mail was invented by Ray Tomlinson. Ray Tomlinson invented E-mail Tim Berners Lee created HTML. HTML was created by Tim Berners Lee.. subject verb object subject to be past participle

4. Passive Verb Forms Simple Present Web pages are designed every day. Present Progressive A web page is being designed right now. Simple Past E-mail was invented by Ray Tomlinson. Past Progressive E-mail was being used in the 1970s. Future The Internet is going to be used in the future. Present Perfect Millions of videos have been uploaded to YouTube.

5. Passive Voice uses TO BE Web pages are designed every day. Simple Present A web page is being designed right now. Present Progressive E-mail was invented by Ray Tomlinson. Simple Past E-mail was being used in the 1970s. Past Progressive Google is going to be used in the future. Future Millions of videos have been uploaded to YouTube. Present Perfect

6. Passive uses a PAST PARTICIPLE Web pages are designedevery day. Simple Present A web page is being designedright now. Present Progressive E-mail was invented by Ray Tomlinson. Simple Past E-mail was being usedin the 1970s. Past Progressive Google is going to be used in the future. Future Millions of videos have been uploadedto YouTube. Present Perfect

7. Questions forms in the PASSIVE Areweb pages designed ever day? Simple Present Isa web page being designedright now? Present Progressive Wasemail invented by Ray Tomlinson? Simple Past Is googlegoing to be used in the future? Future How areweb pages designed ever day? Where isa web page being designedright now? When wasemail invented by Ray Tomlinson? How is Google going to be used in the future?

8. Using a –by phrase The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The airplane was invented by Alberto Santos Dumont The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison.

9. Modals can may could might must better Present The internet used to search for information be may could might Past The internet used to search for information. have been

10. Reasons to use the passive voice Emphasize E-mail was invented in the 1970s. HTML is the language used to create web pages.

11. Function of the passive voice Conceal

12. Function of the passive voice Unimportant | Unknown

13. Function of the passive voice Obvious