Passive Voice Race Game

Activity: Change to Passive

Level: High-intermediate through advanced

Preparation: around 5 minutes

Time: 30 minutes

Directions: Print this page.  Fill in the blank spaces with the names of some of your students.  Copy on to colored paper or cardstock and cut the sentences into strips.  Divide the class into teams.  This game is played in rounds.  For each round, give every team one strip.  Students work together to change the active voice sentence to passive.  One member of the group races to the board and rewrites the sentence in the passive--if possible. (Almost all the sentences can be changed to passive; there are just a few that can't-- to throw a wrench into the activity.) You check the sentences with the class and keep track of each team's points on the board.

Scoring is as follows: Grammatically perfect sentences are worth 5 points.  An incorrect passive voice sentence is worth 0 points.  Subtract one point for every other type of grammatical mistake.

Scientists observed the tigers for six days.

Scientists are investigating the possibility of life on other planets.

When we walked into the classroom, the teacher had already given the assignment.

Some teachers cleaned up the teachers’ room.

I think the students will have drunk most of the coffee by the time we arrive.

People believe that San Francisco is a warm city.

________ made the coffee.

_________’s cat broke the vase.

Everyone thinks that San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the US.

Our findings will intrigue the world.

Someone will tell us by this time next week.

Many people visit Disneyland every year.

Someone has washed the dishes.

Someone poisoned ________’s dinner.

What happened to you last night?

John needs to have someone fix his car.

___________ wants to have someone clean her house.