ELA Bell Ringer for Grades 9–12: Active versus passive voice
A free ELA bell ringer for grades 9–12. Put the prompt on the board as students walk in, give them three to five minutes, then go over it together. The answer and teacher notes are in the box below the prompt.
The prompt
Rewrite this sentence in the active voice so it is shorter and clearer:
The decision was made by the committee after the votes were counted.
Answer and teacher notes
Possible answer: The committee made the decision after it counted the votes.
In active voice, the one doing the action (the committee) comes first. Ask students who did each action; that is their subject.
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