Even for native English speakers, learning the difference between active and passive sentences is often confusing and frustrating. English as a Second Language (ESL) students can use a variety of fun, interactive passive voice exercises during lessons to help them grasp the concept so they can apply it to both their written and spoken English.

Object Vs. Subject
A vital part of understanding passive sentences is knowing how to identify the subject of a sentence, which is missing in a passive voice statement. For this exercise, choose several sentences in active voice and write them on the board. Have students identify both the subject and the object. Call them up to the board to circle the subject and underline the object of a sentence. Afterward, ask them how to rewrite the sentence without the subject. For example, one sentence might be "The workers are building the house this week." Students will have identified "the workers" as the subject and "the house" as the object. Point out that the sentence cannot be rewritten without the object, but can be without the subject: "The house is being built this week."

Passive Sentence Matchup
Create a set of flash cards that have passive sentences on them. Cut each card in half, dividing the sentence in two. For example, with the sentence "The car has been repaired," cut so that "repaired" is separated from the first part of the sentence. Divide students into teams of three or four and provide each with a set of the cards, which should be mixed up. For more of a game, set a timer and instruct students they have two minutes to match up the sentences. Students should place the cards face up and work together to put the sentences together again. Afterward, ask them what the missing subject is from the sentence (in this example, "the mechanic").

Passive Trade
Divide students into two teams and have them line up so that each student is facing someone on the opposing team. Begin with the first student on one team, and give him a subject and an object, such as "dog" and "owner." That student must say an active sentence using those words, such as "The owner walked his dog." The student across from him on the opposing team has 10 seconds to reconstruct the sentence passively ("The dog was being walked"). If she does this successfully, her team wins a point. If not, the first student's team wins a point. Continue the game in the same way with the other students, making sure each student has the opportunity to create both an active and a passive sentence. Add the up points at the end to see which team wins.