Describing Common Objects using the Passive Voice

Describing common objects with passive voice game

Choose one of the objects below and read out the hints one by one until your partner guesses what you are talking about, starting with the most difficult hints to guess from. Your partner can only guess once per hint, so give another hint if they guess wrongly. If you finish all the hints below before your partner guesses correctly, make up more hints. If they know what you are talking about but can’t think of the name in English, they can point at that thing in the classroom, ask the teacher for the word, use a dictionary, draw the object, etc. When they guess correctly, change roles and do the same thing. Take turns doing the same thing until your teacher stops you.

Useful language for playing the game “I’m not sure. Can you give me another hint?” “That could also be right, but it isn’t what is written here. I’ll give you another hint.” “That’s right. Now it’s your turn.”

 

Ask about any things below which you don’t understand.

 

Passive voice grammar presentation

Without looking below, put one word into each gap:

A poster

It _____________________________________________________ put on the wall.

_____________________________________________________ is used in schools.

It is made _____________________________________________________ paper.

 

A ball

It is ________________________________________________________ in sports.

 

Air conditioning

It is _______________________________________________________ of plastic.

 

A carpet

Chairs and tables _______________________________________________ put on it.

 

Check your answers below.

 

Put the verbs into the correct form:

A light bulb

It is _________________________________________________ (make) of glass.

It is _____________________________________________ (power) by electricity.

It is ___________________________________________________ (use) at night.

It ____________________________________ (be) replaced when it isn’t working.

It is _____________________________ (buy) in a supermarket or household shop.

 

Check your answers below.

 

Play the same guessing objects from descriptions game, this time making your own descriptions of objects from the list on the last page below.

Descriptions of classroom objects with passive voice

A poster

It is put on the wall.

It is made from paper.

It is used in schools.

It is sold in bookshops.

It is sometimes put in a frame.

It is covered with words and pictures.

 

A calendar

It is hung on the wall.

It is used to remember the day and date.

It is decorated with pictures.

It is given to students by this school every year.

It is usually bought in December.

 

A ball

It is kicked.

It is thrown.

It is caught.

It is made from leather.

It is used in sports.

 

A light bulb

It is made of glass.

It is powered by electricity.

It is replaced when it isn’t working.

It is bought in a supermarket or household shop.

It is used at night.

 

Air conditioner

It is put on the wall.

It is powered by electricity.

It is used a lot in the summer.

It is used to make the room hotter or colder.

The outside is made of plastic.

It is cleaned three or four times a year.

It is connected to outside the house.

It is bought in an electrical shop.

It is fixed by a technician.

It is replaced once every ten or twenty years.

 

A magnet

It is used to keep posters on the wall or paper on the whiteboard.

It is made of metal and plastic.

It is made in many different colours.

It is sold in a stationer’s or a 100 yen shop.

 

A clock

It is powered by a battery.

It is used to tell the time.

It is made from glass, plastic and metal.

 

A chair

It is made from metal and plastic, or from wood.

It is sat on.

It is sometimes stood on.

It is often moved.

It is sold in a furniture shop like Ikea.

 

A whiteboard pen

It is made in black, red, blue, green and some other colours.

It is often used by teachers.

It is used to write and draw.

It is used to write and draw on the whiteboard.

It can be easily erased.

 

A pencil

It is made of wood and rock.

Drawings are made with it.

It can be erased with an eraser.

It is kept in a pencil case.

It is bought in a stationery shop.

It is sharpened when it is broken.

It is made by Mitsubishi.

 

A carpet

It is stood on.

Chairs and tables are put on it.

It is made of wool or nylon.

It is put on the floor.

 

An eraser

It is made of rubber.

It is kept in a pencil case.

It is used to do homework.

Pencil is erased with it.

 

A window

It is made of glass.

It is opened and closed.

It is cleaned once or twice a year.

It can be broken by a baseball.

 

Ask about anything above you don’t understand, then do the grammar on the first page.

 

Possible classroom objects to describe with passive voice

automatic pencil/ mechanical pencil

ballpoint pen

bin/ trashcan

blinds

calculator

ceiling

chalk

compass

correcting fluid (=Tippex/ Whiteout)                     

cupboard/ cabinet

desk

door

drawing pin/ thumbtack

glue

highlighter pen

hole punch

map

notebook

noticeboard

paperclip

pencil case

pencil sharpener

Post It notes

ring binder

rubber band

ruler

scissors

sellotaped/ Scotch tape

set square

shelf/ shelves/ bookshelves

stapler

sticker

sticky label

stool

table

textbook

wall

whiteboard

whiteboard eraser

 

Ask about any objects above you don’t understand, working together as a class each time to describe them.