Look at your phone right now. How many countries do you think were involved in making it?
Share your guess with your teacher!
📱 Your Smartphone's Journey
The average smartphone visits 6 different countries before it reaches your pocket:
Rare metals are mined in the Congo 🇨🇩
Components are manufactured in China 🇨🇳
Chips are designed in the USA 🇺🇸
Glass is produced in Japan 🇯🇵
Final assembly is done in Vietnam 🇻🇳
Then it's shipped to YOUR country!
🍫 The Chocolate Story
Maria's Chocolate Bar: Maria bought a chocolate bar in London. But that simple bar was touched by over 1,000 hands before she opened it!
Cocoa beans are grown in Ghana → They're dried in the sun → They're shipped to Belgium → Chocolate is made in a factory → It's wrapped and packaged → It's transported to stores → Finally, it's sold to Maria!
2 billion
pairs of jeans are produced every year
💬 Think About It
Did you notice the language in these facts? We said:
"Smartphones are manufactured"
"Cocoa beans are grown"
"Jeans are produced"
Why don't we say WHO does these things?
💡
Today's Focus: When we talk about processes, products, and how things happen, we often focus on the THING, not the person doing it. This is called the passive voice!
🔍 Discover the Pattern
👀 Look at These Sentences
Can you spot the pattern?
❌ Active: Workers manufacture 70 million smartphones every week.
✅ Passive: 70 million smartphones are manufactured every week.
Click to reveal the passive version
❌ Active: Someone discovered coffee in Ethiopia.
✅ Passive: Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia.
Click to reveal the passive version
❌ Active: They sell millions of books on Amazon.
✅ Passive: Millions of books are sold on Amazon.
Click to reveal the passive version
❌ Active: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876.
✅ Passive: The telephone was invented in 1876 (by Alexander Graham Bell).
Click to reveal the passive version
💬 Discuss with Your Teacher (3 minutes)
Look at the passive sentences. What do you notice?
What comes FIRST in passive sentences?
What verb do you always see? (Hint: starts with "a" or "w")
What happens to the main verb?
📝 The Pattern
PRESENT: Object + am/is/are + past participle
Coffee isgrown in Brazil.
PAST: Object + was/were + past participle
The telephone wasinvented in 1876.
🤔 Why Use Passive?
We use passive voice when:
The action is more important than who does it
We don't know who does it
It's obvious who does it
We want to be formal (news, science, business)
🎯 Quick Check: Which Reason?
"The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci."
→ The painting is more important/famous than mentioning Leonardo
"My car was stolen last night!"
→ We don't know who did it
"Rice is grown in many Asian countries."
→ It's obvious (farmers grow rice)
🎮 Build Passive Sentences
Click the words in the correct order to make passive sentences!
Sentence 1: How is chocolate made?
Hint: Cocoa beans / roasted / are / in large ovens
areCocoa beansin large ovensroasted
Sentence 2: When was the internet invented?
Hint: The internet / was / invented / in the 1990s
inventedwasin the 1990sThe internet
Sentence 3: Where are cars manufactured?
Hint: Many cars / manufactured / are / in Germany
in GermanyMany carsaremanufactured
💬 NOW YOU TRY! (5 minutes)
Transform these active sentences into passive. Say them out loud!
"Farmers grow coffee in Colombia." → Coffee is grown in Colombia.
"Someone built the Eiffel Tower in 1889." → The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
"They make iPhones in China." → iPhones are made in China.
"Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin." → Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming.
Your turn: Make 3 passive sentences about things in this room!
Sentences completed: 0/3
🏭 Explain How Things Are Made
Choose a process and explain it to your teacher using passive voice!
🍫 How Chocolate Is Made
Click to see the steps, then explain the process!
1Cocoa beans are harvested from cacao trees in tropical countries.
2The beans are fermented for several days.
3They are dried in the sun.
4The dried beans are roasted at high temperatures.
5Sugar and milk are added to make milk chocolate.
6The chocolate is poured into molds and is cooled.
7Finally, it is wrapped and is shipped to stores!
👖 How Jeans Are Made
Click to see the steps, then explain the process!
1Cotton is grown in countries like the USA, China, and India.
2The cotton is harvested and is processed into thread.
3The thread is dyed with indigo (the famous blue color!).
4The dyed thread is woven into denim fabric.
5The fabric is cut into different pieces.
6The pieces are sewn together by workers.
7Buttons and zippers are added.
8The jeans are washed to make them soft and stylish!
📱 How a Smartphone Is Made
Click to see the steps, then explain the process!
1Rare metals are mined from the ground in Africa.
2The metals are refined and are shipped to factories.
3Tiny computer chips are designed and are manufactured.
4Glass screens are produced in specialized factories.
5All the components are assembled by workers and robots.
6Software is installed on each phone.
7Each phone is tested for quality.
8The phones are packaged and are delivered worldwide!
🗣️ Speaking Challenge: Explain a Process!
Choose ONE process above. Close the steps and try to explain it from memory!
Use these phrases:
"First, ... is/are ..."
"Then, ... is/are ..."
"After that, ... is/are ..."
"Finally, ... is/are ..."
2:00
💬 Discussion: Your Own Process (5 minutes)
Think of something that you know how it's made. Explain it to your teacher!
Ideas:
A food from your country (How is [dish] made?)
A product you use every day
Something you learned to make
📰 News Reporter & Invention Expert
BREAKING NEWS: Passive voice is used in 80% of news headlines!
🎤 Role-Play: Be a News Reporter!
News reporters LOVE passive voice! It sounds professional and focuses on events.
Instructions:
Choose a news story below
Report it like a TV journalist!
Use passive voice as much as possible
🎲 Random News Story Generator
Click to get a story to report!
🔬 Great Inventions & Discoveries
Did you know these facts? Tell your teacher about them using passive voice!
☕ Coffee
~850 AD
Active: A goat herder in Ethiopia discovered coffee when his goats acted strangely after eating berries.
Your passive version: Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia when...
💡 The Light Bulb
1879
Active: Thomas Edison invented the practical light bulb in the USA. He tested over 1,000 materials!
Your passive version: The light bulb was invented by...
🌐 The World Wide Web
1989
Active: Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in Switzerland. He gave it to the world for free!
Your passive version: The World Wide Web was created by...
💉 Penicillin
1928
Active: Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by accident! He forgot to clean his lab, and mold killed the bacteria.
Your passive version: Penicillin was discovered by accident...
💬 Discussion: Inventions (5 minutes)
Discuss these questions with your teacher:
What do you think is the most important invention ever? Why?
Was anything important invented in your country?
What invention do you wish hadn't been invented?
What hasn't been invented yet that you wish existed?
Remember to use passive voice when talking about inventions!
🏆 Extended Speaking Challenges
Choose a challenge and speak for the full time! Try to use passive voice as much as possible.
🌍
How Things Are Made
Choose any product and explain how it's made, step by step.
📰
News Reporter
Report 3 news stories from this week (real or made up!) using passive voice.
🏛️
History Expert
Talk about important events in your country's history. What was built? What was discovered?
🔮
Future Predictions
What will be invented in the next 50 years? What will be changed in the world?
🍽️
Food Journey
Explain how your favorite food is made, from farm to table!
🎬
Movie Plot
Describe the plot of a famous movie using passive voice. "The ring was found by Bilbo..."
⏱️ Your Challenge
Select a challenge above to begin!
3:00
🎯 Passive Voice Checklist
While speaking, try to include these structures:
✅ At least 3 present passive sentences (is/are + past participle)
✅ At least 3 past passive sentences (was/were + past participle)
✅ Time expressions (First..., Then..., After that..., Finally...)
✅ "by + agent" when the person is important
🎉 Great Work Today!
📝 Present Passive
am/is/are + past participle
"Coffee is grown in Brazil."
📝 Past Passive
was/were + past participle
"The telephone was invented in 1876."
🤔 When to Use
Processes
News reports
Unknown doer
Formal writing
🔗 Useful Phrases
First, ... is/are...
Then, ... is/are...
It was discovered by...
It's made from...
📚 Key Vocabulary from Today
manufacture→ to produce goods in large quantities in a factory "Smartphones are manufactured in Asia."
harvest→ to collect crops from fields "Coffee beans are harvested by hand."
assemble→ to put parts together to make something "The cars are assembled in Germany."
process→ to treat or prepare something in a series of steps "The cotton is processed into thread."
invent / discover→ invent = create something new | discover = find something that already exists "The telephone was invented. America was discovered."
refine→ to remove impurities and make something pure "Oil is refined into gasoline."
ship→ to transport goods (by sea, air, or land) "Products are shipped worldwide."
package→ to put something in a box or wrapper "The chocolates are packaged carefully."
🎯
Next Lesson Preview: Lesson 19 - Advanced Passive Voice! We'll explore passive with modals ("It can be done..."), perfect tenses ("It has been completed..."), and formal situations like crime reports and scientific writing.