Year 10 - English
Considering and using active and passive voice in persuasive letter writing
Non-fiction: letter writing
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils complete a deep dive into letter writing. They first explore what the letter form is used for, before thinking about the use of modality, personification, active voice and passive voice. They then evaluate some persuasive letters before writing their own.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify and analyse the effects of active and passive voice and consider in which circumstances which is more effective.
Key Notes
- We might see active voice as more direct, concise and confident.
- We could see passive voice as less direct, more detached and objective.
- Potentially, we might see active voice as more appropriate in more persuasive writing circumstances.
- However, we might use passive voice if we want to avoid responsibility or make a complaint.
Vocabulary To Learn
- active voice: where the subject of the sentence performs the action onto the object
- passive voice: where the object is acted upon by the subject of the sentence
- direct: moving towards a place or object, without changing direction and without stopping
- subtle: making use of indirect methods to achieve something
- objective: not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That the connection between the subject and object of a sentence doesn't matter in persuasive writing.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
We might see active voice as more direct, concise and confident. We could see passive voice as less direct, more detached and objective.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'active voice'
where the subject of the sentence performs the action onto the object.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: That the connection between the subject and object of a sentence doesn't matter in persuasive writing. Correction: Using active or passive voice can affect the tone of your writing and how the reader responds to it.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Conceptualising letter-writing and understanding the letter form Study Guide
- Considering and evaluating persuasive letters Study Guide
- Considering and using personification in persuasive letter writing Study Guide
- Using modality in persuasive letter writing Study Guide
- Using modality, personification and active voice to write a persuasive letter Study Guide
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