How do I tell whether a sentence is passive?

Look for a form of be (is, was, were, been) next to a past participle, and then see whether the subject is doing that action or receiving it. In the trail was closed by the rangers, the trail is not doing any closing.

Is the passive voice wrong?

No. Science writing uses it constantly, because the sample matters more than who held the pipette. What teachers mark is passive that hides a doer the reader wants, which is why these sheets ask for the active version first.

Why write the whole sentence instead of circling one?

Because the rewrite is the skill. Recognizing a passive sentence takes a second; moving the doer to the front, fixing the verb, and keeping the meaning is the part that transfers to a student's own draft.

7th grade active and passive voice

7th grade active and passive voice worksheets

Active and passive voice describe who sits in the subject slot of a sentence. In the active voice the subject does the action: the stage crew painted the backdrop. In the passive voice the subject receives it: the backdrop was painted by the stage crew. Seventh graders rewrite passive sentences as active ones and explain what changed.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.8.1.b.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Rewrite each sentence in the active voice. Write your sentence on the line.

The greenhouse thermometer was checked by Priya every morning.
Fixed: Priya checked the greenhouse thermometer every morning.
Our recipe box was kept by an aunt in Michigan.
The soil samples were labeled by the seventh grade lab group.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 7th grade sheet

7th grade sheets draw from 42 sentences, 8 to a page. None of these sentences are on 8th grade sheets. 8th grade sheets print 7 to a page.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

The choir members themselves wrote three songs.
A technician repaired the broken laptop on Tuesday.
Museum staff carried in three of the sculptures.

Fix it. Rewrite each sentence in the active voice. Write your sentence on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Teach the rewrite as three moves in order. Find the by-phrase and make it the subject. Drop the form of be. Put the old subject after the verb as the object. Students who learn the moves as a sequence stop guessing, and they can undo the rewrite to check their work. Once the mechanics are automatic, the interesting question is when to leave a sentence passive. Ask your student who the sentence is about: if the doer matters, active almost always reads better.

Watch for: Passive is not a tense. Was checked and is checked are both passive; checked and checks are both active. The question is who sits in the subject slot, not when it happened. An -ing verb does not make a sentence passive. She was checking the thermometer is active: she is still the one doing it. Passive is not an error. It is the right choice when the doer is unknown or beside the point, as in the samples were mislabeled. It is a problem only when it hides a doer the reader needs.

Common questions about 7th grade active and passive voice

How do I tell whether a sentence is passive?: Look for a form of be (is, was, were, been) next to a past participle, and then see whether the subject is doing that action or receiving it. In the trail was closed by the rangers, the trail is not doing any closing.
Is the passive voice wrong?: No. Science writing uses it constantly, because the sample matters more than who held the pipette. What teachers mark is passive that hides a doer the reader wants, which is why these sheets ask for the active version first.
Why write the whole sentence instead of circling one?: Because the rewrite is the skill. Recognizing a passive sentence takes a second; moving the doer to the front, fixing the verb, and keeping the meaning is the part that transfers to a student's own draft.

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Aligned to Common Core L.8.1.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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