Business meetings and Passive Voice
Listen to the introduction to the topic and then move on to the tasks.
In this part of the lesson you will revise and practise Passive Voice. I am sure that you already know that we can do things (Active Voice) and things can be done (Passive Voice).
Look at the two sentences: “In my department we process orders.” and “In my department orders are processed.” The second sentence is an example of Passive Voice and it describes work that is done, not the causer of the action.
Passive Voice is often used to describe processes and you will also find it useful while preparing meeting minutes.
Now, watch the presentation about Passive Voice.
Remember that Passive Voice can be used in different tenses but it always goes with the 3rd form of a verb (Past Participle).
Now, let’s play with some tenses/structures and create Passive Voice sentences.
Remember: Passive Voice = “to be” in the appropriate time form and the third form of the main verb.
The following exercise lets you put into practice the information about Passive Voice you already have. Drag the words, notice that not all of them are verbs.
Now, dowload the PDF below. You will find there a sample meeting minutes. It was mentioned before that we often use Passive Voice when we prepare the written record of the things that were said during a meeting. Use this sample to revise Past Participle forms, which, as you already know, are used to form Passive Voice sentences.
To summarise this part, reflect on the processes in your day-to-day work. Take a moment and think about how you would describe how your company’s service is delivered or your staple product is manufactured. How would you describe the steps to a novice (a person who is not experienced in your job)?
As an example think of how coffee is made. First, the seeds are planted. Then, they are harvested by machines or handpicked. The best seeds are selected and the skin is removed. Later the beans are dried and polished. And then coffee is shipped to where it is needed.
