Your three sentences
Read your homework sentences aloud. Your teacher will check the passive form.
Before you read your sentences, predict:
1. A detail note on a real drawing says "the base is compacted," not "the crew compacts the base." Why?
Process, not actor
Two ways to say the same step
Active, names an actor: "The crew compacts the base."
Passive, names the process: "The base is compacted."
The second is what a detail note actually says, and what a designer explaining a build sequence actually needs — because for most steps, who does it matters less than the fact that it happens, and in what order.
Check what you just read.
1. What does a detail note actually say?
Present simple passive for process
Building the passive
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They compact the base. | The base is compacted. |
| They pour the footing. | The footing is poured. |
| They install the rebar. | The rebar is installed. |
Formula: subject + is/are + past participle. The base is compacted; the joists are installed — singular or plural subject decides is or are, exactly the same as any other sentence.
Sequencing it. "Once the base has been compacted, the pavers are laid" — the first clause uses the present perfect passive (has been compacted) because it needs to be finished before the second clause can happen. This is the one place in the unit the passive changes tense, and it is worth drilling on its own.
Process verbs, passive form
Listen and repeat.
Match each active sentence to its passive form.
Build the sequence
Complete the sequence. One word per gap.
First, the footing poured. Once the footing has poured, the post base bolted on. Then the rim joist attached, and finally the decking is installed.
Each sentence has one passive-form error. Rewrite it.
1. The base compacted before the pavers are laid.
2. The joists is installed after the rim joist.
3. Once the footing is poured, the post base bolted on.
Sequence your own detail
Task card
Your own construction detail
Describe it in four to six passive sentences, in build order.
- Every sentence uses the passive — no "you" or "we" or "the crew."
- At least one sentence uses "once…has been…".
- Say it aloud twice, and notice whether it gets more fluent the second time.
One check before you describe your own detail.
1. Which of these should NOT appear anywhere in your description?
Passive or active?
Where did "you" or "we" try to sneak back in? That is the habit this lesson exists to break.
One more round — new sentences, not the ones from Phase 04.
1. We install the rim joist after the post base.
2. The crew lays the pavers once the base is compacted.
Before the next lesson
Homework. List five materials from your own drawings. For each, decide: do you say "a" or "some" in front of it? Bring your answers, right or wrong.
One check before you go.
1. For each of your five materials, what should you decide?