Year 5 English: The agent, and when to leave it out
Part of the Year 5 English active and passive voice, subject and object chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
The agent, and when to leave it out
Key pattern
The agent is the person or thing that does the action in a passive sentence. It usually comes after by.
You can leave out the agent when it is unknown, obvious or not important: The gate was locked at six.
Key ideas
- In a passive sentence, the agent is after by.
- Leave out the agent when it is not known or not important.
- Include the agent when the reader needs to know who did the action.
- Not every passive sentence has an agent.
Method. Look for the word after by.
- Find by. By shows who did the action.by
- Name the agent. Mr Ellis locked the gate.Mr Ellis
- Write the answer. Mr Ellis
Check. Mr Ellis. ✓
Method. Look for a word after by.
- Look for by. There is no word after by.no by
- Decide. The agent has been left out.No agent
- Write the answer. No
Check. No. ✓
Method. Look for the word after by.
- Find by. By shows the doer.by
- Name the agent. The postman delivered the post.the postman
- Write the answer. the postman
Check. The postman. ✓
Exercise 6D Practice: the agent
Method. Look for the word after by.
- Find by. By is before the dog.by
- Name the agent. The dog ate the cake.the dog
- Write the answer. the dog
Check. The dog. ✓
Method. Look for the word after by.
- Find by. By is before the caretaker.by
- Name the agent. The caretaker switched them off.the caretaker
- Write the answer. the caretaker
Check. The caretaker. ✓
Method. Look for by.
- Look for by. There is no by.no by
- Decide. The agent is not stated.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. No. ✓
Method. Look for by.
- Look for by. There is no by.no by
- Decide. The agent is not stated.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. No. ✓
Method. Look for by.
- Find by. By is before the artist.by
- Name the agent. The artist donated it.the artist
- Write the answer. the artist
Check. The artist. ✓
Method. Leave out the phrase after by.
- Find the agent. By the staff is the agent.by the staff
- Remove the agent. The windows were cleaned still makes sense.The windows were cleaned.
- Write the answer. The windows were cleaned.
Check. The windows were cleaned. ✓
Method. Remove by and the agent.
- Find the agent. By the council is the agent.by the council
- Remove it. The road was closed still makes sense.The road was closed.
- Write the answer. The road was closed.
Check. The road was closed. ✓
Method. Think about whether the reader needs to know who did it.
- Look for the agent. No agent is given.none
- Decide why. The writer may not know, or may not care who did it.not known
- Write the answer. the agent is not known or not important
Check. The agent is not known or not important. ✓
Method. Make the path the subject; the rain is the agent.
- Make the passive. The path was washed.was washed
- Decide about the agent. The rain is the agent and can be kept after by.by the rain
- Write the answer. The path was washed by the rain.
Check. The path was washed by the rain. ✓
Method. Think about whether the agent matters to the reader.
- Write the sentence. The clock was broken on Monday.The clock was broken on Monday.
- Give the reason. Nobody knows who broke it, so the agent is left out.not known
- Write the answer. The clock was broken on Monday. The agent is left out because nobody knows who broke it.
Check. The agent is left out. ✓
Method. Find a passive sentence with no agent.
- Look at an example. The bell was rung at nine has no by phrase.no by
- Decide. Ali is not right, because the agent can be left out.left out
- Write the answer. No; the by phrase, or agent, can be left out
Check. Ali is not right. ✓