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About this game:
In this game, you will see some pictures to colour in, and sentences which can be used as instructions for colouring in the pictures.
The first three pictures and sentences are designed to teach your child how the game works, and have a slightly different structure than the following ones.
Click "Start!" to start this colouring game!
About this study:
In this study, we are interested in children’s understanding of sentences in the active voice and the passive voice, as in the following:
1. The dog chased the cat.
2. The dog was chased by the cat.
Sentence 1 is in the active voice, and follows the same pattern as most sentences: the subject is the agent (“do-er”) of the action, while the object is the patient (“do-ee” or receiver) of the action. Sentences like 1 are easier to understand.
In contrast, Sentence 2 is in the passive voice, and follows a less typical pattern: unlike in Sentence 1, the subject of Sentence 2 is the patient, rather than the agent of the action.
We use the passive voice in specific situations to highlight the patient; however, its differences from Sentence 1 can make it more difficult for children to acquire.
The colouring game tells us how children understand the active and passive voice without requiring a verbal response.
We are also interested in how children understand these sentences
as they are acquiring English as a second language.
