Learn English Grammar and Vocabulary
Past tense – formation of the passive verb
Simple past tense
Active: wrote
Passive: was/were written
- He wrote a letter. (Active)
- A letter was written by him. (Passive)
- He wrote stories. (Active)
- Stories were written by him. (Passive)
- Mother cooked dinner. (Active)
- Dinner was cooked by mother. (Passive)
The passive verb forms of the simple past tense are formed by putting was/were before the past participle form of the active
verb.
Past continuous tense
Active: was/were writing
Passive: was/were being written
- He was writing a letter. (Active)
- A letter was being written by him. (Passive)
- He was learning lessons. (Active)
- Lessons were being learned by him. (Passive)
- She was singing a song. (Active)
- A song was being sung by her. (Passive)
Past perfect tense
Active: had written
Passive: had been written
- He had written a letter. (Active)
- A letter had been written by him. (Passive)
- Mother had cooked dinner. (Active)
- Dinner had been cooked by mother. (Passive)
Notes
Verbs in the past perfect continuous tense can’t be changed into the passive.
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