🔄 Passive Forms in the Past

Mastering Past Simple, Past Continuous, and Past Perfect Passive Voice

🎯 Objective

To help learners master passive forms in the past - understanding how to form and use past simple passive, past continuous passive, and past perfect passive constructions to shift focus from the doer to the action or receiver.

📖 What are Passive Forms in the Past?

Passive forms in the past shift the focus from WHO did something to WHAT was done. They emphasize the action or result rather than the performer, making them essential for formal writing, scientific reports, and historical accounts.

🔧 Core Structure Formula:

PASSIVE = BE (past forms) + PAST PARTICIPLE + [by + agent]

Past Tense Active Form Passive Form When Used
Past Simple John built the house The house was built (by John) Completed past actions
Past Continuous They were painting the wall The wall was being painted Ongoing past actions
Past Perfect She had finished the project The project had been finished Actions before past time
Past Perfect Continuous They had been studying ❌ No passive form Not used in passive

📚 Step-by-Step Guide: Mastering Past Passive Forms

Understanding WHY We Use Passive Voice

Key Concept: Passive voice changes the sentence focus from the subject (doer) to the object (receiver) of the action. This is especially important in academic, scientific, and formal contexts.

🎯 When to Use Passive Voice:
  • Unknown agent: "The window was broken." (we don't know who)
  • Unimportant agent: "The report was completed yesterday." (who did it doesn't matter)
  • Obvious agent: "The thief was arrested." (obviously by police)
  • Scientific/formal writing: "The experiment was conducted carefully."
  • Focus on result: "The building was destroyed in the earthquake."

Form 1: Past Simple Passive (was/were + past participle)

🏗️ Formation Process

Step 1: Identify the object in active sentence

Step 2: Move object to subject position

Step 3: Add was/were + past participle

Step 4: Add "by + agent" (optional)

📝 Transformation Examples

Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

Active: The storm destroyed the bridge.

Passive: The bridge was destroyed by the storm.

Singular Subjects: was + past participle
  • "The letter was sent yesterday."
  • "My car was repaired last week."
  • "The cake was baked by my grandmother."
Plural Subjects: were + past participle
  • "The books were delivered on time."
  • "All students were invited to the party."
  • "The documents were signed by the manager."

Form 2: Past Continuous Passive (was/were + being + past participle)

⏰ When to Use Past Continuous Passive

Purpose: Shows that an action was in progress at a specific time in the past, but focuses on what was being done rather than who was doing it.

Structure: was/were + being + past participle
  • "The house was being painted when we arrived."
  • "The patients were being examined by the doctor."
  • "While the speech was being delivered, everyone listened carefully."
🔄 Active to Passive Transformation

Active: The chef was preparing dinner at 6 PM.

Passive: Dinner was being prepared at 6 PM.

Active: Workers were building the road.

Passive: The road was being built.

Form 3: Past Perfect Passive (had been + past participle)

⏮️ When to Use Past Perfect Passive

Purpose: Shows that an action was completed before another past action or time, emphasizing the result rather than the doer.

Structure: had been + past participle
  • "The report had been finished before the meeting started."
  • "The tickets had been sold by the time we arrived."
  • "The problem had been solved by our team."
🔄 Timeline Understanding

Sequence: First action (past perfect passive) → Second action (past simple)

Example: "The homework had been completed before the teacher collected it."

Timeline: [Homework completed] ← [Teacher collected] ← [Now]

Agent (by + noun) - When to Include or Omit

✅ Include "by + agent" when:
  • Agent is important: "The play was written by Shakespeare."
  • Agent is surprising: "The song was sung by a child."
  • Agent is specific: "The house was designed by a famous architect."
❌ Omit "by + agent" when:
  • Agent is obvious: "The criminal was arrested." (obviously by police)
  • Agent is unknown: "My bike was stolen." (we don't know who)
  • Agent is unimportant: "The meeting was cancelled." (doesn't matter who cancelled)
  • Agent is general: "English is spoken here." (by people in general)

Common Mistakes and Corrections

❌ Mistake 1: Wrong auxiliary verb

Wrong: "The book is written by Mark Twain."

Correct: "The book was written by Mark Twain."

Rule: Use past forms (was/were) for past passive, not present forms.

❌ Mistake 2: Missing "being" in past continuous

Wrong: "The car was repaired when I called."

Correct: "The car was being repaired when I called."

Rule: Past continuous passive needs "being" between auxiliary and past participle.

❌ Mistake 3: Unnecessary "by" phrases

Wordy: "The thief was caught by the police."

Better: "The thief was caught."

Rule: Omit obvious agents to make sentences more concise.

✅ Perfect Examples:
  • "The Pyramids were built thousands of years ago." (past simple)
  • "The roads were being constructed all summer." (past continuous)
  • "The work had been completed before the deadline." (past perfect)

🧩 Task: Transform and Correct Passive Voice

Read the following passage about historical discoveries and correct the passive voice errors, then answer the transformation questions.

📝 Historical Text with Errors:

Many important discoveries were made during the 20th century. Penicillin is discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, which revolutionized medicine. At the same time, important archaeological sites were found. Tutankhamun's tomb was being discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, and many treasures was found inside. The structure of DNA had been identify by Watson and Crick before their famous paper was published in 1953. Radio waves were being used to study space when the first pulsars were being detected in 1967. These discoveries had been made possible by new technologies that was being developed rapidly during this period.

1. ❌ Find and correct the tense errors in passive voice.

2. ❌ Correct the subject-verb agreement errors.

3. ✅ Fix the incorrect past participle forms.

4. 🔄 Transform these active sentences into appropriate past passive forms:

a) Scientists discovered the vaccine in 1955.

b) Workers were building the bridge when the accident happened.

c) The team had completed the research before the conference.

5. 💡 Explain when to include or omit 'by + agent' in passive voice.

✅ Answer Key & Detailed Explanations

1. ❌ Tense Errors Corrected:

Error 1: "Penicillin is discovered" → "Penicillin was discovered"

Explanation: Historical fact needs past tense, not present

Error 2: "Tutankhamun's tomb was being discovered" → "Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered"

Explanation: Discovery is a completed action, not ongoing, so use past simple passive

Error 3: "pulsars were being detected" → "pulsars were detected"

Explanation: The detection was a completed discovery, not an ongoing process

2. ❌ Subject-Verb Agreement Fixed:

Error 1: "many treasures was found" → "many treasures were found"

Explanation: Plural subject "treasures" requires "were," not "was"

Error 2: "technologies that was being developed" → "technologies that were being developed"

Explanation: Plural "technologies" needs "were," not "was"

3. ✅ Past Participle Corrections:

Error: "had been identify" → "had been identified"

Explanation: Need past participle "identified," not base form "identify"

Rule: Passive voice always uses past participle after auxiliary verbs

4. 🔄 Active to Passive Transformations:

a) "Scientists discovered the vaccine in 1955."

Passive: "The vaccine was discovered in 1955." (agent omitted - not important)

b) "Workers were building the bridge when the accident happened."

Passive: "The bridge was being built when the accident happened."

c) "The team had completed the research before the conference."

Passive: "The research had been completed before the conference."

5. 💡 'By + Agent' Usage Rules:

Include 'by + agent' when:

  • Agent is important: "Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare."
  • Agent is surprising: "The surgery was performed by a robot."
  • Agent is specific/famous: "The theory was proposed by Einstein."

Omit 'by + agent' when:

  • Agent is obvious: "The criminal was arrested." (obviously by police)
  • Agent is unknown: "The window was broken." (we don't know who)
  • Agent is unimportant: "The meeting was cancelled." (who cancelled doesn't matter)

🏆 Corrected Model Text

Many important discoveries were made during the 20th century. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, which revolutionized medicine. At the same time, important archaeological sites were found. Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, and many treasures were found inside. The structure of DNA had been identified by Watson and Crick before their famous paper was published in 1953. Radio waves were being used to study space when the first pulsars were detected in 1967. These discoveries had been made possible by new technologies that were being developed rapidly during this period.

📊 Passive Voice Analysis:
  • ✅ "were made/were found" - Past simple passive for completed historical events
  • ✅ "was discovered" - Past simple passive with important agent (Fleming, Carter)
  • ✅ "had been identified" - Past perfect passive for action before another past event
  • ✅ "were being used/developed" - Past continuous passive for ongoing processes
  • ✅ "were detected" - Past simple passive for completed discovery
🎯 Key Improvements Made:

Tense consistency: All historical events use appropriate past forms

Agent selection: Kept important agents (Fleming, Carter, Watson & Crick), omitted obvious ones

Verb agreement: Ensured singular/plural auxiliaries match their subjects

Participle accuracy: Used correct past participle forms throughout

Context appropriateness: Chose passive voice to emphasize discoveries over discoverers

🧠 Why These Passive Forms Work:

Historical writing: Passive voice emphasizes events and discoveries rather than people

Scientific context: Focus on results and findings, not individual researchers

Formal register: Passive voice creates appropriate academic tone

Information flow: Allows smooth transition between related discoveries

Emphasis control: Highlights what was discovered rather than who discovered it