Ever wondered how to talk about things that were done without saying who exactly did them? That’s where the Past Simple Passive Voice is very useful in English grammar.
The Past Simple Passive Voice is used to talk about actions when we don’t know who did them, or when the action is more important than the person.
All that might sound confusing, but in this post, you will learn when and how to use the Past Simple Passive, see some examples, and try easy exercises to practice.
Can you spot the difference?
“The baker baked bread.” [active voice]
“Bread was baked by the baker.” [passive voice]
Active Voice
How to build?
Here’s how we build an active sentence in the Past Simple:
| Subject |
|---|
The baker |
The baker |
| Verb |
|---|
baked |
didn’t bake |
| Object |
|---|
bread. |
potatoes. |
When to use?
We use the Present Simple Active Voice to talk about regular actions in the past or facts that happened in the past. With active verbs, the subject performed the action. For example, in “The baker baked bread.“, the baker is the subject and he did the action.
Passive Voice
How to build?
Here’s how we build a passive sentence in the Past Simple:
| Subject |
|---|
The Mona Lisa |
The Mona Lisa |
| Verb |
|---|
was painted |
wasn’t painted |
| By-phrase |
|---|
by Leonardo da Vinci. |
by Van Gogh. |
The passive consists of the verb to be + the main verb in the past participle form. The verb to be can take various forms but the main verb is always in the past participle.
When to use?
We use the Past Simple Passive when we want to focus on the action itself or the result of the action, rather than on who did it, and the action happened in the past.
It’s often used when the person who did the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context.
Do we always include a by-phrase?
Some passive sentences include what is called a by-phrase. The by-phrase shows the doer or agent of the verb and it should only be included when it is relevant information.
Let’s analyze the sentences:
- Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. [active voice]
- The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. [passive voice]
It is important to include the by-phrase (by Leonardo da Vinci) because the name of the artist is relevant information.
However, many passive sentences do not include a by-phrase. The by-phrase is not included when the agent or doer is not important or when it is not specific.
Let’s analyze the sentences:
- Somebody cleaned the office yesterday. [active voice]
- The office was cleaned yesterday. [passive voice]
In the passive sentence, the reader’s attention is focused on the office, rather than on who cleaned it. The by-phrase is unnecessary in this case because the subject or the doer (somebody) is not specific, it doesn’t add relevant information.
Interactive Exercises
EXERCISE 1
Write sentences from these words. All sentences are past.
| 1. my house / build / 1961 / . |
| 2. we / invite / to the party / . |
| 3. the telephone / invent / by Alexander Bell / . |
Check your progress!
Your turn
All donations are managed via PayPal secure payments.
Enjoying the content? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned!
