Lesson Thirteen

The Past Perfect, Passive Voice

S + had + been + past participle

Singular
Plural
I had been given
We had been given
You had been given
You had been given
He had been given
She had been given
They had been given
It had been given

This guitar had been tuned before I broke a string and had to tune it again.

guitar

This house had been painted pink before it was given a fresh coat of paint. Now it’s blue.

blue house

These bees had been kept in a large hive before they were taken out and examined by the beekeeper.

beekeeper

This man had been given novocaine before the dentist started working on a cavity that needed a filling.

dentist
The past perfect passive is difficult to use. It’s often okay to simply use the past tense passive instead.

 

For a review on the past perfect in the active voice go to this lesson in the Yellow Level.

 

Next: Lesson Fourteen

infinitives in the passive voice