Lesson Four
The Past Passive
Subject + (be = was or were) + past participle
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singular
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plural
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I was + __________
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We were + __________
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You were + __________
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You were + __________
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He was + ___________
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They were + __________
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She was + __________
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It was + __________
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| * Notice that the verb "be" (was or were) indicates that this is in the past tense. |
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Past Tense, Passive Voice
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I was paid last week.
(The past participle for "pay" is "paid")
pay / paid / paid
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You were given a reading assignment in English.
(The past participle for "give" is given)
give / gave / given
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He was given a big bowl of rice. The waitress gave it to him.
(Both sentences are in the past tense)
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She was told to finish her work. Her boss told her to finish it.
tell / told / told
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| It was made by Sony. |
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| We were both paid last week. |
 
 
You and I = We
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| You were given some money to see a movie. |
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| They were served by the waitress. |
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Watch this video for additional instruction:
| Do you notice the way the verb "be" changes? Look again in the chart below. The main verb "give" is in the passive voice, past tense. |
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Singular
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Plural
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I was given
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We were given
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You were given
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You were given
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He was given
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She was given
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They were given
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It was given
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The main verb is "give"
give / gave / given
I was gave something to eat. (incorrect!)
They were gave some work to do. ( incorrect!)
She was given some help. (correct!)
Are you ready for a quiz? Click here.
Next: Lesson Five
future tense, passive voice
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