In the last lesson, we looked at the present passive (am / is / are) and the past passive (were / was). Here we will look at the other two types of passive sentences: the present continuous passive and the past continuous passive.
Present Continuous Passive
"Continuous," when we're talking about grammar, means that an action is still being done. The present continuous passive is a passive sentence that is talking about something that is happening right now.
The present continuous passive uses "am / is / are" + "being" + past participle.
| Subject | "am / is / are" | being | past participle | by + noun |
| The students | are | being | taught | by the professor. |
Past Continuous Passive
The past continuous passive talks about an action that happened some time in the past. This action was something that was being done for a long period of time.
Forming the past continuous passive is almost the same as the present continuous passive, except you use "were / was" instead of "am / is / are."
| Subject | "was / were" | being | past participle | by + noun |
| The students | were | being | taught | by the professor. |
Here are some more examples comparing the present continuous passive with the past continuous passive. Pay attention to the words highlighted in blue.
Present Continuous Passive
The students are being taught by the professor.
The problem isn't being solved.
Is the book being published?
When are the grades being released?
Past Continuous Passive
The students were being taught by the professor.
The problem wasn't being solved.
Was the book being published?
When were the grades being released?
Exercise
Please open the exercise to continue.