When we went to the park, lots of beautiful kites were being flown in the wind.
Past Simple Passive
was / were + past participle
The damage was caused by a fire.
My phone was stolen.
The town was flooded.
The soccer game was played in the evening.
Past Continuous Passive
was / were + being + past participle
I didn't know that my photo was being taken.
We could hear that a party was being held.
When I went to the bakery, I saw that a birthday cake was being made.
While this video was being recorded, the earthquake started.
Past Perfect Passive
had + been + past participle
The house had just been built when it was destroyed by the hurricane.
The woman had just been rescued from a fire when she arrived at the hospital.
When I got to work, the lights had already been turned on.
The phone had already been scratched when I bought it.
Passive Use (Review of Grammar 2-3)
In grammar, the person or thing that does the action is called the agent of the verb:
The man played the guitar.
- verb = played
- agent = The man
Birds were flying in the sky.
- verb = were flying
- agent = Birds
Those shoes cost a lot of money.
- verb = cost
- agent = Those shoes
In grammar, when we put the agent in the position of the subject of the sentence, this is called the Active Voice.
The Passive Voice is used when changing the focus of the sentence from the agent to the object of the verb. To do this, we put the object in the position of the subject of the sentence:
We use passive when the agent is unknown, not important, clear, or "people in general." Often the agent is not stated:
My lunch was stolen every day.
- unknown agent: I don't know who stole my lunch.
The road was being repaired.
- unimportant agent: road repair people
The thief was arrested.
- clear agent: the police
Paint can be bought at the hardware store.
- agent: all people in general who want paint
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.