Past Passive
Listen to four conversations using the grammar point.
Answer the following questions about the interview.
Past Passive
Point 1:
The past passive uses the past participle after
the be verbs was and were.
- The game was canceled.
- The meeting was postponed.
- The bridge was built this year.
- All of those trees were planted over 100 years ago.
Point 2:
The past passive is useful because the original
subject is not important, known or necessary to
understand the sentence.
- The game was canceled (by the officials).
- The meeting was postponed (by the boss).
- The bridge was built five years ago (by construction workers).
- All of those trees were planted over 100 years ago (by somebody).
Point 3:
The past passive is commonly used in
WH-questions.
- What was said at the meeting?
- Nothing important.
- When was this built?
- It was built last year.
- How was this dish cooked?
- It was fried in butter.
- Who was fired?
- Bryon was let go.
- Where was the conference held?
- It was held at a hotel by the beach.
Point 4:
The past passive is commonly used in Yes/No
questions.
- Was the package sent? (Did
you send the package?)
- Yes, it was.
- No, it wasn't.
- Were the documents proofread? (Did you proofread the documents?)
- Yes, they were.
- No, they weren't.
Point 5:
The past passive is commonly used in negative
statements. In spoken English, the contraction was
not and were not is
very common.
- The rail station wasn't built until 1995.
- The documents weren't proofread by anyone.
- The game wasn't played due to the weather.
- Those cars weren't produced in America.
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