Passive Voice: Past Simple

To understand this, we need to look at the "Active" versus the "Passive." In an active sentence, the subject does the work. "The chef cooked the soup." Here, the chef is the star. In a passive sentence, we flip the script. "The soup was cooked by the chef." Now, the soup is the star. We move the object of the active sentence to the front. It becomes the new subject. Then, we add a little help from the verb to be. Specifically, we use the past forms was or were. Finally, we add the Past Participle. This is often called the "V3" or the third form of the verb. It is like building a sandwich. You have your bread (the subject), your filling (was/were), and your sauce (the past participle). Without all three, the sandwich falls apart. Even native speakers sometimes forget the filling, but you will not!

1. 1Building the Past Simple Passive is a simple four-step process.
2. 2Identify the object of the active sentence and move it to the start. This is your new subject.
3. 3Choose the correct form of the verb to be in the past. Use was for singular subjects (I, he, she, it) and were for plural subjects (you, we, they).
4. 4Add the Past Participle of the main verb. For regular verbs, this is just the -ed form. For irregular verbs, you need to use the third column of your verb list.
5. 5Optional: Add by followed by the person who did the action if it is important for the story.
6. 6For example, let's look at the sentence: "The team won the trophy."
7. 7New Subject: The trophy
8. 8Helping Verb: was (because there is only one trophy)
9. 9Past Participle: won (the V3 of win)
10. 10Result: The trophy was won by the team.

You should use the Past Simple Passive in four main situations. First, use it when you do not know who did the action. "My car was stolen last night." I have no idea who the thief is! Second, use it when the doer is obvious. "The thief was arrested." We all know the police did the arresting. Third, use it for historical facts or inventions. "The lightbulb was invented by Edison." The invention is the big news here. Fourth, use it in formal writing or news reports. "The bridge was completed in 1995." It sounds more objective and serious. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells the listener which part of the sentence to pay attention to first. If the result is the green light, go passive!

Do not use the passive voice for everything. If you do, you will sound like a robot or a very boring textbook. Avoid it when the person doing the action is the most important part. "Steve Jobs started Apple" is much stronger than "Apple was started by Steve Jobs." Also, you cannot use the passive voice with "intransitive" verbs. These are verbs that do not have an object. Examples include happen, sleep, arrive, and die. You cannot say "The accident was happened." That sounds very strange! Always check if the verb has a target. If there is no target, keep it active. It is like trying to kick a ball that isn't there. You will just fall over!

The most common mistake is forgetting the verb to be. Many people say, "The letter sent yesterday." This is wrong because it sounds like the letter walked to the post office itself! You must say, "The letter was sent." Another big mistake is using the wrong verb form. People often use the Past Simple instead of the Past Participle. Do not say, "The cake was ate." You must say, "The cake was eaten." Irregular verbs are the villains here. You have to memorize them like the lyrics to your favorite song. Finally, watch out for subject-verb agreement. "The documents was signed" is a no-go. Since "documents" is plural, you need were. It is a small detail, but it makes a huge difference in how you sound.

People often confuse the Past Simple Passive with the Present Perfect Passive. The Past Simple Passive is for a finished time. "The house was built in 1920." The date is over. The Present Perfect Passive is for something connected to now. "The house has been painted." It looks fresh today! Also, do not confuse it with the Past Continuous Passive. "The car was repaired" means the job is done. "The car was being repaired" means the mechanic was working on it at that specific moment. It is like the difference between a photo and a video. The Past Simple Passive is a snapshot of a finished event.