Learn: some of the most important moments in history are told without saying who did them — watch closely to see how.
Revise: you studied Past Simple in form 8. Revise here: Past Simple, irregular verbs from form 5: Past Simple (Irregular Verbs), regular verbs from form 4: Simple Past (Regular Verbs)
Key Takeways:
1. Past simple passive focuses on what happened, not who did it. Past simple passive sentences describe events in the past.
Example:
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974. (The sentence tells us what happened and when, but not who discovered it.)
Example:
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974. (The sentence tells us what happened and when, but not who discovered it.)
2. We use the past simple passive when:
- when we don’t know who caused the action;
- when it doesn’t matter who did it.
Examples:
My online bank account was hacked. (Someone hacked it, but we don’t know who.)
The oil was changed regularly. (It’s not important who changed it.)
3. Form of the Past Simple Passive.
Affirmative:
subject + was / were + past participle
Examples:
The train was delayed.
All classes were cancelled.
Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911.
subject + was / were + past participle
Examples:
The train was delayed.
All classes were cancelled.
Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911.
Negative:
subject + was / were + not + past participle
Examples:
The train was not delayed.
All classes were not cancelled.
Machu Picchu was not discovered in 1910.
The train was not delayed.
All classes were not cancelled.
Machu Picchu was not discovered in 1910.
Questions:
was / were + subject + past participle
Examples:
Was the train delayed?
Were all classes cancelled?
Was Machu Picchu discovered in 1911?
Was the train delayed?
Were all classes cancelled?
Was Machu Picchu discovered in 1911?
4. Difference between past active and past passive
Past active — focuses on who did the action
Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.
Past passive — focuses on what happened to the subject
Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911.
Past active — focuses on who did the action
Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.
Past passive — focuses on what happened to the subject
Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911.
5. The person (agent) can be added with "by", but it is optional. If it is important to say who did the action, we can add by + person.
Example:
Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham.
If the person is not important, it is not mentioned.
Example:
Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham.
If the person is not important, it is not mentioned.
Atsauce:
English Chit Chat "Past Passive . Learn English" on youtube.com