Level 07 – Step 02 : The Passive Voice (Past Simple) (He was praised by the teacher. The gift was made by hand.)
/Level 07 – Step 02 : The Passive Voice (Past Simple) (He was praised by the teacher. The gift was made by hand.)
🚪 Let’s Begin
/🚪 Let’s Begin
🦉Professor Owl: Today we will learn how to talk about actions that happened in the past when the focus is on the receiver.
/🦉Professor Owl: Today we will learn how to talk about actions that happened in the past when the focus is on the receiver.
🐧Igupen: So the person who got the action becomes the subject?
/🐧Igupen: So the person who got the action becomes the subject?
That seems interesting.
/That seems interesting.
🦉Professor Owl: Ho ho.
/🦉Professor Owl: Ho ho.
🦉Professor Owl: Yes.
/🦉Professor Owl: Yes.
We change the verb and use “was” or “were” plus the past participle.
/We change the verb and use “was” or “were” plus the past participle.
Listen to the examples and try making past passive sentences from active ones.
/Listen to the examples and try making past passive sentences from active ones.
📚 Lesson
/📚 Lesson
What is the passive voice in the past simple?
/What is the passive voice in the past simple?
The past passive puts attention on the person or thing that received the action in the past.
/The past passive puts attention on the person or thing that received the action in the past.
Structure (past simple): Subject + was/were + past participle (+ by + agent).
/Structure (past simple): Subject + was/were + past participle (+ by + agent).
Example: He was praised by the teacher.
/Example: He was praised by the teacher.
Example: The gift was made by hand.
/Example: The gift was made by hand.
Use the past passive when the doer is not important, unknown, or we want to emphasize the result in the past.
/Use the past passive when the doer is not important, unknown, or we want to emphasize the result in the past.
To form the past participle, many verbs add -ed (play → played), but some are irregular (eat → eaten; make → made; praise → praised).
/To form the past participle, many verbs add -ed (play → played), but some are irregular (eat → eaten; make → made; praise → praised).
Choose was with singular subjects and were with plural subjects.
/Choose was with singular subjects and were with plural subjects.
Quick checks inside the lesson
/Quick checks inside the lesson
Active → Passive (past): The teacher praised him.
/Active → Passive (past): The teacher praised him.
He was praised by the teacher.
/He was praised by the teacher.
Active → Passive (past): People made the gift by hand.
/Active → Passive (past): People made the gift by hand.
The gift was made by hand.
/The gift was made by hand.
🦉Professor Owl’s one-point tip
/🦉Professor Owl’s one-point tip
Find the object in the active past sentence and make it the subject.
/Find the object in the active past sentence and make it the subject.
Then use was/were + past participle.
/Then use was/were + past participle.
Ask: Was or were?
/Ask: Was or were?
🌼 Sample Sentences
/🌼 Sample Sentences
No.01 He was praised by the teacher.
/No.01 He was praised by the teacher.
No.02 The gift was made by hand.
/No.02 The gift was made by hand.
No.03 The song was played on the radio.
/No.03 The song was played on the radio.
No.04 The window was broken yesterday.
/No.04 The window was broken yesterday.
No.05 The story was told by Grandpa.
/No.05 The story was told by Grandpa.
No.06 The cake was baked this morning.
/No.06 The cake was baked this morning.
No.07 The pictures were taken last week.
/No.07 The pictures were taken last week.
No.08 The letter was sent on Monday.
/No.08 The letter was sent on Monday.
No.09 The game was won by our team.
/No.09 The game was won by our team.
No.10 The door was opened by Maria.
/No.10 The door was opened by Maria.
🎓 Practice exercises
/🎓 Practice exercises
Note: Think first, then check the answers.
/Note: Think first, then check the answers.
Q1: Change to passive (past): The teacher praised him.
/Q1: Change to passive (past): The teacher praised him.
Q2: Change to passive (past): Someone made the gift by hand.
/Q2: Change to passive (past): Someone made the gift by hand.
Q3: Change to passive (past): They played the song on the radio.
/Q3: Change to passive (past): They played the song on the radio.
Q4: Fill in the blank with was or were: The pictures _____ taken last week.
/Q4: Fill in the blank with was or were: The pictures _____ taken last week.
Q5: True or False: In “The window was broken yesterday,” the sentence focuses on who broke it.
/Q5: True or False: In “The window was broken yesterday,” the sentence focuses on who broke it.
Q6: Change to passive (past): Maria opened the door.
/Q6: Change to passive (past): Maria opened the door.
Q7: Fill in the blank with past participle: The cake was _____ this morning. (bake)
/Q7: Fill in the blank with past participle: The cake was _____ this morning. (bake)
Q8: Change to passive (past): People sent the letter on Monday.
/Q8: Change to passive (past): People sent the letter on Monday.
Q9: Choose correct form: A) The game was won by our team. B) The game were won by our team.
/Q9: Choose correct form: A) The game was won by our team. B) The game were won by our team.
Q10: Change to passive (past): Grandpa told the story.
/Q10: Change to passive (past): Grandpa told the story.
◆ Answers
/◆ Answers
A1: He was praised by the teacher.
/A1: He was praised by the teacher.
A2: The gift was made by hand.
/A2: The gift was made by hand.
A3: The song was played on the radio.
/A3: The song was played on the radio.
A4: were → The pictures were taken last week.
/A4: were → The pictures were taken last week.
A5: False — the focus is on the window (the receiver), not who broke it.
/A5: False — the focus is on the window (the receiver), not who broke it.
A6: The door was opened by Maria.
/A6: The door was opened by Maria.
A7: baked → The cake was baked this morning.
/A7: baked → The cake was baked this morning.
A8: The letter was sent on Monday.
/A8: The letter was sent on Monday.
A9: A is correct: The game was won by our team.
/A9: A is correct: The game was won by our team.
A10: The story was told by Grandpa.
/A10: The story was told by Grandpa.
🦉 Closing
/🦉 Closing
🦉Professor Owl: Well done.
/🦉Professor Owl: Well done.
🦉Professor Owl: Remember: find the object in the active past sentence, make it the subject, then use was/were + past participle.
/🦉Professor Owl: Remember: find the object in the active past sentence, make it the subject, then use was/were + past participle.
🐧Igupen: I’ll practice by changing past news sentences into passive form.
/🐧Igupen: I’ll practice by changing past news sentences into passive form.
🦉Professor Owl: Excellent.
/🦉Professor Owl: Excellent.
🦉Professor Owl: Keep practicing with real sentences and the past passive will become easy and clear.
/🦉Professor Owl: Keep practicing with real sentences and the past passive will become easy and clear.
