Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice)

Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) or Past Indefinite Tense (Passive Voice) is used to show the passive habitual actions of the past time. The active voice sentences of the past indefinite tense can be converted to passive voice sentences by following the below-mentioned rules.

Simple Past Tense Passive Voice Rules

Following are the general rules of converting active voice sentences into passive voice form.

1. At first, convert the object of active voice sentences into the subject of passive voice sentences.
2. Then use “was/were” as a helping verb.
3. After this, use the 3rd verb to indicate that the action is done by a doer.
4. Then, use the preposition “by” to show the actual doer of the action.
5. Then convert the subject of the active voice sentence into the object of the passive voice sentence.
6. At the end, write the remaining words, if there are any, in the active voice sentence.

Helping Verbs of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice

All the Passive Voice sentences in the simple past tense use the following 2 helping verbs to emphasize the habitual past actions.

• Was
• Were

“Was” As Helping Verb in Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice)

“Was” is used as an helping verb in Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) sentences with singular nouns and pronouns (I/he/she/it). Thus, passive voice sentences of the simple past tense have the following general sentence formula.

I/he/she/it/Singular Nouns+ was+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words

Following are some examples of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice sentences with “was” as the helping verb.

1. The company offered me a position.
   • I was offered a new position by the company.
2. His grandfather told him an interesting story.
   • He was told an interesting story by his grandfather.
   • An interested story was told to him by his grandfather.
3. The school awarded her a gold medal.
   • She was awarded a gold medal by the school.
   • A gold medal was awarded to her by the school.
4. The mechanic repaired it yesterday.
   • It was repaired by the mechanic yesterday.
5. My teacher taught me Spanish last year.
   • I was taught Spanish by my teacher last year.
   • Spanish was taught to me by my teacher last year.

“Were” As Helping Verb in Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice)

“Were” is used as a helping verb in Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) sentences with a plural number of nouns and pronouns (We/you/they). Thus, these sentences have the following sentence structural formula.

We/you/they/Plural Noun+ were+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words

Following are some Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) sentence examples in which “were” is used with a plural number of nouns and pronouns.

1. The principal invited them to the annual ceremony.
   • They were invited to the annual ceremony by the principal.
2. The event organizer gave us free tickets.
   • We were given free tickets by the event organizer.
   • Free tickets were given to us by the event organizer.
3. The manager praised you for your excellent performance.
   • You were praised for your excellent performance by the manager.
4. The instructor taught them the new rules.
   • They were taught the new rules by the instructor.
   • The new rules were taught to them by the instructor.
5. The chef served us dinner at the hotel.
   • We were served dinner by the chef at the hotel.
   • Dinner was served to us by the chef at the hotel.

Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) Sentence Formula

Following are the general formulas for declarative, negative, interrogative, and Interrogative-Negative sentences. These formulas have “was/were” as a helping verb with the 3rd form of the verb.

Declarative Sentence Formula of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice

Declarative or assertive sentences of the simple past tense (passive voice) take “was/were” as a helping verb. These sentences are used to emphasize the past-time habitual action. Thus, these assertive sentences have the following general structural formula.

Subject+ was/were+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words

Examples of Declarative Sentences of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice

Following are some examples of declarative sentences in the Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice).

1. The journalist interviewed me yesterday.
   • I was interviewed by the journalist yesterday.
2. Our neighbors invited us to the wedding.
   • We were invited to the wedding by our neighbors.
3. The officer warned you about the storm.
   • We were warned about the storm by the officer.
4. The coach chose them for the competition.
   • They were chosen by the coach for the competition.
5. The company promoted him to manager.
   • He was promoted to manager by the company.
6. The teacher praised her for her artwork.
   • She was praised for her artwork by the teacher.
7. The janitor cleaned it in the morning.
   • It was cleaned by the janitor in the morning.
8. The mechanic repaired the car last night.
   • The car was repaired by the mechanic last night.
9. The gardener watered the flowers.
   • The flowers were watered by the gardener.
10. The director signed the documents.
    • The documents were signed by the director.

Negative Sentence Formula of Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice)

Negative Sentences of Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) takes “not” after the helping verbs “was/were” to show the negative nature of the past habitual actions. So, these negative sentences have the following structural formula.

Subject+ was/were+ not+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words

Negative Sentences of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice Examples

Following are some examples of Simple Past Tense passive voice negative sentences.

1. The manager did not inform me about the meeting.
   • I was not informed about the meeting by the manager.
2. Our friends did not invite us to the concert.
   • We were not invited by our friends to the concert.
3. The instructor did not teach you French.
   • You were not taught French by the instructor.
   • French was not taught to you by the instructor.
4. The guard did not allow them to enter the building.
   • They were not allowed by the guard to enter the building.
5. The director did not choose him for this role.
   • He was not chosen for this role by the director.
6. The teacher did not give her a chance to explain.
   • She was not given a chance to explain by the teacher.
7. The mechanic did not repair it yesterday.
   • It was not repaired by the mechanic yesterday.
8. The student did not return the book.
   • The book was not returned by the students.
9. The chef did not bake the cakes today.
   • The cakes were not baked by the chef today.
10. The team did not complete the reports.
    • The reports were not completed by the team.

Interrogative Sentence Formula of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice

Interrogative Sentences of Past Indefinite Tense (Passive Voice) takes “was/were” at the start of the sentences to indicate the questionability of the past habitual actions. Thus, these interrogative sentences have the following sentence structural formula.

Was/were+ Subject+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words+ ?

Interrogative Sentences of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice Examples

Following are some examples of Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) interrogative Sentences.

1. Did the teacher invite me to the seminar?
   • Was I invited to the seminar by the teacher?
2. Did the manager inform us about the schedule?
   • Were we informed by the manager about the schedule?
3. Did the staff help you during the trip?
   • Were you helped by the staff during the trip?
4. Did the principal punish them for their mistake?
   • Were they punished by the principal for their mistake?
5. Did the reporter see him at the airport?
   • Was he seen by the reporter at the airport?
6. Did the committee invite her to the award ceremony?
   • Was she invited to the award ceremony by the committee?
7. Did the technician repair it yesterday?
   • Was it repaired by the technician yesterday?
8. Did the driver wash the car in the morning?
   • Was the car washed by the driver in the morning?
9. Did the volunteers pack the gifts?
   • Were the gifts packed by the volunteers?
10. Did the officer check the documents?
    • Were the documents checked by the officer?

Interrogative-negative Sentence Formula of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice

Interrogative-Negative sentences of Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) takes “was/were” at the start of sentences, and “not” comes after the subject in the passive voice sentences. So, these interrogative-negative sentences have the following general structural formula.

Was/were+ Subject+ not+ 3rd Verb+ by+ Object+ Remaining Words+?

Interrogative-Negative Sentences of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice Examples

Following are some examples of Interrogative-negative sentences of Simple Past Tense Passive Voice.

1. Did your friends not invite me to the party?
   • Was I not invited by your friends to the party?
2. Did the manager not inform us about the changes?
   • Were we not informed about the changes by the manager?
3. Did the instructor not guide you properly?
   • Were you not guided by the instructor properly?
4. Did the coach not praise them for their hard work?
   • Were they not praised by the coach for their hard work?
5. Did his friend not warn him about the danger?
   • Was he not warned by his friends about the danger?
6. Did the company not offer her a job?
   • Was she not offered a job by the company?
7. Did the mechanic not repair it last night?
   • Was it not repaired by the mechanic last night?
8. Did the workers not paint the house last month?
   • Was the house not painted by the workers last month?
9. Did the postman not deliver the letters yesterday?
   • Were the letters not delivered by the postman yesterday?
10. Did the principal distribute the prizes at the ceremony?
    • Were the prizes not distributed by the principal at the ceremony?