1. Review: the past continuous tense
The past continuous tense talks about:
- an action happening in the past when another action happens
- an action happening at a particular time in the past
- two actions happening at the same time in the past
For the past continuous tense there must be two events.
To make the past continuous, use:
- subject + was …ing
| What was happening (past continuous) | Second event happens (past tense) | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| he was sleeping | the storm struck | He was sleeping when the storm struck. |
| Tyson was watching TV | the doorbell rang | Tyson was watching TV when the doorbell rang. |
| we were playing football | he broke his leg | We were playing football when he broke his leg. |
| What was happening (past continuous) | Past time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Georgina was playing cards | last night | Georgina couldn’t come to the party because she was playing cards last night. |
| I was travelling to an interview | 4pm | “What were you doing at 4pm?” “I was travelling to an interview.” |
| the manager was having a meeting | when I was in the office | I didn’t see the manager when I was in office: she was having a meeting. |
| What was happening (past continuous) | what was happening 2 (past continuous) | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| you were listening to the CD | you were cooking | You were listening to the CD while you were cooking. |
| Peter was talking to the manager | we were holding the meeting | Peter was talking to the manager while we were holding the meeting. |
| Susie was talking about her boyfriend | we were trying to watch the film | I can’t tell you whether that movie is any good: Susie was talking about her boyfriend while we were trying to watch the film. |
2. What is the passive voice?
The passive voice changes ‘x did something to y’ into ‘y has something done to it (by x)’.
It is made by:
- object + be + perfect participle (+ by subject)
*Perfect participle (p.p.) = gone, done, seen, eaten etc.
‘Be’ changes depending on the tense you want to use (present, past, future, perfect, etc.).
3. The past continuous tense (passive voice)
The past continuous tense (passive) uses the structure:
- object + be (past) + being + perfect participle (+ by subject)
| Object | Be (past) | Being | P.p. | By subject | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johannes | was | being | spoken to | by his manager | We stole Johannes’s stapler while he was being spoken to by his manager. |
| The match | was | being | filmed | The players were all excited before the game because the match was being filmed by Channel 4. | |
| The DVD player | was | being | fixed | We had to watch VHS tapes while the DVD player was being fixed. | |
| Allan | was | being | watched | by the FBI | Allan was paranoid. He felt he was being watched by the FBI. |
4. Converting a past continuous into its passive voice
To change a past continuous tense into its passive voice:
1. swap the subject and object
2. change ‘was …ing’ into ‘was being + p.p.’
| Past continuous | Past continuous (passive) |
|---|---|
| They were cooking dinner when I saw them. | The dinner was being cooked when I saw them. |
| Roger was listening to the record at 11 last night. | The record was being listened to by Roger at 11 last night. |
| He was cleaning her bike when I visited. | Her bike was being cleaned when I visited. |
| A tiger was eating his dog when he came home. | His dog was being eaten by a tiger when he came home. |
5. Examples of the past continuous (passive)
| What was happening (past continuous passive) | Second event happens | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the dog was being taken for a walk | it found a bag of money | The dog was being taken for a walk when it found a bag of money. |
| the mirror was being cleaned by the janitor | it cracked | The mirror was being cleaned by the janitor when it cracked. |
| the software was being checked for viruses | the hacker broke in | The software was being checked for viruses when the hacker broke in. |
| What was happening (past continuous passive) | Past time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the car was being repaired | last Tuesday | I couldn’t drive to the reunion last Tuesday because the car was being repaired. |
| the crime was being investigated | the trial started | The case was dismissed because the crime was still being investigated when the trial started. |
| alcohol was being sold | at 2am | The police shut the bar because alcohol was being sold at 2am. |
| What was happening (past continuous passive) | What was happening 2 (past continuous) | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| our house was being decorated | my parents were travelling | We stayed at my parents’ house because our house was being decorated while they were travelling. |
| the accounts were being checked | HR were hiring a new accountant | Last month the company was a bit messy because the accounts were being checked while HR were hiring a new accountant. |
| the beef was being marinated | the vegetables were boiling | Last night was so busy in the kitchen that we had to rush a lot of things. At one point the beef was still being marinated while the vegetables were boiling. |
6. Exercises
1. Change these sentences into the passive voice:
(i) She was washing the dog when it ran away.
(ii) The typhoon was blowing the furniture down the street when they came home.
(iii) The teacher was teaching the class when the fire alarm rang.
2. Change these sentences out of the passive voice:
(i) Four lions were being chased by 100 wildebeest.
(ii) The house was terrible: rain water was being collected by a bucket in the middle of the room.
(iii) The suspected thieves were being watched by the detectives as they walked towards the bank.