Grammar: B1 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: 🎭 Modals & 🌱 Non-Finite Verbs (Introduction) - Lesson 6: Simple Passive Voice - Past Simple (The window was broken.)

Grammar: The Passive Voice

B1 Lesson 6: Past Simple Passive

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form and use the Past Simple Passive to talk about past events, especially when the action is more important than the doer.

Why It Matters: Changing the Focus

The Passive Voice changes the focus of a sentence. Look at the two sentences below. They have the same basic meaning, but a different focus.

Active Voice (Focus on the doer)

My grandmother wove this scarf.

Passive Voice (Focus on the object)

This scarf was woven by my grandmother.

The Grammar Rule 📖

To form the Past Simple Passive, we use the past of 'to be' (was/were) and the Past Participle (the third form of the verb).

Past Simple Passive Formation

Subject + was/were + Past Participle

Use was for singular subjects (I, he, she, it, the bridge).
Use were for plural subjects (you, we, they, the temples).

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Active: The French built this bridge.

Passive: This bridge was built by the French.

💡 When to Use the Past Simple Passive

This grammar is very common for three main reasons:

1. When the doer is unknown or not important.
   Example: "My bicycle was stolen yesterday." (We don't know who stole it.)
2. When the action or object is more important than the doer.
   Example: "The Bamboo Train in Battambang was invented by local villagers." (The invention is the focus.)
3. To sound more formal or objective (e.g., in history or news).
   Example: "It was decided to build a new road."

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise 1: Complete the Sentences

Choose the correct Past Simple Passive form to complete the sentences.

1. Active: "They built this school in 1998."
   Passive: This school ____ in 1998. (was built)
2. Active: "Shakespeare wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'."
   Passive: "Romeo and Juliet" ____ by Shakespeare. (was written)
3. The two ancient temples ____ by the same king. (were designed)
4. My wallet ____ yesterday at Psar Nat. (was stolen)

Exercise 2: Change the Focus

Change these active sentences into passive sentences.

1. Active: My grandmother made this delicious curry.
   Passive: This delicious curry was made by my grandmother.
2. Active: Someone left this bag on the chair.
   Passive: This bag was left on the chair.
3. Active: The teacher answered the students' questions.
   Passive: The students' questions were answered by the teacher.

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

Write two sentences about Cambodian history using the Past Simple Passive.

Example: "Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century."

Key Vocabulary

• Passive Voice (Noun) | ប្រយោគកម្មវាចក
  A sentence where the subject receives the action of the verb.
• Focus (Noun) | ការផ្តោតអារម្មណ៍
  The center of interest or attention.
• Past Participle (Noun) | ទម្រង់ទី៣នៃកិរិយាស័ព្ទ
  The third form of a verb, used in passive voice (e.g., build, built, built).
• Agent (Noun) | អ្នកធ្វើ
  The person or thing that performs the action in a passive sentence (e.g., ...by the French).