Passive Voice - Past Continuous Tense

 

The passive voice of the Past Continuous tense is used when you want to focus on the person or the thing that was receiving the action in the past, something that was being acted upon. When the receiver of the action (object of the verb) is more important than the doer itself, write the sentence in the passive voice.

• Active: I was taking the class at that time.

• Passive: The class was being taken at that time (by me).

• Active: He was eating dinner at 9 pm.

• Passive: Dinner was being eaten at 9 pm by him.

• Active: My parents were watching that movie.

• Passive: That movie was being watched by my parents.

• Active: Jon was editing my video yesterday.

• Passive: My video was being edited yesterday by Jon.

• Active: Some boys were harassing your sister.

• Passive: Your sister was being harassed (by some boys).

• Active: They were discussing something in the class.

• Passive: Something was being discussed in the class (by them).

• Active: Anne was copying the answers.

• Passive: The answers were being copied (by Anne).

• Active: Everyone was hugging the kids at the party.

• Passive: The kids were being hugged at the party by everyone.

• Active: They were not feeding the cats.

• Passive: The cats weren’t being fed by them.

Positive : The computer was being repaired when I was assigned for the project.

Question : Was the computer being repaired when you were assigned for the project ?

Negative : The computer was not being repaired when I was assigned for the project.

Negative Question : Wasn’t the computer being repaired when I was assigned for the project ?

Positive : They were being advised by the manager.

Question : Were they being advised by the manager ?

Negative : They were not being advised by the manager.

Negative Question : Weren’t they being advised by the manager ?