Formula, Structure, and Rules for past continuous tense Active and passive voice
| Formula for | Active voice | Passive voice
(auxiliary verb- was/were+being+by) |
| Simple | subject+was/were+verb(4)+object | object+was/were+being+past participle(V3)+ by+subject |
| Negative | subject+was/were+ not+verb(4)+object | object+was/were+not+being+past participle(V3)+by+subject |
| Interrogative | was/were+subject+verb(4)+object | was/were+object+being+past participle(V3)+by+subject |
| Interrogative+Negative | was/were+subject+not+verb(4)+object | was/were+object+not+being+past participle(V3)+by+subject |
Examples:
Active: He was playing football.
Passive: Football was being played by him.
Active: He was not playing football.
Passive: Football was not being played by him.
Active: Was he playing football?
Passive: Was football being played by him?
Active: Was he not playing football?
Passive: Was football not being played by him?
Active: She was writing a book.
Passive: A book was being written by her.
Active: She was not writing a book.
Passive: A book was not being written by her.
Active: Was she writing a book?
Passive: Was a book being written by her?
Active: Was she not writing a book?
Passive: Was a book not being written by her?
Active: Hewlett-Packard was typing a document.
Passive: A document was being typed by Hewlett-Packard.
Active: Hewlett-Packard was not typing a document.
Passive: A document was not being typed by Hewlett-Packard.
Active: Was Hewlett-Packard typing a document?
Passive: Was a document being typed by Hewlett-Packard?
Active: Was Hewlett-Packard not typing a document?
Passive: Was a document not being typed by Hewlett-Packard?
Active: A cat was drinking milk.
Passive: Milk was being drunk by a cat.
Active: A cat was not drinking milk.
Passive: Milk was not being drunk by a cat.
Active: Was a cat drinking milk?
Passive: Was milk being drunk by a cat?
Active: Was a cat not drinking milk?
Passive: Was milk not being drunk by a cat?
Active: They were enjoying a picnic.
Passive: A picnic was being enjoyed by them.
Active: They were not enjoying a picnic.
Passive: A picnic was not being enjoyed by them.
Active: Were they enjoying a picnic?
Passive: Was a picnic being enjoyed by them?
Active: Were they not enjoying a picnic?
Passive: Was a picnic not being enjoyed by them?
Active: Tim Berners-Lee was entering the gate.
Passive: The gate was being entered by Tim Berners-Lee.
Active: Tim Berners-Lee was not entering the gate.
Passive: The gate was not being entered by Tim Berners-Lee.
Active: Was Tim Berners-Lee entering the gate?
Passive: Was the gate being entered by Tim Berners-Lee?
Active: Was Tim Berners-Lee not entering the gate?
Passive: Was the gate not being entered by Tim Berners-Lee?
Active: I was planting flowers.
Passive: Flowers were being planted by me.
Active: I was not planting flowers.
Passive: Flowers were not being planted by me.
Active: Was I planting flowers?
Passive: Were flowers being planted by me?
Active: Was I not planting flowers?
Passive: Were flowers not being planted by me?
Active: James Gosling was taking breakfast.
Passive: Breakfast was taken by James Gosling.
Active: James Gosling was not taking breakfast.
Passive: Breakfast was not being taken by James Gosling.
Active: Was James Gosling taken breakfast?
Passive: Was breakfast being taken by James Gosling?
Active: Was James Gosling not taken breakfast?
Passive: Was breakfast not being taken by James Gosling?
Active: We were eating mangoes.
Passive: Mangoes were being eaten by us.
Active: We were not eating mangoes.
Passive: Mangoes were not being eaten by us.
Active: Were we eating mangoes?
Passive: Were mangoes being eaten by us?
Active: Were we not eating mangoes?
Passive: Were mangoes not being eaten by us?
Active: I was making noodles.
Passive: Noodles were being made by me.
Active: I was not making noodles.
Passive: Noodles were not being made by me.
Active: Was I making noodles?
Passive: Were noodles being made by me?
Active: Was I not making noodles?
Passive: Were noodles not being made by me?
Active: Linus was joining an office.
Passive: An office was being joined by Linus.
Active: Linus was not joining an office.
Passive: An office was not being joined by Linus.
Active: Was Linus joining an office?
Passive: Was an office being joined by Linus?
Active: Was Linus not joining an office?
Passive: Was an office not being joined by Linus?
Active: Torvalds was planting plants.
Passive: Plants were being planted by Torvalds.
Active: Torvalds was not planting plants.
Passive: Plants were not being planted by Torvalds.
Active: Was Torvalds planting plants?
Passive: Were plants being planted by Torvalds?
Active: Was Torvald not planting plants?
Passive: Were plants not being planted by Torvalds?
Active: Bill Gates was earning money.
Passive: Money was being earned by Bill Gates.
Active: Bill Gates was not earning money.
Passive: Money was not being earned by Bill Gates.
Active: Was Bill Gates earning money?
Passive: Was money being earned by Bill Gates?
Active: Was Bill Gates not earning money?
Passive: Was money not being earned by Bill Gates?
Active: You were eating pasta.
Passive: Pasa was being eaten by you.
Active: You were not eating pasta.
Passive: Pasta was not being eaten by you.
Active: Were you eating pasta?
Passive: Was pasta eaten by you?
Active: Were you not eating pasta?
Passive: Was pasta not eaten by you?
Active: They were playing a game.
Passive: A game was being played by them.
Active: They were not playing a game.
Passive: A game was not being played by them.
Active: Were they playing a game?
Passive: Was a game being played by them?
Active: Were they not playing a game?
Passive: Was a game not being played by them?
Active: Steve Jobs was painting a picture.
Passive: A picture was being painted by Steve Jobs.
Active: Steve Jobs was not painting a picture.
Passive: A picture was not being painted by Steve Jobs.
Active: Was Steve Jobs painting a picture?
Passive: Was a picture being painted by Steve Jobs?
Active: Was Steve Jobs not painting a picture?
Passive: Was a picture not being painted by Steve Jobs?
Learn More About Active & Passive Voice
- Simple present tense – Active and passive voice
- Present continuous tense – Active passive voice
- Present perfect tense – Active passive voice
- Simple past tense – Active Passive voice
- Past continuous tense – Active passive voice
- Past perfect tense – Active passive voice
- Simple future tense – Active passive voice
- Future perfect tense – Active passive voice