Convert to passive voice. Future simple passive: constructions and example sentences

Let us remember that time Past Simple used to express one-time or regularly repeated actions in the past.

The signs of this time are the words that we have already met earlier:

yesterday(yesterday), last week(last week), last month(last month), last year(last year)

We also learned how the Past Simple is formed with the verb to be. Below we will talk about the rules for forming the Past Simple with other verbs.

It should be noted that in English there are correct And incorrect verbs that behave differently when used in the Past Simple. Here we will focus on regular verbs, and will return to irregular verbs a little later.

Statement

-ed.

I play ed yesterday.

I played yesterday.

I walk ed yesterday.

I walked yesterday.

Negation

Negative sentences are formed using the auxiliary verb " did" and particles "not". The verb "did" is the past form of the verb "do":

I didn't play yesterday.

I did not play yesterday.

The shortened form can also be used: didn't:

I didn't walk yesterday.

I didn't go for a walk yesterday.

Question

The question is also formed using the auxiliary verb " did", which is placed at the beginning of a sentence.

Did did you play yesterday?

Did you play yesterday?

Did did you walk yesterday?

Did you go for a walk yesterday?

Pronunciation of the ending -ed

-ed

1. If a word ends in a dull or hissing consonant, then we pronounce [ t]:

like-like ed

kiss-kiss ed

2. If a word ends in a voiced consonant or vowel, then we pronounce [ d]:

fill - fill ed

destroy - destroy ed

3. If the word ends in -t or -d, then the ending -ed will read as [ id]:

point - point ed

load - load ed

Time table Past Simple (Summary)

Look again at the Past SIMple time formation table:

Statement		Negation			Question
					Did

Let us remember that time Past Simple used to express one-time or regularly repeated actions in the past. The signs of this time are the words that we have already met earlier: yesterday (yesterday), last week (last week), last month (last month), last year (last year). We also learned how the Past Simple is formed with the verb to be. Below we will talk about the rules for forming the Past Simple with other verbs.

It should be noted that in English there are regular and irregular verbs that behave differently when used in the Past Simple tense. Here we will focus on regular verbs, and will return to irregular verbs a little later.

For regular verbs, the Past Simple is formed by adding the ending to the verbs -ed. For example, I played yesterday - I played yesterday. I walked yesterday - I walked yesterday.

Negative sentences are formed using the auxiliary did and the particle not. The verb did is the past form of the verb do. So, to say, “I didn't play yesterday,” we would say, “I did not play yesterday.” The shortened form can also be used: didn’t. For example, I didn’t walk yesterday - I didn’t walk yesterday.

The question is also formed using the auxiliary verb did, which is placed at the beginning of the sentence. For example, Did you play yesterday? - Did you play yesterday? PAUSE Did you walk yesterday? - Did you go for a walk yesterday?

In addition, you need to know that the ending -ed has three pronunciation options:

1. If a word ends in a dull or hissing consonant, then pronounce [ t]: like - liked, kiss - kissed.

2. If the word ends in a voiced consonant or vowel, then pronounce [ d]: fill - filled, destroy - destroyed.

3. If the word ends in -t or -d, then the ending -ed will read as [ id]: point - pointed, load - loaded.

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Active Voice detects an action coming from a person or thing. For example, I cleaned a swimming pool. - I cleaned the pool.

Passive Voice defines an action directed towards a person or object. Sentences in the passive voice look like this: The swimming pool was cleaned by me. – The pool was cleaned by me.

Pay attention to the predicates in both sentences: Buy – was bought, which indicate that the active and passive voices have morphological differences.

Let's look at how the passive voice is formed. The rule for forming the passive directly depends on the active voice.

The active voice in English consists of 12 tenses - Present, Past and Future of the groups Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous. If you have reached the topic of Passive Voice, then you already know how these tenses are formed.

There are 4 fewer forms in the passive voice than in the active voice, there are 8 in total. Passive is formed according to the formula: the verb be in its tense forms + V3. Here is a table showing the transition from active to passive voice:

Time	Active Voice	Passive Voice	Form
Present Simple	A mechanic checks my car every week. — The mechanic checks my car once a week.	My car is checked by mechanic every week. – My car is checked by a mechanic once a week.	am/are/is
Past Simple	Mark gave a brooch for my birthday. – Mark gave me a brooch for my birthday.	A brooch was given to me for my birthday by Mark. – The brooch was given to me for my birthday by Mark.	was/were
Future Simple	They will move your car if you leave it there. - They will move your car if you leave it here.	Your car will be moved by them if you leave it there. – Your car will be moved by them if you leave it here.	will be
Present Cont.	Our history teacher is checking our essays. -The history teacher checks our essays.	Our essays are being checked by our history teacher. – Our essays are checked by the history teacher.	am/are/is being
Past Cont.	The local newspaper was publishing color photos of the events during 4 years. – The local newspaper published color photographs of the events for four years.	Color photos of the events were being published by the local newspaper during 4 years. – Color photographs were published by the local newspaper for four years.	was/were being
Present Perf.	Jim has painted all the walls green. Jim painted all the walls green.	All the walls have been painted green by Jim. All the walls were painted green by Jim.	have/has been
Past. Perf.	Police had caught the girl's kidnappers. – The police caught the girl’s kidnappers.	The girl's kidnappers had been caught by police. – The girl’s kidnappers were caught by the police.	had been
Future Perf.	Tom will have cooked the meal by 8 o’clock. Tom will have cooked the food by 8 o’clock.	The meal will have been cooked by 8 o’clock by Tom. – The food will be prepared by Tom by 8 o’clock.	will have been
Modal verbs	They should mend my watch immediately. “They must fix my watch immediately.”	My watch should be mended immediately by them. – My watch needs to be repaired immediately.	Modal Verb

In comparative forms, words that are subjects in the active voice become complements in the passive voice, and complements, on the contrary, play the role of the subject, that is, they change places.

Attention! Future Cont., Future Perf. and the group Perfect Cont. are not used in Passive Voice.

In spoken language, be in the Passive Voice can be replaced by got to express a random action. Ex. Tim got hurt while playing basketball. – Tim was injured while playing basketball.

There are a number of verbs that are not used in the passive. They are called intransitive: in a sentence they are not followed by a direct object (the object to which the action passes). Let's compare: I live in Moscow. - I live in Moscow. The verb live is intransitive, it cannot be used in the passive form: I was lived - they lived me - this is what happens if you put the intransitive verb in the passive voice.

In what cases is it used passive voice:

• the speaker is interested in the action itself, and not in who performed it. Ex.: The air was filled with the sound of laughter.
• The person performing the action is emphasized. Ex.: The dining-room was decorated by maids. – The dining room was decorated by maids.
• the speaker wishes to make a formal statement or express politeness. Ex.: The national anthem was sung at the beginning of the ceremony. – The national anthem was sung at the beginning of the ceremony.

To show in the passive voice, by whom or what the action is performed, we use by or with (to indicate the materials/tools that the person used).

Ex.: Harry was bitten by a mosquito last night. – Harry was bitten by a mosquito last night. This sauce is made with fresh tomatoes. – This sauce is made from fresh tomatoes.

As for the use of phrasal verbs and verbs followed by a preposition, in the passive construction the preposition is placed immediately after the verb. Ex.: The heating has been turned off. – The heating was turned off.

In interrogative sentences with who, whom, which and others will ask. words always use by/with to indicate the person performing the action. Ex.: Who was the window broken by? -Who broke the window? What was the shop destroyed by? – Who destroyed the store?

Verb let in the passive voice is replaced on be allowed to. Ex.: He lets me drive his car. - He lets me drive his car. I am allowed to drive his car. – I am allowed to drive his car.

Verbs believe, expect, feel, hope, know, report, say, think, etc. used in the passive in personal and impersonal constructions. In English it will sound like this: It is believed (that) he had been forced to lie. “It is believed that he was forced to lie.” Olga is said to have moved to Europe. – They say that Olga went to Europe.

If we we want to express that someone forced someone to do something, we use the constructions make/have/has/+ object + infinitive or get + object + to infinitive. Ex.: He made Ann sign the contract. – He made Anne sign a contract (meaning “to insist on something”). He had Ann sign the contract. - He asked Anne to sign the contract (expression of request). He got Ann to sign the contract. – He convinced Anne to sign the contract (persuasion).

Causative constructions

What is Causative Form. When we can't do something on our own, then the one who does it for us comes to the rescue.

The English express this using a causative construction, which is formed in the form: have/has/had + object + V3. Ex.: Mary cuts her hair. – Mary has her hair cut. - Mary cut her hair.

It is implied that Mary went to a salon and had her hair cut by a hairdresser. Theoretically, she could cut her hair herself, but it wouldn’t work out very well; for a quality haircut, she turned to a person who knows how to do haircuts well. Let's look at the examples in detail:

Pr. Simple	They need to organize the concert. – They need to organize a concert.	They have the concert organized. - They organized a concert.
Past Simple	She paid someone to deliver her dress. “She paid someone to deliver the dress.”	She had her dress delivered. - The dress was delivered to her.
Fut. Simple	Someone will do her make-up before the wedding. – Someone will do her makeup before the wedding.	She will have her make-up done. - She'll get her makeup done.
Pr. Cont.	They are going to ask the baker to make a cake for Sue’s birthday. They are going to ask the baker to make a cake for Sue's birthday.	They are having a cake made. – They make a cake (meaning at the moment).
Past Cont.	He was repairing his car. — He was repairing his car.	He was having his car repaired. — His car was being repaired.
Fut. Cont.	She will be making a dinner. - She will cook dinner.	She will be having a dinner made. - Lunch will be prepared for her.
Pr. Perf.	The florist has arranged the flowers for our wedding. — The florist designed flowers for the wedding.	We had the flowers for wedding arranged. – They arranged flowers for our wedding.
Past Perf.	He had asked the gardener to water the plants. — He asked the gardener to water the flowers.	He had had the plants watered. - His flowers were watered.
Pr. Perf. Cont.	She has been typing a text. – She was typing the text.	She has been having a text tipped. - They typed the text for her.
Past Perf. Cont.	He had been tailoring his suits. “He was picking out his suits.	He had been having his suits tailored. - They picked out suits for him.
Modal Verbs/Infinitive	We would ask someone to decorate the church hall for the ceremony. “We would ask someone to decorate the church hall for the ceremony.” Ask Rita to post the letters. – Ask Rita to send letters.	We would have the church hall decorated. - They decorated the church hall for us. You have the letter posted. - Your letter has been sent.
-ing form	She prefers paying someone to organize her parties. She prefers to pay someone to organize her parties.	She prefers having her parties organized. – She prefers to have parties organized for her.

Attention! Causative differs in use from Passive. It is found in the Perfect Continuous group.

The causative in the Present Simple forms a negation using do/does, and in the Past Simple using did. Ex.: Does he have his suits cleaned every week? – Does his suit get cleaned every week? She didn’t have her nails painted yesterday. – She didn’t have her nails painted yesterday.

British English is characterized by replacing the verb have/has in the causative with the verb get/got. Ex.: Jim must get his phone fixed soon. Jim should have a telephone installed soon.

Active and passive voices in English

Passive voice in English - learn in 5 minutes

Conclusion

Passive Voice Rules some of the most important, is rich in them. Start studying this topic only after you have thoroughly learned the tenses of the active voice. Without them, the topic of passive will remain unclear.

We have already begun to study the passive voice since the Present Simple. Today we will look at another tense - Past Simple.

Let me remind you that we use the passive voice when it is not the object itself that performs the action, but the action that is performed on it.

“The vase was broken. The project was completed. The letter has been sent. The bank was robbed."

All these actions were done in the past. As you will notice, in these sentences we focus on the action that was performed, and not on the person who performed the action.

In this article we will look at how to construct such sentences in English.

From the article you will learn:

• Formation of the Passive Voice in the Past Simple

Rules for using Past Simple Passive in English

We use the Past Simple Passive when we talk about facts that happened in the past. In this case, we place the emphasis on what happened (the action itself), and not on who did it.

Past Simple:“She closed the window” (we say who performed the action).

Past Simple Passive:“The window was closed” (we don’t name who did it, but we focus on the action itself).

If you watch or read news in English, then I think you have come across the use of the Past Simple in the passive voice more than once.

The cases of using Past Simple Passive are as follows:

1. We don't know who did the action
For example: “The bank was robbed on Saturday.”

2. What matters to us is the action itself, not who did it.
For example: “The agreement was signed yesterday.”

3. Unpleasant events happened, but they don’t want to blame anyone specifically for it.
For example: “The documents were not prepared.”

Now let's look at how to construct such sentences in English.

Rules for constructing sentences in the Past Simple Passive in English

Sentences in the passive voice are easy to construct. To do this we:

1. We put the object (object or person) on which the action is performed at the beginning of the sentence.

2. In the second place in the sentence we put the verb to be in the past tense. At this time it has two forms - was And were. We use Was when we talk about someone in the singular (he, she, it). Were is used in all other cases.

3. We put the action (verb) itself in the past tense. There are regular and irregular verbs in English.

Depending on the verb we:

• add the ending -ed if the verb is regular (close - closed);
• We put it in the 3rd form if the verb is irregular (broke - broken).

Let's look at the diagram of such a proposal.

Object/person + was/were + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed.

I	was
You		3rd form irregular verb or correct verb with ending -ed
We	were
They
He
She	was
It

Examples

His car was stolen last month.
His car was stolen last month.

The documents were lost.
The documents were lost.

The work was finished yesterday.
The work was completed yesterday.

Using by in the passive voice

Using the preposition by we can add who/what the action was done. To do this, we put by at the end of the sentence, and after it the person who did it.

For example

This house was built by Tom.
This house was built by Tom.

The articles were written by Mary.
These articles were written by Mary.

Usagewithin passive voice

Using the preposition with we can add the instrument with which the action was performed. To do this, put with at the end of the sentence, and after it what it was done with.

For example

The letter was written withapencil.
The letter was written in pencil.

The window was broken withaball.
The window was broken by a ball.

Negative sentences in Past Simple Passive in English

We can use negation when we say that something was not done. To form a negation, after the verb to be (was, were) we add the negative particle not.

The outline of such a proposal will be as follows.

Object/person + was/were + not + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed.

I	was
You			3rd form irregular verb or correct verb with ending -ed
We	were
They		not
She
He	was
It

Examples

The door was not locked.
The door was not locked.

The robbers were not found.
The robbers were not found.

This work was not done.
This work was not done.

Interrogative sentences in Past Simple Passive in English

We can ask whether some action has taken place. To do this, the verb to be (was, were) must be moved to the first place in the sentence.

The outline of such a proposal will look like this.

Was/were + object/person + 3rd form of irregular verb or regular verb ending -ed?

Was	I
	you	3rd form irregular verb or correct verb with ending -ed
Were	we
	they
	he
Was	she
	it

Examples

Was the contract signed yesterday?
Was the contract signed yesterday?

Were the bills paid last month?
Were your bills paid last month?

Was a thief caught?
Was the thief caught?

So, we’ve covered the theoretical part, and now let’s move on to the Past Simple Passive training exercise.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. The letter was lost.
2. These apples were bought at the market.
3. All tickets were sold.
4. Was their luggage lost?
5. The documents were not prepared by Tom.
6. He was killed with a knife.

One of the grammatical categories of the verb, characteristic of both Russian and English languages, is voice (Voice). There are two such voices in English: and (active and passive, or passive voice). Almost every type of tense form can form a passive from itself, which will show that the action was not performed by the subject himself, the action is performed on him, hence the name Passive. Below we will consider cases of using the passive voice with the simplest tenses - Past, Present and Future Simple Passive.

To begin with, we can provide condensed information in the form of formulas on how the passive voice is formed in these three tenses.

Table of formation of Present Indefinite Passive, Past Indefinite Passive and Future Simple Passive:

Indefinite
Present	am/is/are + V(3)
Past	was/were + V(3)
Future	will be + V(3)

General information about Passive Voice education

The basis of the form of any passive voice is the presence of two important elements in its construction:

1. The required form, depending on the tense in which the passive is used (in the past tense it was and were, in the present – ​​am, is, are, and in the future – simply the auxiliary verb will and the original form be).

2. The form of the semantic verb must have the form Past Participle, which is more simply called the third form of the verb. Without it, calling the voice passive simply won’t work.

Note: The passive rule prohibits its use in some tenses. These include the entire Perfect Continuous group, as well as the future continuous - Future Continuous.

Formation and use of Present Indefinite Passive

The use of the passive voice in the present simple tense is relevant for all those cases that are characteristic of this tense form, namely:

· to express regular action;
· for situations called well-known and natural facts and phenomena;
· to express the future (typically used to display actions according to a schedule);
· in subordinate parts of time that occur in conditional sentences;
· for verbs that cannot be used in Continuous.

Affirmative sentences in Present Simple Passive Voice

are formed simply: as mentioned earlier, the form of the verb to be is used here in the present tense (is, am or are), and the semantic verb is in the third form or, as it is called correctly, Participle II:

· The house looks very nice; its rooms are cleaned almost every day and its yard is swept daily – The house looks very beautiful; his rooms are cleaned almost every day, and the yard is swept daily
· When he is seen, I will be told

Questions in the Present Simple Passive

Interrogative sentences in the passive present simple form are no more difficult to form than in the active voice. The first position is occupied by am, are or is, followed by the subject, and then the sentence ends with the remaining passive structure and minor members.

Examples of questions in Present Passive Simple:

· Is each candidate questioned by turn or they are interviewed all together? – Are each candidate interviewed separately or are they asked questions together?
· Are their children taken good care of at home? – Are their children well looked after at home?

Negative sentences in Present Indefinite Passive

In the Passive Voice Present Simple form, the negation is formed as usual: the particle not is added to the form of the verb to be, and then the entire construction remains unchanged. Here are some examples of sentences with negation of the passive in the Present Simple:

· Books are not sent to him, he picks them up himself – Books are not sent to him, he picks them up himself
· These animals aren’t used to save men’s lives as their behavior is unpredictable – These animals are not used to save human lives, since their behavior is unpredictable

Formation and use of Past Indefinite Passive

The Past Simple Passive form is used to show that an action was performed on the subject in the past tense, and not that it itself was the performer. The usage cases here are the same as in the active voice. This is a fact from the past, the regularity and sequence of events, and also, of course, the use of this tense with those verbs that do not form a Continuous form.

The passive voice in the past tense is formed as follows: the verb to be is put in the past form - was or were (depending on the number), and the main verb takes the Past Participle form (third form). It looks like this:

· My friend was elected president of the new concern yesterday – Yesterday my friend was elected president of the new concern
· Three days ago new additions to the book were performed – Three days ago new additions to the book were presented

Interrogative sentences in Past Indefinite Passive

With questions in the Past Simple Passive the situation is the same as in any other tense. Here the auxiliary verb was/were takes the initial position in the sentence, followed by the subject, and then the rest of the passive. In speech it looks like this:

· Was the ceiling painted yesterday or the day before yesterday? – Was the ceiling painted yesterday or the day before?
· Were those letters sent last week? – Were those letters sent last week?

Negations with Past Simple Passive

In Past Simple Passive sentences, negation is achieved in the standard way, that is, by adding the particle not to the form was or were. You don't need to do anything else, and the example sentences prove it:

· He was not killed in 1945 and to everyone’s surprise he returned home – He was not killed in 1945 and to everyone’s surprise he returned home
· You were not invited to yesterday’s party because they forgot about you – You were not invited to yesterday’s party because they forgot about you

Construction and use of Future Indefinite Passive

The Future Simple Passive tense shows that the upcoming situation will not happen itself, but some action will be performed on it. Typical cases of using the simple future tense are spontaneous decisions, often made at the moment of dialogue, as well as forecasts that are not very accurate and are often preceded by verbs such as think, guess, suppose, consider, etc.

The passive form here is formed simply: will be + Participle II (V3):

· This decision will be thought over when everyone comes - This decision will be thought over when everyone comes
· I think, you will be informed about this vacancy next week - I think you will be informed about this vacancy next week

Questions in the Future Simple Passive

Interrogative sentences in the future tense in the passive voice are no more difficult to form than in any other Simple form. The auxiliary verb will is brought forward, followed by the subject, and then the verb be is used without the particle to and the form of the verb in the third form:

· Will you be allowed to attend tomorrow’s meeting? – Will you be allowed to attend tomorrow’s meeting?
· Will your photos be sold at an upcoming exhibition? – Will your paintings be sold at the upcoming exhibition?

Negative sentences in the passive simple future tense

The particle not is the main indicator of negation, and the Future Simple is no exception. This particle is added to will, and the entire sentence structure remains unchanged:

· I suppose that our business will not be taken over - I suppose our business will not be taken over
· He will not be told anything about it, I promise you - They won’t tell him anything about this, I promise you

We can say that the English passive voice is a fairly popular phenomenon, including in the Simple tenses, and its correct use will make speech richer and help correctly describe those situations where the use of the active voice is not necessary.

I didn't do my homework.
- I broke a vase.
- I ate all the cookies.

Isn’t it true that sometimes it’s difficult to admit something like this?
Compare:

The lessons were not done.
- The vase broke.
- The cookies were eaten.

Now everything appears in a different light. Firstly, it is not clear who committed the action, it seems that no one did it, there is no one to punish. Secondly, it sounds respectable and businesslike. The British have long realized the advantages of such proposals and actively use them, especially in documents, news and scientific articles. In general, where there is no need to focus on who exactly did the action. If in an active sentence, "I ate all the cookies", the speaker takes responsibility, then in the passive "The cookies were eaten", he casually reports a fact about cookies.

This is what distinguishes the passive voice of the past simple from the active. In the past simple passive the rule is as follows: the emphasis is transferred from the actor to the object of the action.

Education Past Simple Passive

(Russian pronunciation - past simple passive)

We take a sentence in which someone did something. For example,

John killed Mike (John killed Mike)

Now the focus is entirely on John, everyone can see what a scoundrel he is. He takes responsibility for the murder and goes to prison.

To make the past simple passive voice, put Mike the victim in the first place in the sentence, not John the killer:

Mike was killed by John (Mike was killed by John)

Of course, this does not mean that John will now face nothing for murder. But, in this case, we are not very interested in him, all attention is concentrated on the unfortunate Mike.

Such a sentence is formed as follows: first we say who was exposed to the action, then we put was or were, depending on the number of people exposed. If there is one, then was, if there are several, then there were. Then we take the semantic verb, i.e. what exactly was done. If the verb is correct, add an ending to it -ed, if incorrect, use the third form V3. These forms are in the tables of irregular verbs that we all learned at school. Remember?

See-saw- seen
Catch - caught - caught

To make sentences past simple passive, i.e. sentences in the passive voice, we need exactly the third forms from the table:

John was seen(John was seen)
He wasn't caught by the police (He was caught by the police).

Past Simple Passive, examples of education:

Very often in sentences with the past simple passive voice is omitted by whom, i.e. by whom the action was performed, it is simply implied, but not said, understood from the context:

I was hungry. The sweets were eaten (by me)
I was hungry. The candy was eaten (by me)

Subject, object, predicate and which of them suffers in the passive voice

Let's figure it out: subject is the one who performs the action. Remember John who killed Mike? John is a subject, and also - subject, you can ask the question “who?”:

-Who killed Mike? - John.

The one to whom the action of the subject is directed - an object.

-Who did John kill? - Mike

Mike is an object in the callous crime that John committed, as well as addition from a grammatical point of view.

And the action itself is a verb killed(killed) is called predicate, or predicate. It answers the question “what did you do?”

In past simple passive voice [past simple passive voice] the situation changes. The subject, or subject, is the one to whom the action is directed. The one who performed the action becomes just an addition.

Mike was killed by John.

Mike- subject, was killed- predicate, John- addition.

How do you know what collateral is in a sentence?

There are only two options - either passive or active voice. If the character is at the beginning of the phrase, before the verb, then it is active voice. If the person who performed the action is at the end of the phrase or is absent altogether, it is definitely a passive voice.

Let's look at the difference between active and passive voice in the table below:

Past simple active and passive: rule of use, or when to choose what

Active sentences give the listener more information and are more direct and understandable. Whereas passive sentences can often obscure the meaning of what is being said. Many writing textbooks warn young authors against frequent use of the past simple passive voice; examples of abuse of the passive voice can be heard especially often from politicians:

Mistakes were made
(Mistakes were made)

It is immediately clear that the cunning politician does not want to admit his mistakes!

In everyday speech, we often use the past simple to describe regular actions in the past. Should you also often use the passive voice in the past simple if you are telling a friend how yesterday you went to the store, bought groceries, cooked dinner, and then fell asleep and had an interesting dream? Probably not, it will sound a little unnatural and may have a comedic effect.

However, the passive voice can be very useful when you need to emphasize the consequences of an event. Instead of talking about the culprit of the event, past simple passive sentences emphasize its result. The sentence “A pedestrian was hit by a car” (a pedestrian was hit by a car) in English is more preferable than “A driver hit a pedestrian” (a driver hit a pedestrian). Firstly, we may not know the details of how and why he hit him, and secondly, the health of the pedestrian is much more important.

Emphasizing results is very important in describing scientific research. It is not so important who exactly conducts the experiments, but the process itself is of scientific interest.

So, where to use Passive Voice in Past Simple:

• Scientific literature. Description of the processes and results of scientific research;

  The test was conducted with the use of anesthesia
  (Testing was carried out using anesthesia)

• A sentence in which you need to emphasize what exactly happened, and it is not so important who performed the action or what provoked the result:

  These photos were taken in South Africa
  (These photos were taken in South Africa)

We use the active voice of the Past Simple when

• you need to explain something very clearly to avoid confusion.

  I took this document and put it right here.
  (I took this document and put it here)

• We communicate on everyday topics, informally.

  We took the test yesterday and failed
  (Yesterday we wrote a test and failed)

Use the passive voice correctly, and good luck!