What Is the Simple Past Passive?
In an active sentence, the subject does the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action. We use the simple past passive when we want to talk about something that happened in the past and we want to focus on what happened — not on who did it.
Subject + was / were + past participle
The window was broken. | The letters were sent yesterday.
When Do We Use It?
Use the simple past passive in three main situations:
We want to focus on what happened, not on who did it.
The phone was found on the bus.
We don't know who did something.
My bag was stolen at the station.
It is unimportant who did something.
The pyramids were built thousands of years ago.
Positive, Negative and Question Forms
Positive: The cake was made by my mom.
Negative: The exam wasn't canceled.
Question: Was the letter delivered on time?
Question (plural): Were the students told about the change?
Using "by" to Mention the Agent
If the person who did the action is important or interesting, we can add by + agent at the end of the sentence.
The painting was created by Da Vinci.
The new school was opened by the mayor.
The song was written by a teenager.
⚠ Common mistakes:
✗ The letter was sended yesterday. → ✓ The letter was sent yesterday. (use the past participle, not the simple past)
✗ The cake were eaten. → ✓ The cake was eaten. (singular subject → was)
✗ The films was enjoyed by everyone. → ✓ The films were enjoyed by everyone. (plural subject → were)