BASIC-GRAMMAR-U-20.4

	20.4.	The passive: past simple
		The agent by

 

PRESENTATION

 

Form the past simple passive with the verb to be (was/were) + past participle.

Chocolate was taken to North America.

Cacao beans were used as a form of money.

Where was chocolate discovered?

 

The agent

In the active form you know who did the action: Explorers brought chocolate to Europe.

In the passive we can say the agent (who did it) using by: Chocolate was brought to Europe by explorers. The agent isn’t always necessary. This sentence is also possible: Chocolate was brought to Europe.

You don’t normally use the agent when the agent is …

• obvious and therefore unnecessary: White chocolate isn’t made from cacao beans by chocolate makers.
• unknown: A piece of chocolate was left on my desk by someone.

 

 

 

EXERCISES⇒

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