Introduction to Past Continuous Tense: Passive Voice
What is Past Continuous Tense?
Past Continuous Tense un actions ko show karta hai jo kisi waqt past mein chal rahi hoti hain, yani woh kaam kisi waqt ho raha tha.
When and Why is the Passive Voice Used in the Past Continuous?
Passive voice is used:
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Jab focus action par ho, na ke subject par.
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Jab doer (karne wala) unknown ya irrelevant ho.
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Jab aapko apni writing mein formal tone maintain karni ho.
Importance of Formal Writing and Communication
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Passive voice is commonly used in reports, narratives, and official statements.
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It helps keep the emphasis on what happened, not on who did it.
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It’s useful when the subject is obvious or not important.
2. Review of Past Continuous Tense: Active Voice
Structure:
Subject + was/were + 1st form of verb + ing + object
Examples:
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He was painting the wall.
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They were cleaning the room.
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I was writing a letter.
3. Structure of Past Continuous Tense: Passive Voice
Structure:
Object + was/were + being + 3rd form of verb + (by + subject)
Examples:
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The wall was being painted by him.
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The room was being cleaned by them.
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A letter was being written by me.
4. Identification: How to Recognize Past Continuous Passive Sentences
Urdu Sentence Clue:
جملے جن کا اختتام “رہا تھا، رہی تھی، رہے تھے” کے ساتھ “جا” لگا ہو
مثال:
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کام کیا جا رہا تھا۔
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تصویریں بنائی جا رہی تھیں۔
Helping Verbs: was/were + being
Verb: Always 3rd form (Past Participle)
5. Rules to Convert Active to Passive (Past Continuous Tense)
| Step | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identify Subject, Verb, Object | He was washing the car. |
| 2 | Shift Object to Subject Place | The car… |
| 3 | Use was/were + being | The car was being… |
| 4 | Use the 3rd form of the verb | The car was being washed… |
| 5 | Add “by” + original subject (if needed) | The car was being washed by him. |
6. Examples: Active to Passive Conversion
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| She was cooking dinner. | Dinner was being cooked by her. |
| They were repairing the road. | The road was being repaired by them. |
| He was writing an article. | An article was being written by him. |
| I was reading a novel. | A novel was being read by me. |
7. Negative Sentences in Passive Voice
Structure:
Object + was/were + not + being + 3rd form + (by + subject)
Examples:
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He was not cleaning the floor. → The floor was not being cleaned by him.
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They were not fixing the fan. → The fan was not being fixed by them.
8. Interrogative Sentences in Passive Voice
a. Yes/No Questions
Structure:
Was/Were + object + being + 3rd form + (by + subject)?
Example:
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Was he checking the documents? → Were the documents being checked by him?
b. Wh-Questions
Structure:
Wh-word + was/were + object + being + 3rd form + (by + subject)?
Example:
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Why was he writing the report? → Why was the report being written by him?
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What were they preparing? → What was being prepared by them?
