Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

• Understand the structure and usage of the past perfect tense in the passive voice.

• Identify passive voice in past perfect constructions.

• Use the past perfect passive in both spoken and written communication to describe actions completed before a past point.

• Differentiate between active and passive constructions in the past perfect tense.

What is the Past Perfect Passive?

The Past Perfect Passive is used to express that something had been done to the subject before a certain point in the past. It focuses on the action or result, not on who performed it.

Structure

Subject + had been + past participle (V3)

Examples:

• The report had been submitted before the deadline.

• All invitations had been sent out by Friday.

4. Comparison: Active vs Passive (Past Perfect)

Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or you want to emphasize the result.

Usage in Communication

Use when focusing on the result of an action:

• The documents had been printed, so we were ready for the meeting.

Use when the agent (doer) is not important or not mentioned:

• The decision had been made before I joined the team.

Negative and Interrogative Forms

Negative Form:

Subject + had not been + past participle

Example:

• The proposal had not been reviewed before the meeting.

Question Form:

Had + subject + been + past participle?

Example:

• Had the documents been signed before submission?

Common Time Expressions

• Before

• By the time

• Already

• When

• After

Examples:

• The guests had already been seated when we arrived.

• The house had been cleaned before the inspection.

Practical Communication Use Cases

In Reports:

• “All safety protocols had been followed before the incident occurred.”

In Business Emails:

• “The file had not been uploaded before the deadline, which caused a delay.”

In Conversations:

• “Had the invitations been sent before the change of venue?”