The passive

The point

Be plus the past participle makes the receiver of the action the subject. The note was sent. The notes are checked. If you need the doer, add by. The passive verb still agrees with the subject.

Form and use

The passive makes the receiver the subject. Use a be verb plus a past participle. The present uses am, is, or are. The past uses was or were. The future uses will be. The participle stays fixed: sent, checked, written. Be agrees with the new subject.

Read the full set. I am invited. You are invited. He is invited. She is invited. We are invited. They are invited. The note is checked. The notes are checked. I was invited. You were invited. He was invited. They were invited. The note was sent. The notes were sent. The note will be sent. The notes will be checked. The note is not checked. The notes were not sent. The file will not be lost. Is the note checked? Were the notes sent? Will the file be sent? The note was sent by Mina.

By names the doer when you need one. If the doer does not matter, leave by out. Was send and were check are wrong. Was sent and were checked are right.

Not follows the first auxiliary: is not checked, were not sent, will not be lost. Questions move that auxiliary forward: Is the note checked? One note takes is or was. Several notes take are or were. The participle does not become plural.

Don't translate it like this

Was plus the participle sent.

Short examples