How to Use the Passive Voice in the Past Perfect Tense to Score High in IELTS Test

April 12, 2024

Using the passive voice in the past perfect tense in the IELTS speaking and writing tests can significantly enhance your grammatical range, demonstrating your proficiency in English. The past perfect passive is particularly useful for discussing actions that were completed before another action or point in time in the past, especially when the focus is on the action or its results rather than the doer.

Understanding Passive Voice in Past Perfect Tense

The structure of a passive sentence in the past perfect tense is:

Subject + had been + past participle of the verb

For example:

  • Active: “The company had completed the project before the deadline.”
  • Passive: “The project had been completed by the company before the deadline.”

When to Use Passive Voice in IELTS

  1. To Emphasize the Action or Result: Use the passive voice when the action or its result is more important than who performed it.
    • E.g., “By the time the meeting started, the report had been prepared.”
  2. When the Doer is Unknown or Unimportant: If the person or entity performing the action is not important or is unknown, the passive voice is a good choice.
    • E.g., “Before the discovery, the artifact had been considered lost for centuries.”
  3. To Describe Sequential Past Actions: It’s useful for describing actions that were completed before another past action or event.
    • E.g., “The guests had been seated by the time the speaker arrived.”
  4. To Vary Sentence Structure: Using a mix of active and passive sentences, especially in different tenses, can make your speech or writing more dynamic and engaging.
    • E.g., “We had finished the analysis, and the data had been compiled into a report.”

Tips for Using Passive Voice in IELTS

  • Practice Regularly: Familiarize yourself with the structure and use it in various contexts to become comfortable with it.
  • Balance Your Usage: While it’s important to demonstrate your ability to use complex structures, use them appropriately and ensure clarity in your communication.
  • Contextual Learning: Learn and practice this structure in context. It’s easier to remember and use correctly when you understand how and when it’s typically used.
  • Seek Feedback: Get feedback from a proficient English speaker or teacher, especially on whether you’re using this structure naturally.
  • Listen and Read Actively: Pay attention to how native speakers and writers use the past perfect passive, particularly in academic and formal contexts.

Example Sentences for Practice

  1. The report had been written by the team before the presentation.
  2. The house had been sold before the market crashed.
  3. The project had been completed by the engineers before the deadline.
  4. The book had been published by the author before the award ceremony.
  5. The decision had been made by the committee before the announcement.
  6. The meal had been prepared by the chef before the guests arrived.
  7. The contract had been signed by the director before the meeting.
  8. The homework had been done by the students before the school break.
  9. The painting had been finished by the artist before the exhibition opened.
  10. The letter had been sent by the secretary before the end of the day.
  11. The tickets had been booked by the travel agent before the holiday season.
  12. The agreement had been reached by the negotiators before the strike.
  13. The research had been conducted by the scientists before the conference.
  14. The movie had been directed by the filmmaker before the festival.
  15. The plan had been approved by the board before the project started.
  16. The proposal had been submitted by the team before the deadline.
  17. The rules had been established by the organization before the competition.
  18. The building had been renovated by the contractors before the opening.
  19. The speech had been written by the politician before the campaign.
  20. The test had been graded by the teacher before the end of the term.
  21. The song had been recorded by the band before the tour.
  22. The evidence had been collected by the detective before the trial.
  23. The design had been created by the architect before the construction.
  24. The strategy had been developed by the management before the merger.
  25. The job had been offered by the company before the interview.
  26. The deal had been closed by the salesperson before the quarter ended.
  27. The story had been covered by the journalist before the press release.
  28. The product had been developed by the team before the launch.
  29. The budget had been allocated by the finance department before the fiscal year.
  30. The lecture had been delivered by the professor before the semester.
  31. The training had been completed by the staff before the new system implementation.
  32. The application had been processed by the admissions office before the deadline.
  33. The play had been performed by the actors before the theater closed.
  34. The survey had been conducted by the researchers before the policy change.
  35. The procedure had been performed by the surgeon before the patient’s recovery.
  36. The investigation had been completed by the police before the press conference.
  37. The essay had been written by the student before the submission date.
  38. The campaign had been launched by the marketing team before the holiday season.
  39. The review had been published by the critic before the movie premiere.
  40. The discussion had been held by the panel before the decision.
  41. The document had been reviewed by the lawyer before the signing.
  42. The machine had been repaired by the technician before the factory reopened.
  43. The announcement had been made by the CEO before the stock market opened.
  44. The data had been analyzed by the team before the report.
  45. The meeting had been scheduled by the secretary before the business trip.
  46. The painting had been appraised by the expert before the auction.
  47. The course had been taught by the instructor before the university accreditation.
  48. The donation had been received by the charity before the event.
  49. The instructions had been given by the leader before the task.
  50. The presentation had been prepared by the speaker before the conference.
  51. The garden had been landscaped by the gardener before the summer.
  52. The article had been edited by the editor before the publication.
  53. The recipe had been tested by the chef before the cookbook release.
  54. The film had been edited by the editor before the screening.
  55. The qualifications had been verified by HR before the hiring.
  56. The experiment had been conducted by the researcher before the discovery.
  57. The agreement had been terminated by the company before the lawsuit.
  58. The performance had been reviewed by the manager before the appraisal.
  59. The decision had been reversed by the authorities before the protest.
  60. The software had been updated by the IT team before the security breach.
  61. The budget had been cut by the government before the fiscal review.
  62. The concert had been organized by the event planner before the ticket sales.
  63. The policy had been changed by the administration before the academic year.
  64. The building had been inspected by the official before the certification.
  65. The message had been conveyed by the diplomat before the negotiations.
  66. The procedure had been updated by the committee before the audit.
  67. The goods had been shipped by the supplier before the order cancellation.
  68. The interview had been conducted by the journalist before the publication.
  69. The photograph had been taken by the photographer before the ceremony.
  70. The appointment had been scheduled by the doctor before the patient’s arrival.
  71. The lecture had been recorded by the university before the online course.
  72. The plan had been revised by the team before the project kickoff.
  73. The document had been translated by the linguist before the international meeting.
  74. The strategy had been evaluated by the consultant before the implementation.
  75. The evidence had been reviewed by the jury before the verdict.
  76. The program had been broadcasted by the network before the cancellation.
  77. The article had been retracted by the publisher before the lawsuit.
  78. The funds had been transferred by the bank before the account closure.
  79. The experiment had been replicated by the scientists before the publication.
  80. The project had been abandoned by the team before the funding cut.
  81. The proposal had been rejected by the committee before the meeting.
  82. The agreement had been dissolved by the partners before the merger.
  83. The plan had been outlined by the strategist before the campaign.
  84. The budget had been approved by the council before the project commencement.
  85. The course had been accredited by the board before the semester.
  86. The decision had been endorsed by the leader before the announcement.
  87. The report had been discredited by the experts before the press conference.
  88. The product had been recalled by the manufacturer before the lawsuit.
  89. The strategy had been questioned by the analyst before the market shift.
  90. The appointment had been confirmed by the office before the visit.
  91. The theory had been disproved by the scientist before the conference.
  92. The procedure had been standardized by the organization before the accreditation.
  93. The nomination had been withdrawn by the candidate before the election.
  94. The project had been showcased by the team before the award.
  95. The initiative had been praised by the critics before the rollout.
  96. The policy had been scrutinized by the committee before the approval.
  97. The artwork had been authenticated by the expert before the sale.
  98. The contract had been renegotiated by the parties before the deadline.
  99. The plan had been modified by the planners before the approval.
  100. The discovery had been heralded by the media before the official announcement.

These examples cover a wide range of subjects and verbs, demonstrating how the passive voice in the past perfect tense can be used in different contexts. This variety is beneficial for IELTS speaking and writing, as it

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