Present and past perfect passive
Definition
A perfect passive combines perfect aspect and passive voice. The present perfect passive uses have/has been + past participle; the past perfect passive uses had been + past participle.
subject + have / has been + past participle (past: had been + past participle)
Examples
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The invitations have been sent.
The sending is complete and relevant to the present.
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The road has been closed since Monday.
The passive state began earlier and continues to the present.
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The room had been cleaned before the guests arrived.
The cleaning was completed before another past event.
Simple passive vs. perfect passive
The report was completed yesterday.
The passive event is located at a finished past time.
The report has been completed.
The completed event is connected to the present.
Both forms are passive. The perfect passive additionally connects the event to a present or past reference point.
Questions and negatives change the first auxiliary
The first auxiliary carries tense, agreement, negation, and inversion. Been and the past participle remain unchanged.
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Has the payment been received?
Has moves before the subject to form the question.
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The payment had not been received by Friday.
Not follows the first auxiliary had.
Common mistakes
The invitations have sent.
The invitations have been sent.
A perfect passive requires been before the past participle.
The room had been clean before the guests arrived.
The room had been cleaned before the guests arrived.
Use the past participle cleaned after been.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence contains a present perfect passive?
Have been signed is present perfect and passive.Which sentence contains a past perfect passive?
Had been locked is a past perfect passive.Which question is correctly formed?
Move the first auxiliary has before the subject and retain been + past participle.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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