Past

We form the past simple passive with the past simple form of the verb to be (was, were) and the past participle of the main verb:

Mrs Smith washed the dishes yesterday. ] The dishes were washed by Mrs Smith yesterday.

We form the past continuous passive with the past continuous form of the verb to be (was, were being) and the past participle of the main verb:

Mr Jones was reading a book. ] A book was being read by Mr Jones.