10.9 formation of passive tenses

Passive forms consist of an appropriate tense of 'be' followed by the past participle of the verb. For example, the passive form of the simple present of 'eat' is the simple present of 'be' followed by 'eaten': 'It is eaten'.

• She escaped uninjured but her boyfriend was shot in the chest and died.
• He was being treated for a stomach ulcer.
• He thinks such events could have been avoided.