Passive with Two Objects: She Was Given a Prize / A Prize Was Given to Her
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
When a verb has two objects (a person and a thing), you can make either one the subject of a passive sentence.
- Focus on the person: 'She was given a prize.'
- Focus on the thing: 'A prize was given to her.'
- Note the preposition: 'To' is required when the thing comes first.
When a verb has two objects (a person and a thing), you can make either one the subject of the passive. This gives you flexibility in what you emphasise.
Active to Passive: Two Options
Active: They gave her a prize.
Option 1: Person as subject ✓ More common
She was given a prize.
Option 2: Thing as subject
A prize was given to her.
More Examples
| Active | Person as Subject | Thing as Subject |
|---|---|---|
| They sent him a letter. | He was sent a letter. | A letter was sent to him. |
| They offered her the job. | She was offered the job. | The job was offered to her. |
| They showed us the data. | We were shown the data. | The data was shown to us. |
| They taught them French. | They were taught French. | French was taught to them. |
Common Two-Object Verbs
Meanings
This structure allows speakers to shift focus between the recipient of an action and the object being transferred in passive constructions.
Recipient Focus
Making the person who receives the object the subject of the sentence.
“I was offered a job.”
“They were shown the way.”
Object Focus
Making the object being transferred the subject of the sentence.
“A job was offered to me.”
“The way was shown to them.”
Passive Voice with Two Objects
| Subject (Person) | Verb (be + pp) | Direct Object | Preposition | Subject (Thing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | was given | a gift | - | - |
| - | was given | a gift | to | me |
| She | was sent | an email | - | - |
| - | was sent | an email | to | her |
| They | were shown | the way | - | - |
| - | were shown | the way | to | them |
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction |
|---|---|
| I was given | I's given (rare) |
| He was sent | He's sent |
| They were shown | They're shown |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (Person) | Subj + was/were + V3 + Obj | I was given a book. |
| Affirmative (Thing) | Subj + was/were + V3 + to + Obj | A book was given to me. |
| Negative (Person) | Subj + wasn't/weren't + V3 + Obj | I wasn't given a book. |
| Negative (Thing) | Subj + wasn't/weren't + V3 + to + Obj | A book wasn't given to me. |
| Question (Person) | Was/Were + Subj + V3 + Obj? | Was I given a book? |
| Question (Thing) | Was/Were + Subj + V3 + to + Obj? | Was a book given to me? |
Formality Spectrum
The report was submitted to the manager. (Workplace)
The manager was given the report. (Workplace)
They gave the manager the report. (Workplace)
Manager got the report. (Workplace)
The Two-Way Passive
Focus on Person
- She was given a gift Ella recibió un regalo
Focus on Thing
- A gift was given to her Un regalo fue dado a ella
Examples by Level
I was given a pen.
She was sent a letter.
He was shown a photo.
They were offered tea.
A pen was given to me.
A letter was sent to her.
A photo was shown to him.
Tea was offered to them.
I was promised a promotion.
A promotion was promised to me.
She was taught the basics.
The basics were taught to her.
The candidate was asked a difficult question.
A difficult question was asked of the candidate.
We were granted access to the files.
Access to the files was granted to us.
The students were denied entry to the lab.
Entry to the lab was denied to the students.
He was awarded a prestigious scholarship.
A prestigious scholarship was awarded to him.
The whistleblower was afforded protection by the state.
Protection was afforded to the whistleblower.
They were bequeathed a large fortune.
A large fortune was bequeathed to them.
Easily Confused
Learners often mix up the subject and object.
Forgetting 'to' in the object-subject form.
Using verbs that don't take two objects.
Common Mistakes
A gift was given her.
A gift was given to her.
She was given to a gift.
She was given a gift.
I was give a gift.
I was given a gift.
A gift were given to her.
A gift was given to her.
He was explained the rule.
The rule was explained to him.
She was sent to an email.
She was sent an email.
The book was given me.
The book was given to me.
They were offered to a job.
They were offered a job.
A job was offered them.
A job was offered to them.
He was suggested a plan.
A plan was suggested to him.
The information was told him.
The information was told to him.
He was told to the information.
He was told the information.
The prize was awarded him.
The prize was awarded to him.
She was described the scene.
The scene was described to her.
Sentence Patterns
I was ___ a ___.
A ___ was ___ to me.
They were ___ the ___.
The ___ was ___ to them.
Real World Usage
The report was sent to you this morning.
I was sent this link by a friend.
I was asked a challenging question.
We were shown our rooms by the staff.
I was given the wrong order.
The data was presented to the researchers.
Focus on the subject
Don't forget 'to'
Check your verbs
Formal vs Informal
Smart Tips
Use the object-subject passive to sound more objective.
Use the person-subject passive to keep the focus on the character.
Immediately think: can I make two passive sentences?
If the thing is the subject, add 'to'. If the person is the subject, don't.
Pronunciation
Stress
In the 'to' version, the preposition 'to' is usually unstressed.
Falling
A PRIZE was given to HER.
Neutral statement of fact.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Two objects, two ways: Person first (no 'to'), Thing first (needs 'to').
Visual Association
Imagine a gift box. If you hold the person, the box is just there. If you hold the box, you need a string ('to') to connect it to the person.
Rhyme
Person first, no 'to' in sight, Thing first, 'to' makes it right.
Story
Sarah was given a trophy. She held it tight. The trophy was given to her by the mayor. She felt proud. Both sentences describe the same moment.
Word Web
Challenge
Take 5 minutes to write 3 sentences about things you have received, using both passive forms for each.
Cultural Notes
More formal usage of the 'to' construction is common in professional settings.
The recipient-subject form is very common in casual speech.
Passive voice is preferred to maintain objectivity.
The passive voice in English evolved from Germanic roots, with the ditransitive passive emerging as the language became more flexible.
Conversation Starters
What is the best gift you have ever been given?
Have you ever been shown a secret place?
What kind of feedback are you usually offered at work?
If you were awarded a prize, what would it be for?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
I was ___ a prize.
Find and fix the mistake:
A prize was given me.
Which is correct?
I was offered a job.
Can you use this with 'explain'?
A: Did you get the files? B: Yes, ___.
was / to / given / the / book / him
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesI was ___ a prize.
Find and fix the mistake:
A prize was given me.
Which is correct?
I was offered a job.
Can you use this with 'explain'?
A: Did you get the files? B: Yes, ___.
was / to / given / the / book / him
I gave her a gift.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, only with ditransitive verbs like 'give', 'send', 'offer'.
It marks the recipient in the object-subject passive.
No, that is incorrect. It should be 'She was given a gift'.
The object-subject form is generally more formal.
Yes, with verbs like 'buy' or 'make'.
Yes, very common in emails and reports.
You can say 'He was told the truth' or 'The truth was told to him'.
Try writing sentences about things you have received.
In Other Languages
Se le dio un regalo.
Spanish uses the 'se' particle instead of the 'be + participle' structure.
Un cadeau lui a été donné.
French uses object pronouns instead of prepositional phrases.
Ein Geschenk wurde ihm gegeben.
German uses case endings rather than prepositions.
彼はプレゼントを与えられた。
Japanese is an agglutinative language with different word order.
أُعطي هدية.
Arabic does not use a 'be' verb in the same way.
他被给了礼物。
Chinese 'bei' is usually for negative experiences.
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