I was given a present (passive of give)
I was given a present (passive of give) means “Passive with two-object verbs: either the person or the thing can be the subject”. Verbs like give, send, offer and tell have two objects (a person and a thing), so their passive can start with either one. Formation: person + be + past participle (+ direct object) · thing + be + past participle + to person
Passive with two-object verbs: either the person or the thing can be the subject
B1Formation
person + be + past participle (+ direct object) · thing + be + past participle + to person
Explanation
Verbs like give, send, offer and tell have two objects (a person and a thing), so their passive can start with either one. From They gave me a present, you get I was given a present (person first) or A present was given to me (thing first, with to before the person). Both are correct; the person-first version is very common in everyday English.
Examples
Note
The past participle is fixed: given, sent, told, offered. To name who did it, add by ...: I was given a book by my teacher.
FAQ
I was given a present (passive of give) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Passive with two-object verbs: either the person or the thing can be the subject. Verbs like give, send, offer and tell have two objects (a person and a thing), so their passive can start with either one. From They gave me a present, you get I was given a present (person first) or A present was given to me (thing first, with to before the person). Both are correct; the person-first version is very common in everyday English.
I was given a present (passive of give) — how do you form it?
person + be + past participle (+ direct object) · thing + be + past participle + to person
I was given a present (passive of give) — any usage notes?
The past participle is fixed: given, sent, told, offered. To name who did it, add by ...: I was given a book by my teacher.