Learn English – Difference Between Was taken Place & Took Place

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When to use Was Taken and Took Place in Sentence? Are both the versions correct?

a) The Accident was taken place in our neighborhood.

b) The Accident took place in our neighborhood.

for me,

1) Both the sentences gives same information about past accident.

2) Sentence a) is Passive voice and sentence b) is Active voice.

3) To take is an intransitive verb which need subject to do it. Accident can not be taken place by its own some one has to do accident hence for me sentence b) is incorrect.

4) But Sentence b) can also be ordinary version of sentence. Which gives Idea about past accident without any details like who did it, how it happened etc.

Please help,

Additional explanation for bounty

Can we use Taken Place as an Past Participle in my above given example?.
e.g.

Accident (which) was taken place in our neighborhood. In which 3 people were killed.

Through Passive voice we can define subject. In my example Accident is subject and I am defining it by giving additional information of like when it taken place, How many people were killed, accident occurred in past. ….etc.

Best Answer

The verb to take place, occur and happen are intransitive verbs. That means they cannot have a direct object.

Intransitive verbs cannot be made into adjectives using a past participle.

We would not say: the occurred event or the happened accident.

  • The event occurred at sunrise.
  • The accident happened yesterday.
  • My birthday party took place amidst much confusion.

intransitive verbs

to take place is like take: take, took, taken

The accident took place [happened or occurred] in my neighborhood.

"The accident was taken place" is therefore ungrammatical.

Intransitive verbs by definition cannot be used in the passive form. Passive forms are for action verbs only.

  • The man stole the boy's money.
  • The boy's money was stolen by the man.

Actions verbs can be used to create an adjective:

The stolen [past participle used as an adjective] money was on the table.

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