Here's why:
* "Was" is the past tense of the verb "to be."
* "Never" is an adverb that negates the verb.
* "Affected" is the past participle of the verb "to affect."
The phrase is in the passive voice, meaning the subject of the sentence is the one being affected.
For example:
* "The company was never affected by the economic downturn."
In this sentence, the company is the subject, and it was not affected by the downturn.