The Passive Voice

This week we're going to study the passive voice.

The passive voice requires two things: the verb "be" and the past participle. It's possible to use "get" instead of "be," but not always.

Knowing past participles for verbs is essential in the passive voice. For regular verbs, it's easy. Just add "ed" to the end of the word. The apple pie was baked in the oven. "Bake" is a regular verb: bake / baked / baked. Irregular verbs, on the other hand, must be memorized. If you don't know them, go here.

Also, pay attention to the verb "be." It indicates the tense. A new store is being built across the street. What tense is that? The present continuous--"is being." Isn't it strange to use "be" twice? But remember the rules for making the present continuous: S + (be) + _____ing. Then you add the past participle. �