Open up any grammar book and you'll find a unit on the passive voice. This isn't another tense to learn, rather it is, what we call a 'voice'.
Instead of saying
Jack built the house in 1763. (Active voice)
We can say
The house was built in 1763. (Passive voice)
Did you notice that if we use the passive voice, we don't have to mention Jack? This is very important. We can mention Jack by adding 'by Jack' but we don't have to.
The active voice is often easier for our brains to process but sometimes the passive voice sounds better.
Here are some reasons you might see the passive voice being used.
The actor (Jack or somebody or something else) isn't known.
The actor isn't important.
The speaker doesn't want to mention the actor
To help the flow from one sentence to the next
To comply with the conventions of certain types of writing - e.g. describing research
Many languages have both active and passive voices. When I'm teaching the passive voice, I start off by mentioning how the passive is formed in German. This helps reassure people that they are already familiar with the passive voice.
After that, I teach how it is formed in English.
In German, the passive is formed with the verb 'werden' (or occasionally 'sein'). In English the passive is formed with the verb 'to be' + past participle (3rd column verb). In more informal uses, the verb 'get' can be used instead of 'be'.
Here are some example sentences:
The bathroom is cleaned every day.
The bathrooms are cleaned every day.
The bathroom is being cleaned right now.
The bathroom was cleaned yesterday.
The bathroom has been cleaned.
Perhaps you've noticed that the past participle part ('cleaned') is quite easy - you just need to take the 3rd column verb. The thing that is tricky with the passive is choosing the right form of the verb 'to be'. You have to choose the right tense and check whether the subject is singular or plural.
One of the things I would say is that my students are often a bit worried about what 'passive' means and can get a bit confused by the terminology. However, they typically understand a passive sentence when they see it.
Grammar exercises
Doing exercises on the passive voice in a grammar book is definitely worthwhile. Not only will it help you learn how to use the passive but it's also a good chance to repeat all the work you've done learning the different tenses. This does make it a challenge though as there is so much information for your brain to process. Don't worry if you make a few mistakes along the way. As long as you are checking the answers in the book and thinking about them, you'll be making progress.
Happy studying!
Adi
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