Every sentence, you recollect, must have one finite verb, or more than one, and one nominative, either expressed or implied, for, without them, no sentence can exist.

The nominative is the actor or subject concerning which the verb makes an affirmation.  There are three kinds of nominatives, active, passive, and neuter.

The nominative to an active verb, is active, because it produces an action, and the nominative to a passive verb, is passive, because it receives or endures the action expressed by the verb; for,

A Passive Verb denotes action received or endured by the person or thing which is the nominative; as, “The boy is beaten by his father.”

You perceive, that the nominative boy, in this example, is not represented as the actor, but as the object of the action expressed by the verb is beaten; that is, the boy receives or endures the action performed by his father; therefore boy is a passive nominative.  And you observe, too, that the verb is beaten, denotes the action received or endured by the nominative; therefore is beaten is a passive verb.

If I say, John kicked the horse, John is an active nominative, because he performed or produced the action; but if I say, John was kicked by the horse, John is a passive nominative, because he received or endured the action.

The nominative to a neuter verb, is neuter, because it does not produce an action nor receive one; as, John sits in the chair.  John is here connected with the neuter verb sits, which expresses simply the state of being of its nominative, therefore John is a neuter nominative.

I will now illustrate the active, passive, and neuter nominatives by a few examples.

I. Of ACTIVE NOMINATIVES; as, “The boy beats the dog; The lady sings; The ball rolls; The man walks.”

II.  Of PASSIVE NOMINATIVES; as, “The boy is beaten; The lady is loved; The ball is rolled; The man was killed.”

III.  Of NEUTER NOMINATIVES; as, “The boy remains idle; The lady is beautiful; The ball lies on the ground; The man lives in town.”  You may now proceed to the conjugation of passive verbs.

Passive Verbs are called regular when they end in ed; as, was loved; was conquered.

All Passive Verbs are formed by adding the perfect participle of an active-transitive verb, to the neuter verb to be.

If you place a perfect participle of an active-transitive verb after this neuter verb be, in any mood or tense, you will have a passive verb in the same mood and tense that the verb be would be in if the participle were not used; as, I am slighted; I was slighted; he will be slighted; If I be slighted; I may, can, or must be slighted, &c.  Hence you perceive, that when you shall have learned the conjugation of the verb be, you will be able to conjugate any passive verb in the English language.