Term: Active
Definition:
English verbs can be in either the Active or the Passive Voice. Voice shows the relationship between the verb and the noun phrases. In a sentence in the active, the person or thing that performed the action is the Subject of the Verb.
eg: I wrote the letter.
In a sentence in the Passive the Object of the active sentence is used as the subject of the verb.
eg: The letter was sent yesterday.
See Also: Ergative Verb; Middle Verb;
'Active' - Related Links
Grammar Topic: Verbs and Tenses
Browse the following links to other content related to 'Active' from the 'Verbs and Tenses' grammar category:
Glossary Entries
- Action Verbs
- Active
- Agents
- Ambitransitive Verbs
- Aspect
- Auxiliary Verbs
- Base Form
- Causative Verbs
- Continuous Verbs
- Copula Verbs
- Declarative Mood
- Ditransitive Verbs
- Dynamic Verbs
- Emphatic Forms
- Ergative Verbs
- Finite Verbs
- Future Perfect
- Future Perfect Progressive (Future Perfect Continuous)
- Future Progressive (Future Continuous)
- Helping Verb
- Imperatives
- Inchoative Verbs
- Intransitive Verbs
- Irregular Verbs
- Linking Verb
- Main Verbs
- Middle Verbs
- Mood
- Non-Finite Verbs
- Participles
- Past Participles
- Past Perfect
- Past Perfect Progressive (Past Perfect Continuous)
- Past Progressive (Past Continuous)
- Past Simple (Simple Past)
- Past Simple Tense
- Perfect
- Perfect Aspect
- Performative Verb
- Present Participle
- Present Perfect
- Present Perfect Progressive (Present Perfect Continuous)
- Present Progressive (Present Continuous)
- Present Simple Tense
- Progressive Aspect
- Regular Verbs
- Stative Verbs
- Subjunctive
- Tense
- Transitive Verb
- Verb Group
- Verb Phrase
- Verbs
- Voice
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