What defines active voice in writing?

What defines active voice in writing?

• A. Active voice is when the subject comes first in the sentence.
• B. Passive voice is when the subject comes first in the sentence.
• C. Active voice uses a question form.
• D. Passive voice uses a question form.

Answer: (A)

Active voice describes sentences where the person or thing performing the action is the subject and typically appears before the verb. This arrangement makes the sentence direct and easy to follow. For example, “The nurse administered the vaccine” shows the subject (the nurse) doing the action (administered) right at the start. In contrast, passive voice shifts focus onto the action or the receiver of the action, as in “The vaccine was administered by the nurse,” where the doer can be moved later or named with a by-phrase. The idea that active voice is defined by the subject coming first matches how these sentences are structured, making it the clearest, most efficient choice in many writing contexts. Statements about using a question form relate to mood, not voice, and the claim that passive voice uses the subject first misstates how passive constructions are built.

Active voice describes sentences where the person or thing performing the action is the subject and typically appears before the verb. This arrangement makes the sentence direct and easy to follow. For example, “The nurse administered the vaccine” shows the subject (the nurse) doing the action (administered) right at the start. In contrast, passive voice shifts focus onto the action or the receiver of the action, as in “The vaccine was administered by the nurse,” where the doer can be moved later or named with a by-phrase. The idea that active voice is defined by the subject coming first matches how these sentences are structured, making it the clearest, most efficient choice in many writing contexts. Statements about using a question form relate to mood, not voice, and the claim that passive voice uses the subject first misstates how passive constructions are built.