active (adj./n.) (act, ACT)

A term used in the GRAMMATICAL analysis of VOICE, referring to a SENTENCE, CLAUSE, or VERB FORM where, from a SEMANTIC point of view, the grammatical SUBJECT is typically the actor, in relation to the verb, e.g. The boy wrote a letter. ‘Active voice’ (or ‘the active’) is contrasted with PASSIVE, and sometimes with other forms of the verb, e.g. the ‘middle voice’ in Greek.