What term describes the relationship between the verb plus its noun phrases that can be changed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence, such as active and passive?

What term describes the relationship between the verb plus its noun phrases that can be changed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence, such as active and passive?

• A. Voice
• B. Mood
• C. Tense
• D. Aspect

Answer: (A)

Voice describes how the verb relates to its noun phrases—whether the subject performs the action or receives it. In active voice, the subject does the action; in passive voice, the action is received by the subject and the agent can be moved or omitted. You can change between active and passive without altering the essential content of the sentence, though the emphasis shifts. This is distinct from mood (statements, commands, or hypothetical meanings), tense (time of the action), and aspect (how the action unfolds over time).

Voice describes how the verb relates to its noun phrases—whether the subject performs the action or receives it. In active voice, the subject does the action; in passive voice, the action is received by the subject and the agent can be moved or omitted. You can change between active and passive without altering the essential content of the sentence, though the emphasis shifts. This is distinct from mood (statements, commands, or hypothetical meanings), tense (time of the action), and aspect (how the action unfolds over time).