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Tool 33: A verb (V) is called "active" when the subject (S) does the verb (V).
What does this mean? This means in typical sentences, the subject is performing the action
that the verb describes. So the boy ate the pop tart. Who ate the pop tart? the boy did.
The tree fell on the house. Uncle Cy grew a mustache. These are all active verbs because
the subject is doing the thing in the sentence. Even if we change the verb form and say, The
boy has eaten the pop tart, that's still going to be an active verb because it's still the
boy - the subject - who's doing the eating. Or, the tree is falling on the house, use
that BH + CV, it's still the tree that is doing the falling in the sentence. So as long
as the subject is doing the verb, that's an active verb. Most verbs that we write, most
sentences that we write, most sentences that we say, we use active verbs. So active verbs
are the default for most of our sentences.