Voice Is a Grammatical Category as Well as a Sound
A voice is the sound produced by the vocal cords. In grammar it describes the relationship between verb and subject.
A voice is the sound produced through the vocal cords, and by extension the right to express an opinion. Grammar uses the word for something quite different: *active* and *passive* voice describe whether the subject performs the action or receives it. *The dog bit the man* is active, *the man was bitten by the dog* is passive, and the passive is useful precisely when the actor is unknown or deliberately unnamed. Latin *vox* also gives *vocal*, *vocation* and *vowel*.
- Vocal sound. *A deep voice.*
- An opinion. *Have a voice.*
- Grammatical voice. *The passive voice.*
- Vowel — from the same root. *A vowel.*
- Latin — *vox*, voice. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | voice | A voice. |
| Plural | voices | Voices. |
| Verb | voice | Voice it. |
| Adjective | vocal | Vocal. |
| Latin | vox | Voice. |
- She has a beautiful singing voice.Sound.
- Everyone should have a voice.Opinion.
- Avoid the passive voice here.Grammar.
The vox family
- Voice — the sound of speech
- Vocal — of the voice
- Vowel — a sound made with open vocal tract
- Vocation — a calling
- Advocate — one called to speak for another
Old French *vois*, from Latin *vox*, voice, sound or word.
What is the passive voice?
A construction where the subject receives the action rather than performing it, as in the man was bitten rather than the dog bit the man.
Are voice and vocation related?
Yes. A vocation is literally a calling, from the same Latin vox.