The
Active Voice of a verb is the form it takes when the
subject is
actively performing it, and the
object (if there is one) is the recipient of the action in a direct sense. For example:
The cat spat a rat on the mat.
Active voice, with 'the cat' as the subject and 'a rat' as the direct object.
The cat sat on the mat.
Active voice, with 'the cat' as the subject and no direct object.
Oppose
passive voice and compare
middle voice.