Voice is the category of the verb Voice is the category of the verb which indicates relation of the predicate to the subject and the object.According to kind of scientists Ilish,Smirnitsky, the voice structure in the Middle English period begins to be used much more often. This period is characterized by the final formation of analytical forms of voice structures, which have undergone significant changes in their functioning. The further development of the voice verb forms during this period leads to the loss of the meaning of bеon and wеorjjan as link-verbs and gains the meaning of the auxiliary verb. The verb ben becomes the main auxiliary verb. The participle 2 also used without a case ending and becomes unchangeable [2, p. 248–249]. During this period in the system of passive constructions the person who committed the action is often used with the preposition by, being finally fixed in the voice structure only by the end of the Middle English period.
In Modern English there are two grammatical voices: the active voice and the passive voice. The active voice shows that the action is directed from the subject to the object and the subject itself is the doer of an action. The passive voice is used to show that the action is directed to the subject and not from it. The subject itself is not the doer of an action but is acted upon. The passive voice is not simply a parallel construction of the active voice. Very often we do not find the doer of an action in the passive constructions. This is because sometimes we do not know the doer of an action or we are not interested in it or sometimes we do not want to mention it for some reason or other.
The English language voice system also has a number of specific features. The question of their number as well as their qualitative characteristics among linguists remains relevant. For example, most researchers of English theoretical grammar (G. Sweet, A.I. Smirnitsky) distinguish only two voices in English: active and passive. H. Poutsma distinguishes another voice – the reflexive voice. Comparing the system of Greek grammar with the system of the English language he notes that the meaning of the middle voice in Greek is usually expressed in English by means of reflexive or more rarely reflexive pronouns. The authors of the textbook “Theoretical Grammar of Modern English” Kobrina N.A., Boldyrev N.N., Khudyakov A.A. distinguish six voices.According to Kaushanskaya there are three voices in English: the active voice, the passive voice, and the neuter-reflexive voice. (In many textbooks of today only two voices the active and the passive are distinguished.)
The active voice shows that the person or thing denoted by the subject is the doer of the action expressed by the predicate.
The passive voice shows that the person or thing denoted by the subject is acted upon.
The neuter-reflexive voice shows that the action expressed by the predicate passes on to the subject. This voice is formed by means of a reflexive pronoun.
Helen lifted herself up and looked towards nurse. (Gaskell) The truth was, Mary was dressing herself.