Final answer:
The verb 'recognized' in the sentence 'Rhoda recognized his voice' is an action verb, as it describes Rhoda's act of identifying a voice she knew. Action verbs are crucial for strong, clear writing and are preferred over longer phrases when possible.
Step-by-step explanation:
The italicized verb in the sentence 'Rhoda recognized his voice' is an action verb. This is because the verb 'recognized' refers to the action that Rhoda performed. She actively identified a voice that she had previously heard or knew. It does not serve as a linking verb because it does not connect the subject with a state of being or a description; rather, it conveys what Rhoda did.
In terms of characters and actions within a sentence, the character in the example sentence is 'Rhoda,' and the action she performs is 'recognized.' When rewriting the sentence to focus on this action, you could simply reiterate that "Rhoda recognized the voice," which maintains the subject's alignment with the action she performed and keeps the sentence in an active voice.
Effective writing often involves using action verbs to create concise and compelling sentences. For instance, instead of writing 'come to a decision' one could use the action verb 'decide' to make the sentence stronger and more direct.