Questions tagged [transitivity]
Questions about verbs that take direct, or both direct and indirect, objects.
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Does using a preposition phrase instead of a direct object change the transitivity of a verb?
A textbook I'm using to refresh some basic grammar states that indirect objects can be identified by it's answering of questions such as 'to whom', 'to what' etc. (fair enough) and they always come ...
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Why use "break out" instead of "broken out"?
I had my purse stolen during my stay in London.
In this sentence, "stolen" is used insted of "steal".
In my childhood, I had a fire break out.
In this sentence, "break out&...
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middle voice vs passive voice
Many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.
The glass broke.
The glass was broken.
The door opened/closed.
The door was opened/closed.
And I was told there is a semantic difference in the ...
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5
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What is the function of "their way" in "they went their way"?
Go is clearly an intransitive verb. This source {Chomp Chomp_Robin L. Simmons} says:
Some verbs, such as arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, and die, are always intransitive; it is impossible for a logical ...
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'To lie' and 'to lay' / 'to rise' and 'to raise' / 'to fall' and 'to fell' <-- Did English used to have more pairs like this?
My understanding is that there aren't many pairs of intransitive and transitive verbs in modern English. Off-hand, I know of three (though I think there are more):
lie vs lay
rise vs raise
fall vs ...
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Is it possible to put an intransitive verb in passive voice? [closed]
My teacher told me that we can't convert intransitive verbs like 'walk' into passive voice when there is no object present. For example:
He walks every day.
But I think we can convert this by saying:...
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Analyzing the verb “to head”
This is both a usage question and a grammatical analysis question. I am familiar with complex transitive verbs, such as "to place", where one has to have at least one complement, besides the ...
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What kind of complementation for "be regarded"?
I'm trying to find where the passive form "be regarded" belongs in terms of transitivity.
In the sentence:
Only a minority of countries would be regarded as part of the third world.
Is the verb would ...
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1
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Is "agree" an ordinary transitive verb?
We choose evidence that everyone can agree shows him being out of touch with reality.
Is this sentence grammatically correct? To me it only sounds correct when it’s modified to
We choose evidence ...
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Impinge: transitive or intransitive?
The OED states that the verb "impinge" is intransitive. However, example sentences such as the following have (as I see it) the verb taking a direct object (highlighted in bold):
Several ...
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She wrote to/ him a letter in France
She wrote him a letter in France
She wrote to him a letter in France
The second sentence is found in Oxford Learners Dictionary.
I think there is some ambiguity in the sentences. ...
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intransitive verbs which become transitive if their "goal/purpose" is accomplished
I've realized many verbs follow an interesting transitive pattern, which I illustrate with an example:
Webster's defines wrangle as either intransitive dispute, argue or transitive to obtain by ...
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The semantic role of an object of a verb
I've posted a question in English Language Learners as to this sentence:
Mom made me a sandwich.
The intended meaning was "Mom made a sandwich, intending it for me."
There, I came to realize that ...
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2
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Intransitive use of the verb to trigger
The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of English states that "to trigger" is a transitive verb. Therefore it would be incorrect to state "An alarm triggers". We have to say "X triggers the alarm" or ...
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Is “bescumber” transitive or intransitive?
Behold!
Did my lawn mower bescumber my neighbor's fence (transitive), or did it bescumber on my neighbor's fence (intransitive)?
Or should I switch to passive voice and say my neighbor's fence was ...
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Why isn’t a verb’s transitivity considered only a matter of meaning, not one of grammar?
After reading some examples of intransitive verbs, I get the impression
that transitivity is not a grammatical concept. It seems that it hangs
on the meaning not the structure of the verb in the ...
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“To agree with someone”: is that prepositional phrase an adverbial or a nominal one?
In this sentence:
I agree with you.
What is the function of the prepositional phrase ”with you” there? Is it an adverb or noun?
If it is an adverb, then what type of adverb is this?
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"She wanted out of this dump." What is the grammatical function of "out of this dump"?
I came across a line in a movie.
She wanted out of this dump. She wanted to start a new life.
It seems the sentence is missing to get/be/go. Is the sentence grammatical as it currently stands?
...
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1
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Why does "writes" take "to" but "reads" not take "to"? [closed]
I hope this is the right sub, but I was wondering what the technical difference is between words such as "write", which take the particle "to" when involved with a grammatical object, and "read", ...
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The intransitive usage of "satisfy"
I lighted upon a sentence in the New York Times:
Actually almost any tidbit — notably pigs in blankets — that the bar sends my way will satisfy.
This usage of satisfy strikes me as uncommon, if ...
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Can copula+adjective be transitive or intransitive?
The beginning of the article What is consciousness, and could machines have it? (full text PDF is a google search away) contains the following:
The word “consciousness,” like many prescientific ...
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Transitivity of the verb "undertake"
It seems obvious that undertake is intransitive in such sentences as
undertake to learn to swim
State senators undertook to use federal funds for improving schools.
To join the club, you have to ...
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Ways to limit/narrow the list [closed]
How to arrow/limit the text that comes after some broader meaning.
For example:
Several models have been proposed in the field of mathematics and engineering. Now I want to limit my further ...
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2
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Can you say "Vanishing all comments"? [closed]
This is an argument I had with a colleague of mine.
We're trying to say that all the comments have been cleared, as per the client's requests.
He issued a report to a client, on which the client had ...
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Is this usage of the verb "conclude" appropriate? [closed]
I have these three sentences:
Throughout human history, mental illness has been stigmatized beyond
belief. Individuals that have been diagnosed as mentally ill have
been subject to social ...
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1
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Thank for : Thank
I had got one message from co-worker :
Thanks your support
But I had thought thank for your support is correct. So I had checked en.wiktionary.org and it doesn't have thank with a meaning of ...
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"You hear but you don't listen" or "You listen but you don't hear"?
My teacher introduced the quote:
You look but you don’t see. You hear but you don’t listen.
But I also saw books saying:
You look but you don’t see. You listen but you don’t hear.
...
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1
answer
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"To rejoice" as a transitive verb
From the fourth sentence of the Edgar Allan Poe story 'The Oblong Box':
"…and among other names, I was rejoiced to see that of Mr Cornelius Wyatt…"
'Rejoiced' here is being used as a transitive verb,...
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Is "I will sleep you to bed" grammatically correct? [closed]
Like we use "I will walk the dog to the park", is using "I will sleep you to bed" grammatically correct?
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"Hover a link" vs "hover over a link" [closed]
Which is correct: "hover a link" or "hover over a link"?
(context: hovering a mouse over a computer hyperlink)
I'd especially appreciate a reference (like a dictionary citation) so that I learn how ...
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Do reflexive verbs often evolve into intransitive usage?
With the relatively recent proliferation in the number and variety of genders that our contemporaries willingly proclaim themselves to be or belong to, a new intransitive sense of the verb identify, ...
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Can adverbs be qualified as transitive/intransitive?
In my english lesson today i was told that "afterwards" is an intransitive adverb (I cannot write "afterwards this") while "after" is a transitive adverb.
Is this distinction transitive/intransitive ...
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Is it correct to say "I think sth important"?
I know that I can say:
I consider this idea important.
I deem this film stupid.
I regard my health as important.
But can I say:
I think money/health/love/etc. important.
Or does it have to ...
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How do I differentiate between direct and indirect object with an object of a preposition present?
I am working on the following sentence:
They will look toward me, whom they pierced.
I am aware that a basic rule to identifying an indirect object is to ask, "to whom?" However, in this case, I am ...
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Passive voice of intransitive verbs
Intransitive verbs have no objects, so they can not be used in passive voice, but I have seen many people using intransitive verbs in passive voice sentences. I am much confused how is it possible.
...
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Can "tamper" be used transitively?
Consider the following two statements:
The file has been tampered with.
The file has been tampered.
Does the second version make sense, or should it always be "tampered with"?
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Can I use "procrastinated" with an indirect object?
This is what I wrote:
I found the inspiration and energy to get stuck into old todos that
were being consistently procrastinated.
I believe this is an incorrect usage of the verb "procrastinated"...
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Historical Basis for "To Graduate" Being Only a Transitive Verb
About nine years ago, I received from a quite insistent source the claim that the verb "to graduate" is transitive, and, specifically, that the intransitive usage was wrong. For example, the ...
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Is there an error in 'Your English is terrible regardless of where you derive'?
I don't think the following sentence is correct:
"Your English is terrible regardless of where you derive."
but my elementary school English lessons have worn thin over the years. The closest I ...
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Using 'ride' vs. 'drive' when it comes to a motorcycle
Suppose I am offering someone a ride home. I know "I'll give you a ride home" would be correct. But can I also use ride as a transitive verb, as follows?
Come, I'll ride you home.
I'm asking ...
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Why does "enjoy" (almost) not have a causative sense?
Its etymology confirms that the en- is the same prefix as in enshrine, encourage, encircle, etc., which would normally suggest a causative sense. But rather than "to give joy to", the predominant ...
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Can "look" be transitive in the meaning "look at"?
For example:
He examined the body indifferently, much like one would look a dead animal on a roadside.
I would like to know if to look can be employed transitively like this. I'm sure I've read ...
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Should "afford" be transitive in "my chosen path has afforded (to) me unique opportunities"?
In a college essay I wrote a sentence that reads:
Sixteen years later, my chosen path has afforded to me unique opportunities, limitless learning, and potential for growth.
Should I use the verb ...
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How to distinguish between uses of words like 'Marry'?
Marry can be used both transitively:
"Paul Married Jane"
and intransitively:
"I got married".
Thus making the word ambitransitive
But it has a third use:
"Paul, the vicar Married Jane to ...
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"click on the image" vs. "click the image" [duplicate]
Transitive verbs take object directly. Source - http://grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/tranverb02term.htm
If "click" is a transitive verb, why do we say "click on the image" and not "click the image"?
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Is the verb 'inquire' bitransitive?
People say the verb inquire can be bitransitive (i.e., ditransitive) and also monotransitive. I can find many examples of its monotransitive use, but none about bitransitive.
Could you show me how ...
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"We provide you the ideal environment"
I wonder if I can also write "We provide you the ideal environment" or only "we provide you with the ideal environment"
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Can the verb "intake" be used intransitively? [closed]
Can a combustion engine be said to intake oxygen?
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"Enquire about whether" vs. "enquire whether"
I'm writing to you to enquire whether you have a need for
I'm writing to you to enquire about whether you have a need for
Which is proper?
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"Suffer" vs. "suffer from"
I would like to know the difference between "suffer" and "suffer from". From the dictionary, I cannot distinguish between them. In particular, which of the following should I use:
suffer ...