\nPractice<\/h3>\nIdentify the active verbs in the following sentences:\n
Practice<\/h3>\nIdentify the active verbs in the following sentences:\n- Dominic\u00a0paints the best\u00a0pictures of meerkats.<\/li>\n \t
- Sean's hair curled really well today.<\/li>\n \t
- Elephants\u00a0roam the savanna.<\/li>\n \t
- Billy ate an entire loaf of bread in one sitting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"365406\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"365406\"]\n
- Dominic paints<\/strong> the best pictures of meerkats.<\/li>\n \t
- Sean's hair curled<\/strong> really well today.<\/li>\n \t
- Elephants roam<\/strong> the savanna.<\/li>\n \t
- Billy ate<\/strong> an entire loaf of bread in one sitting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs<\/h2>\nActive verbs\u00a0can be divided\u00a0into two categories: transitive and intransitive verbs. A transitive verb<\/strong> is a verb that requires one or more objects. This contrasts with intransitive verbs, which do not have objects.\n\nIt might be helpful to think of it this way: transitive verbs have to be done to<\/em>\u00a0something or someone in the sentence. Intransitive verbs only have to be done by<\/em>\u00a0someone.\n\nLet's look at a few examples of transitive verbs:\n- We are going to need<\/strong> a bigger boat.\n
- The object in this sentence\u00a0is the phrase \"a bigger boat.\" Consider how incomplete the thought would be if the sentence only said \"We are going to need.\" Despite having a subject and a verb, the sentence is meaningless without the object phrase.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- She hates\u00a0filling out<\/strong>\u00a0forms.\n
- Again, leaving out the object would cripple the meaning of the sentence. We have to know that forms<\/em>\u00a0is what she hates filling out.<\/li>\n \t
- Hates<\/em> is also a transitive verb. Without the phrase \u201cfilling out forms,\u201d\u00a0the phrase \u201cShe hates\u201d doesn\u2019t make any sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Sean hugged<\/strong>\u00a0his brother David.\n
- You can see the pattern.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Hugged<\/em> in this sentence is only useful if we know who Sean squeezed. David is the object of the transitive verb.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIntransitive verbs, on the other do not take\u00a0an object.\n
- John sneezed<\/strong> loudly.\n
- Even though there's another word after sneezed<\/em>, the full meaning of the sentence is available with just the subject John<\/em> and the verb sneezed<\/em>: \"John sneezed.\" Therefore, sneezed<\/em>\u00a0is an intransitive verb. It doesn't have to be done to something or someone.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- My computer completely died<\/strong>.\n
- Again, died<\/em> here is enough for the sentence to make sense. We know that the computer (the subject) is what died.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThis video provides a more in-depth explanation of transitive and intransitive verbs and how they work:\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/CFdl1oC1vtQ\n\n\nNote:<\/strong> there are some verbs that can act as both transitive and intransitive verbs (the video defined these as bitransitive verbs):\n
Intransitive<\/th>\n Transitive<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> The fire has burned<\/strong> for hundreds of years.<\/td>\nMiranda burned<\/strong> all\u00a0of her old school papers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>Don't let the engine stop running<\/strong>!<\/td>\nKarl ran<\/strong>\u00a0the best horse track this side of the river.<\/td>\n<\/tr>The vase broke<\/strong>.<\/td>\nShe broke<\/strong> the toothpick.<\/td>\n<\/tr>Does your dog bite<\/strong>?<\/td>\nThe cat bit<\/strong> him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>Water evaporates<\/strong> when it's hot.<\/td>\nHeat evaporates<\/strong> water.<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\nPractice<\/h3>\nRead the following sentences. Are the verbs in each\u00a0transitive or intransitive?\n- Liv fell out of the car.<\/li>\n \t
- Ian has written over four hundred articles on the subject.<\/li>\n \t
- Christopher sings really well.<\/li>\n \t
- Marton wondered about a lot of things.<\/li>\n \t
- Cate gave great gifts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"682679\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"682679\"]\n
- Alba fell<\/strong> out of the car.\u00a0Fell<\/em> is intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- Ian has written<\/strong> over four hundred articles on the subject.\u00a0Has written<\/em> is transitive; it has an object:\u00a0articles<\/em>.<\/li>\n \t
- Javier sings<\/strong> really well.\u00a0Sings<\/em> is\u00a0intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.\n
- Note that\u00a0sings<\/em> can also be a transitive verb. In the sentence \u201cLorena sang three songs in the show last night,\u201d the verb sing<\/em> has the object\u00a0songs<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Marton wondered<\/strong> about a lot of things.\u00a0Wondered<\/em> is\u00a0intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- Cate gave<\/strong> great gifts.\u00a0Gave<\/em> is transitive; it has an object:\u00a0gifts<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Multi-Word Verbs<\/h2>\nMulti-word verbs a subclass of active verbs. They are\u00a0made up of multiple words, as you might have guessed. They include things like\u00a0stirfry<\/em>,\u00a0kickstart<\/em>, and\u00a0turn in<\/em>.\u00a0Multi-word\u00a0verbs often have a slightly different meaning than their base parts. Take a look at the difference between the next two sentences:\n- Ben carried the boxes out of the house.<\/li>\n \t
- Ben carried out the task well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe first sentence uses a single word verb (carried<\/em>) and the preposition\u00a0out<\/em>. If you remove the preposition (and its object), you get\u00a0\u201cBen carried the boxes,\u201d which makes perfect sense. In the second sentence,\u00a0carried out<\/em> acts as a single entity.\u00a0If you remove out<\/em>, the sentence\u00a0has no meaning: \u201cBen carried the task well\u201d doesn\u2019t make sense.\n\nLet\u2019s look at another example:\n
- She\u2019s been shut up in there for years.<\/li>\n \t
- Dude, shut up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCan you see how the same principles apply here?\u00a0Other multi-word verbs include find out<\/em>,\u00a0make off with<\/em>, turn in<\/em>, and\u00a0put up with<\/em>.","rendered":"
![\"Icon](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2232\/2017\/07\/20162807\/Screen-Shot-2016-06-21-at-12.28.12-PM-300x234.png\")
Active verbs are the simplest type of verb: they simply express some sort of action.\u00a0Watch this video introduction to verbs:<\/p>\n
- Dominic paints<\/strong> the best pictures of meerkats.<\/li>\n \t
- Sean's hair curled<\/strong> really well today.<\/li>\n \t
- Elephants roam<\/strong> the savanna.<\/li>\n \t
- Billy ate<\/strong> an entire loaf of bread in one sitting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs<\/h2>\nActive verbs\u00a0can be divided\u00a0into two categories: transitive and intransitive verbs. A transitive verb<\/strong> is a verb that requires one or more objects. This contrasts with intransitive verbs, which do not have objects.\n\nIt might be helpful to think of it this way: transitive verbs have to be done to<\/em>\u00a0something or someone in the sentence. Intransitive verbs only have to be done by<\/em>\u00a0someone.\n\nLet's look at a few examples of transitive verbs:\n
- We are going to need<\/strong> a bigger boat.\n
- The object in this sentence\u00a0is the phrase \"a bigger boat.\" Consider how incomplete the thought would be if the sentence only said \"We are going to need.\" Despite having a subject and a verb, the sentence is meaningless without the object phrase.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- She hates\u00a0filling out<\/strong>\u00a0forms.\n
- Again, leaving out the object would cripple the meaning of the sentence. We have to know that forms<\/em>\u00a0is what she hates filling out.<\/li>\n \t
- Hates<\/em> is also a transitive verb. Without the phrase \u201cfilling out forms,\u201d\u00a0the phrase \u201cShe hates\u201d doesn\u2019t make any sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Sean hugged<\/strong>\u00a0his brother David.\n
- You can see the pattern.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Hugged<\/em> in this sentence is only useful if we know who Sean squeezed. David is the object of the transitive verb.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIntransitive verbs, on the other do not take\u00a0an object.\n
- John sneezed<\/strong> loudly.\n
- Even though there's another word after sneezed<\/em>, the full meaning of the sentence is available with just the subject John<\/em> and the verb sneezed<\/em>: \"John sneezed.\" Therefore, sneezed<\/em>\u00a0is an intransitive verb. It doesn't have to be done to something or someone.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- My computer completely died<\/strong>.\n
- Again, died<\/em> here is enough for the sentence to make sense. We know that the computer (the subject) is what died.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThis video provides a more in-depth explanation of transitive and intransitive verbs and how they work:\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/CFdl1oC1vtQ\n\n\nNote:<\/strong> there are some verbs that can act as both transitive and intransitive verbs (the video defined these as bitransitive verbs):\n
Intransitive<\/th>\n Transitive<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> The fire has burned<\/strong> for hundreds of years.<\/td>\n Miranda burned<\/strong> all\u00a0of her old school papers.<\/td>\n<\/tr> Don't let the engine stop running<\/strong>!<\/td>\n Karl ran<\/strong>\u00a0the best horse track this side of the river.<\/td>\n<\/tr> The vase broke<\/strong>.<\/td>\n She broke<\/strong> the toothpick.<\/td>\n<\/tr> Does your dog bite<\/strong>?<\/td>\n The cat bit<\/strong> him.<\/td>\n<\/tr> Water evaporates<\/strong> when it's hot.<\/td>\n Heat evaporates<\/strong> water.<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n \nPractice<\/h3>\nRead the following sentences. Are the verbs in each\u00a0transitive or intransitive?\n
- Liv fell out of the car.<\/li>\n \t
- Ian has written over four hundred articles on the subject.<\/li>\n \t
- Christopher sings really well.<\/li>\n \t
- Marton wondered about a lot of things.<\/li>\n \t
- Cate gave great gifts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"682679\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"682679\"]\n
- Alba fell<\/strong> out of the car.\u00a0Fell<\/em> is intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- Ian has written<\/strong> over four hundred articles on the subject.\u00a0Has written<\/em> is transitive; it has an object:\u00a0articles<\/em>.<\/li>\n \t
- Javier sings<\/strong> really well.\u00a0Sings<\/em> is\u00a0intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.\n
- Note that\u00a0sings<\/em> can also be a transitive verb. In the sentence \u201cLorena sang three songs in the show last night,\u201d the verb sing<\/em> has the object\u00a0songs<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Marton wondered<\/strong> about a lot of things.\u00a0Wondered<\/em> is\u00a0intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- Cate gave<\/strong> great gifts.\u00a0Gave<\/em> is transitive; it has an object:\u00a0gifts<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Multi-Word Verbs<\/h2>\nMulti-word verbs a subclass of active verbs. They are\u00a0made up of multiple words, as you might have guessed. They include things like\u00a0stirfry<\/em>,\u00a0kickstart<\/em>, and\u00a0turn in<\/em>.\u00a0Multi-word\u00a0verbs often have a slightly different meaning than their base parts. Take a look at the difference between the next two sentences:\n
- Ben carried the boxes out of the house.<\/li>\n \t
- Ben carried out the task well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe first sentence uses a single word verb (carried<\/em>) and the preposition\u00a0out<\/em>. If you remove the preposition (and its object), you get\u00a0\u201cBen carried the boxes,\u201d which makes perfect sense. In the second sentence,\u00a0carried out<\/em> acts as a single entity.\u00a0If you remove out<\/em>, the sentence\u00a0has no meaning: \u201cBen carried the task well\u201d doesn\u2019t make sense.\n\nLet\u2019s look at another example:\n
- She\u2019s been shut up in there for years.<\/li>\n \t
- Dude, shut up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCan you see how the same principles apply here?\u00a0Other multi-word verbs include find out<\/em>,\u00a0make off with<\/em>, turn in<\/em>, and\u00a0put up with<\/em>.","rendered":"Active verbs are the simplest type of verb: they simply express some sort of action.\u00a0Watch this video introduction to verbs:<\/p>\n
- Marton wondered<\/strong> about a lot of things.\u00a0Wondered<\/em> is\u00a0intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- Ian has written<\/strong> over four hundred articles on the subject.\u00a0Has written<\/em> is transitive; it has an object:\u00a0articles<\/em>.<\/li>\n \t
- Alba fell<\/strong> out of the car.\u00a0Fell<\/em> is intransitive; it doesn\u2019t require an object.<\/li>\n \t
- My computer completely died<\/strong>.\n
- Even though there's another word after sneezed<\/em>, the full meaning of the sentence is available with just the subject John<\/em> and the verb sneezed<\/em>: \"John sneezed.\" Therefore, sneezed<\/em>\u00a0is an intransitive verb. It doesn't have to be done to something or someone.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- John sneezed<\/strong> loudly.\n
- Hates<\/em> is also a transitive verb. Without the phrase \u201cfilling out forms,\u201d\u00a0the phrase \u201cShe hates\u201d doesn\u2019t make any sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Again, leaving out the object would cripple the meaning of the sentence. We have to know that forms<\/em>\u00a0is what she hates filling out.<\/li>\n \t
- Sean's hair curled<\/strong> really well today.<\/li>\n \t