Lesson 118 - Parts of the Sentence - Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

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Transitive verbs are verbs that have subjects or objects that receive the action. They are either active voice or passive voice.  

 

Transitive active verbs are the verbs in sentences with a direct object. The subject is the doer and the direct object is the receiver of the action.

 

Example: 

The boy kicked the ball.   

 

Transitive passive verbs have the subject receiving the action with the doer in a prepositional phrase or omitted in the sentence. The verb in the transitive passive voice always has is, am, are, was, were, be, being, or been as an auxiliary or helping verb.

 

Examples: 

The ball was kicked by the boy. 

The ball was kicked hard.

Intransitive verbs have no receiver of the action. They are classified as intransitive complete or intransitive linking. 

 

Intransitive linking are sentences with a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. 

 

Examples: 

The girl is Mary. (predicate nominative) 

The girl is cute. (predicate adjective) 

 

Intransitive complete are all the verbs that don't fit one of the other kinds of transitive or intransitive verbs. 

 

Examples: 

The bell rang suddenly. 

The girl knitted all evening. (There is no receiver of the action.) 

They were here. (no action or predicate nominative or predicate adjective)

 

Instructions: Tell whether the verbs in the following sentences are transitive active, transitive passive, intransitive linking, or intransitive complete.

1. Yesterday Grandma was hit by a car.

2. My former classmates were seen at the reunion.

3. The lamp for the study was broken on the way home.

4. At camp taps had been blown every night.

5. The dirty clothes will be sent to be cleaned.

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. Yesterday Grandma was hit by a car.

    - transitive passive (passive voice, Grandma receives the action, car is the doer)

2. My former classmates were seen at the reunion.

    - transitive passive (passive voice, classmates receives the action, doer omitted)

3. The lamp for the study was broken on the way home.

    - transitive passive (passive voice, lamp receives the action, doer omitted)

4. At camp taps had been blown every night.

    - transitive passive (passive voice, taps receives the action, doer omitted)

5. The dirty clothes will be sent to be cleaned.

    - transitive passive (passive voice, clothes receives the action, doer omitted)

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