Transitive and intransitive verbs in English: rules and examples. Intransitive verbs in English Intransitive and transitive verbs in English

Date of: 16.12.2023

When talking about an action or event that affects only the subject and does not concern anyone or anything else, we use an intransitive verb.

Her whole body is ached.
Such people still exist.
My condition is deteriorated.

Many intransitive verbs denote a physical state or action accompanied by sounds.

Bob coughed.
Vicki went bitterly.
The gate squeaked.

Below is a list of verbs that are usually used in intransitive clauses and which, as a rule, or at least often, are not followed by an adjunct:

ache, disappear, fluctuate, rise, squeal, advance, disintegrate, gleam, roar, stink, arise, doze, growl, scream, subside, arrive, droop, happen, shine, sulk, bleed, economize, hesitate, shiver, surrender, blush, elapse, howl, sigh, swim, cease, ensue, itch, sleep, throb, collapse, erupt, kneel, slip, tingle, cough, evaporate, laugh, smile, vanish, crackle, exist, moan, snarl, vary, erv, expire, occur, sneeze, vibrate, decay, faint, pause, snore, wail, depart, fall, persist, snort, waver, deteriorate, falter, prosper, sob, weep, die, fidget, quiver, sparkle, wilt, digress, flinch, recede, speak, work, dine, flourish, relent, squeak, yawn

Several of the verbs on this list are used as transitive verbs in idioms or together with some objects, but they are intransitive in all their basic meanings.

Intransitive verbs followed by prepositional phrases

Many intransitive verbs are always or most often followed by one or another adjunct. The adjunct used with some of them is a prepositional phrase beginning with a specific preposition. This use of a preposition allows you to mention any object affected by the action as an addition to it

The following is a list of verbs that, when used with a specific meaning, are always or in most cases followed by a specific preposition:

rave about, stem from, adhere to, suffer from, allude to, insure against, amount to, plot against, believe in, appeal to, react against, consist in, aspire to, culminate in, assent to, hint at, dabble in , attend to, indulge in, belong to, alternate between, invest in, bow to, differentiate between, result m, cling to, oscillate between, wallow in, defer to, dictate to, appeal for, lapse into, lead to, atone for, listen to, care for, complain of, object to, clamor for, conceive of, refer to, hope for, consist of, relate to, long for, despair of, resort to, opt for, learn of, revert to, pay for, smack of, stoop to, quality for, think of, strive for, tire of, alternate with, yearn for, associate with, bet on, consort with, detract from, feed on, contend with, emanate from, insist on , flirt with, emerge from, spy on, grapple with, radiate from, trample on, sympathize with, shrink from, teem with

Below is a list of verbs that can be followed by either of two prepositions:

abound in, end in, Just after, abound with, end with, lust for, cater for, engage in, prevail on, cater to, engage on, prevail upon, conform to, enthuse about, profit by, conform with, enthuse over , profit from, contribute to, gravitate to, rely on, contribute towards, gravitate towards, rely upon, depend on, hunger after, revolve around, depend upon, hunger for, revolve round, dote on, improve on, spring from, dote upon, improve upon, spring out of, embark on, liaise between, embark upon, liaise with

Note that some intransitive verbs can be used in the passive when followed by a preposition.

Intransitive verbs followed by adjuncts

An adjunct following other verbs can be a variety of prepositional phrases or an adverb. Often the adjunct is an adjunct of place.

Verbs of motion are usually, or in many cases, followed by adjuncts of direction.

He went back to his own room.
I traveled south.

Below is a list of verbs of motion:

come, flow, hurtle, spring, crawl, gallop, plunge, stroll, creep, glide, run, travel, drift, go, soar, walk

Behind the verbs look, gaze And stare direction adjuncts also follow.

Verbs denoting location are usually accompanied by place adjuncts.

Here is a list of location verbs:

be, lie, sit stay, belong, live, be situated, hang, remain, stand

Verbs like extend or stretch, are accompanied by adjuncts indicating length.

There are several verbs that are always followed by other types of adjuncts.

It behaves rather like a squirrel.
The Child-minders’ Action Movement has successfully campaigned for many improvements.
I hoped that the absorption of poison hadn’t progressed too far.

Here is a list of verbs that are always followed by adjuncts of other types:

act, behave, campaign, progress

Verbs sometimes used as transitive verbs

There are a small number of intransitive verbs that can become transitive with a single object. The object is usually a noun derived from a verb. For example, verb smile(smile) is usually used as an intransitive verb, but you can use it as a transitive verb by using a noun with it smile(smile). For example, Didn't smile a patient smile is an alternative Didn't smile patiently in literary language. The emphasis in this case is more on the quality, type of smile, than on the act itself.

Steve smiled his thin, cruel smile.
He appears to have lived the life of any other rich gentleman.
Alice laughed a scornful laugh.
I once dreamed a very nice dream about you.

Here is a list of verbs that can only be used as transitive ones in cases where the object is directly related to the verb:

dance (a dance), dream (a dream), live (a life), smile (a smile), die (a death), laugh (a laugh), sigh (a sigh)

A more common way of distinguishing a noun phrase is to use delexicalized verbs such as give(give) take(take) or have(to have), for example, in a sentence Mary gave him a really lovely smile.

English verbs can be classified according to different criteria: they are regular ( work - worked - worked) and incorrect ( speak - spoke - spoken), semantic ( to read) and auxiliary ( am reading), as well as transitive and intransitive. Today we will talk about this feature of verbs.

Transitive verbs (Transitive verbs) are verbs that must be followed by an object ( object) to make a complete, meaningful sentence.

She loves animals. - She loves animals. (loves is a transitive verb, animals is an object)

Moreover, the addition can be direct ( direct object) and indirect ( indirect object)!

Hey a sandwich. - He ate a sandwich. (ate is a transitive verb, a sandwich is a direct object)

She bought him a drink. - She bought him a drink. (bought is a transitive verb, him is an indirect object, a drink is a direct object)

We play tennis. - We are playing tennis. (play is a transitive verb, tennis is a direct object)

He reads his daughters stories. - He reads stories to his daughters. (reads is a transitive verb, his daughter is an indirect object, stories is a direct object)

Intransitive verbs(Intransitive verbs) are verbs that do not require an addition after themselves to form a complete sentence.

The dog barked. - The dog barked. (barked is an intransitive verb)

We run every day. - We run every day. (run is an intransitive verb)

Intransitive verbs may be followed by adjectives or adverbs that complement the meaning of the predicate - in English these members of the sentence are called complements ( complements).

The food smells good. - The food smells good. (smells is an intransitive verb, good is a complement)

Eagles fly high. - Eagles fly high. (fly is an intransitive verb, high is a complement)

Now I suggest you watch a short but informative and interesting video about transitive and intransitive verbs from a native speaker, and then we will continue our acquaintance with this topic.

So, from the video, in addition to the above, we learned very important information, namely: some verbs can be transitive and intransitive at the same time! You could even say that most verbs in English are transitive and intransitive depending on the meaning of the verb.

Many dictionaries do not ignore this property of verbs and provide us with information about their transitivity or intransitivity, for example, the excellent Macmillan dictionary, which we have repeatedly recommended to our students and readers. Some dictionaries do not have such information. I bring to your attention tables of the most common transitive and intransitive verbs.

Table 1. Transitive verbs

Verb Example Translation
bring He brought a puppy. He brought a puppy.
buy Please, buy a cup of coffee for me. Please buy me a coffee.
cost This car costs a lot of money. This car costs a lot of money.
get I want to get a ticket. I want to buy a ticket.
give We give gifts at Christmas. We give gifts at Christmas.
leave She leaves work at 6:30 in the evening. She leaves work at 6:30 pm.
lend I lent him 10,000 dollars. I lent him 10 thousand dollars.
make Has he made a report yet? Has he already prepared a report?
offer She was offered a promotion. She was offered a promotion.
owe He owes me 10,000 dollars. He owes me 10 thousand dollars.
pass I will die if I don’t pass this test. I will die if I don't pass this exam.
pay We should pay the bills. We have to pay bills.
play He often plays the guitar. He often plays the guitar.
promise I promised him to come to the party. I promised him to come to the party.
read She never reads glossy magazines. They never read glossy magazines.
refuse They refused to stay at our house. They refused to stay at our house.
send We send text messages to each other. We send text messages to each other.
show Show me your garden, please. Show me your garden, please.
sing Jane sings songs at karaoke. Jane sings karaoke songs.
teach She teaches French. She teaches French.
tell He told an interesting story. He told an interesting story.
write Jack writes e-mails every day. Jack writes emails every day.
Table 2. Intransitive verbs

Verb Example Translation
appear One day he appeared on my doorstep. One day he showed up on my doorstep.
arrive We will arrive on Sunday. We will arrive on Sunday.
belong This doesn't belong to me. This doesn't belong to me.
collapse The roof of our house collapsed yesterday. The roof of our house collapsed yesterday.
die He died last night. He died last night.
disappear Suddenly, she disappeared. Suddenly, she disappeared.
exist Dinosaurs don't exist. Dinosaurs don't exist.
fall Snow began to fall quietly. The snow began to fall slowly.
go Where did you go? Where did you go?
happen It happens to him all the time. This happens to him all the time.
laugh They laughed a lot. They laughed a lot.
lie The village lies in a valley. The village is located in a valley.
look Don't look at me like that. Do not look at me so.
last The lesson lasts 60 minutes. The lesson lasts 60 minutes.
occur Such things have never occurred in this town. Such things have never happened in this city.
remain You must remain in bed for 3 days. You must stay in bed for 3 days.
rise The aircraft rose fast in the air. The plane quickly took off into the air.
sit They were sitting in silence. They sat in silence.
sleep He never sleeps more than 6 hours. He never sleeps more than 6 hours.
sneeze She sneezed very loudly. She sneezed very loudly.
stand The bus was full and we had to stand all the way. The bus was full and we were forced to stand the entire way.
stay Stay right here, please. Stay here please.
vanish Everything vanished in a second. Everything disappeared in a second.
wait Let's wait until 11 o'clock. Let's wait until 11 o'clock.
Let's summarize:

Transitive verbs require an addition after themselves, which can be direct or indirect.

Intransitive verbs do not require an addition after themselves, and they can be fielded with adjectives or adverbs characterizing them.

Verb	Example	Translation
bring	He brought a puppy.	He brought a puppy.
buy	Please, buy a cup of coffee for me.	Please buy me a coffee.
cost	This car costs a lot of money.	This car costs a lot of money.
get	I want to get a ticket.	I want to buy a ticket.
give	We give gifts at Christmas.	We give gifts at Christmas.
leave	She leaves work at 6:30 in the evening.	She leaves work at 6:30 pm.
lend	I lent him 10,000 dollars.	I lent him 10 thousand dollars.
make	Has he made a report yet?	Has he already prepared a report?
offer	She was offered a promotion.	She was offered a promotion.
owe	He owes me 10,000 dollars.	He owes me 10 thousand dollars.
pass	I will die if I don’t pass this test.	I will die if I don't pass this exam.
pay	We should pay the bills.	We have to pay bills.
play	He often plays the guitar.	He often plays the guitar.
promise	I promised him to come to the party.	I promised him to come to the party.
read	She never reads glossy magazines.	They never read glossy magazines.
refuse	They refused to stay at our house.	They refused to stay at our house.
send	We send text messages to each other.	We send text messages to each other.
show	Show me your garden, please.	Show me your garden, please.
sing	Jane sings songs at karaoke.	Jane sings karaoke songs.
teach	She teaches French.	She teaches French.
tell	He told an interesting story.	He told an interesting story.
write	Jack writes e-mails every day.	Jack writes emails every day.

Verb	Example	Translation
appear	One day he appeared on my doorstep.	One day he showed up on my doorstep.
arrive	We will arrive on Sunday.	We will arrive on Sunday.
belong	This doesn't belong to me.	This doesn't belong to me.
collapse	The roof of our house collapsed yesterday.	The roof of our house collapsed yesterday.
die	He died last night.	He died last night.
disappear	Suddenly, she disappeared.	Suddenly, she disappeared.
exist	Dinosaurs don't exist.	Dinosaurs don't exist.
fall	Snow began to fall quietly.	The snow began to fall slowly.
go	Where did you go?	Where did you go?
happen	It happens to him all the time.	This happens to him all the time.
laugh	They laughed a lot.	They laughed a lot.
lie	The village lies in a valley.	The village is located in a valley.
look	Don't look at me like that.	Do not look at me so.
last	The lesson lasts 60 minutes.	The lesson lasts 60 minutes.
occur	Such things have never occurred in this town.	Such things have never happened in this city.
remain	You must remain in bed for 3 days.	You must stay in bed for 3 days.
rise	The aircraft rose fast in the air.	The plane quickly took off into the air.
sit	They were sitting in silence.	They sat in silence.
sleep	He never sleeps more than 6 hours.	He never sleeps more than 6 hours.
sneeze	She sneezed very loudly.	She sneezed very loudly.
stand	The bus was full and we had to stand all the way.	The bus was full and we were forced to stand the entire way.
stay	Stay right here, please.	Stay here please.
vanish	Everything vanished in a second.	Everything disappeared in a second.
wait	Let's wait until 11 o'clock.	Let's wait until 11 o'clock.

Transitive and intransitive verbs are the two main types and this classification helps us to use English grammar correctly. The main difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is that a transitive verb requires an object (object), but an intransitive verb does not require. In this article, we will discuss this difference in detail. Let's start learning transitive and intransitive verbs in English!

What are transitive verbs?

As we all know, subject, verb and object are the basic elements in a sentence. Verbs in English can be divided into two groups:

Transitive verbs - transitive verbs

Intransitive verbs - intransitive verbs

Let's look at the rule using examples:

I ate buckwheat - I ate buckwheat. ( Ate – transitive verb (from eat), buckwheat – object)

Please note that some sentences may have two objects: direct and indirect (Direct Object and Indirect Object) such verbs are called Ditransitive verbs. The direct object is the recipient of the verb, and the indirect object is the noun or pronoun that is affected by the action. Keep in mind that an indirect object cannot exist without a direct object. Let's look at a couple of examples to make things clear.

She is eating a watermelon - She eats a watermelon. ( Eating – transitive verb, and watermelon – direct object – direct object).

I told her a lie - I lied to her. ( Told – transitive verb, her – indirect, a lie – direct object).

Let's look at a couple more examples Ditransitive verbs, which have two additions:

She had tape Mary the money– She lent Mary money. ( indirect object + direct object).

In this sentence there is first an indirect object, then a direct one.

If the direct object comes first in a sentence after a transitive verb, then the prepositional phrase follows:

—I passed a message to James– I conveyed the message to James. ( direct object + indirect object)

Popular ditransitive verbs:

bring, buy, give, make, offer, pass, sell, show, wish

To better understand everything, you need to read more examples. Continue to the next section for even more examples.

Transitive verbs in English with examples

As we explained earlier, a transitive verb always has an object (object) in order for the sentence to be complete and make sense.

For example:

— I bought. - I bought

This sentence is incomplete. Not enough information. You may be wondering what you bought. And you ask: What did you buy? (What did you buy?)

Why is this sentence incomplete?

Because bought(past form) is a transitive verb and must be followed by an object for the sentence to be complete.

After a transitive verb, the object can be a noun or pronoun:

— I bought a bag- I bought a bag.

Now the sentence is complete and we understand what we are talking about. We added 'a bag' after the transitive verb.

Let's look at a few more examples.

- No likes. (Sentence unfinished) Like is a transitive verb.

- No likes sweets— He loves sweets.

Now we know what he likes and the proposal is complete and complete.

— I invited Sam. - I invited Sam

We can't just say I invited, since the proposal is incomplete. The person listening will probably ask ‘who did you invite?’. So we need to add an object after the transitive verb invite.

Transitive verbs often answer questions ‘what?’ ‘whom?’

What did you buy? –I bought a bag. - What did you buy? - I bought a bag.
What does he like? – No likes sweets. - What does he like? - He loves sweets.
Whom did he invite? – No invited Sam. -Who did he invite? - He invited Sam.

Sentence formula: Subject + transitive verb+ object (subject + transitive verb + object)

The same rules apply to phrasal verbs.

For example:

I'm looking for. - I'm looking for

You will automatically ask the question ‘Looking for what?’ “What are you looking for?” or ‘Looking for whom?’ “Who are you looking for?” We need to complete the sentence by adding a complement.

I'm looking for my phone— I'm looking for my phone.

My phone- this is an addition (object)

Now we know that these are Transitive verbs and it's time to move on to the next section.

Transitive verbs - Passive form

Transitive verbs in English can be used in the passive voice.

Active voice: subject + transitive verb + object

Passive voice: object + was/were + transitive verb (+by subject)

For example:

— They found a car– they found a car (active voice).

— The car was found- the car was found (passive voice).

—Sam invited me to his birthday party – Sam invited me to his birthday party. (active voice).

— I was invited by Sam“Sam invited me.” (passive voice).

List of some transitive verbs in English

Ask - ask	Love - to love
Describe - describe	Expect - expect
Get - receive	Consider – think about, consider
Need - need	Want - want
Take - take	Say - to speak
Contact – contact	Lose – to lose
Find - find	Enjoy – enjoy
Make - to do	Buy - buy
Watch - watch	Believe - believe
Suggest - suggest	Like - like it
Discuss - discuss	Use - use
Help - help	Upgrade - upgrade
Untie - to untie	Promise - promise
Select - choose	Grease - to grease
Jolt - shake	Chase - to chase
Embarrass - to embarrass	Edify – to teach
Change - exchange	Join – connect
Grip - squeeze	Marry - to marry
Bring - bring	Teach - to teach
Buy - buy	Sing - sing
Cost - cost	Show - show
Write - to write	Break - to break
Give- give	Wear - to wear
Leave – leave, leave	Remove – extract, delete
Lend - lend	Grab - grab
Tell- tell	Slap - spank, clap
Offer - to offer	Punch - to hit with a fist
Owe – owe	Murder - to kill

Examples of Transitive verbs in English

- I need to get some bread on the way home - I need to buy bread on the way home.

— Someone left the phone off the hook last night - Someone left the phone off last night.

*Off the hook - to be picked up (about the phone)

— People asked me the way three times - People asked me the way three times.

Intransitive verbs in English

Intransitive verbs cannot have a direct object.

An intransitive verb does not convey the action to its object. Look at the examples below to make this point clearer.

For example:

— They arrived. - They came.

Here we cannot use an object after the intransitive verb arrive.
We can not ' arrive something'.

An intransitive verb expresses an action that is complete in itself and does not need an object to receive the action.

— The baby snowed— The child sneezed.
Here we cannot use an object after an intransitive verb sneeze.

— My son fell from the tree – my son fell from the tree. Fell (fall) is an intransitive verb.
‘from the tree’ is not an object, but an adverbial phrase (= acts as an adverb and tells us where it happened).

The same rules apply to intransitive phrasal verbs.

My brother gets up at 8 a.m. every morning – My brother wakes up at eight o’clock every morning.

List of some intransitive verbs

Appear - seem	Come - to come
Die - die	Fall - to fall
Lie – lie down	Rain - it's raining
Sneeze - sneeze	Wait - wait
Arrive - to arrive	Happen - to happen
Disappear - disappear	Rise - to rise; get up
Live - live	Work - to work
Snow - it's snowing	Go - go
Sit - sit	Sleep - sleep
Vanish - to disappear	Remain - stay
Occur- happen	Stand - stand
Agree - agree	Cry - cry
Belong - to be your own	Emerge - appear
Laugh - laugh	Revolt - to rebel
Collapse - to fall, collapse (from illness, fatigue)	Exist - exist
Wake - wake up	Vomit – to feel sick
Cough - to cough	Look - look
Smile - smile	Happen - to happen
Inquire - ask	Last - lasts
Kneel - kneel down	Respond - answer

Many intransitive verbs express behavior that is involuntary:

- blush - blush
- faint - to faint
- smile - smile
- scream - scream

e.g. She screamed, he fainted.

Verbs of position(head places), such as be, belong, hang, lie, live, remain, sit, stand, stay and Verbs of movement(verb of movement), such as come, creep, go, flow, run, stroll, travel, walk requires a complement (complements) denotes places, direction or time:

— We used to live here.
- She strolled towards the bar.

Transitive and intransitive verbs in English

A verb can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another. They are called Ergative verbs.

Ergative verb- this is one that in the same meaning can be both transitive and intransitive.

Example:

— I won a competition and got a scholarship - I won the competition and received a scholarship (transitive verb).
—Did you win? -You won? (intransitive verb).

There are several hundred ergative clauses in modern English.

Many ergative verbs relate specifically to certain areas. For example, there are a number that relate to food and cooking:

- bake - bake
- boil - cook, boil
- cook - to cook
- fry - fry

e.g. The porridge is boiling- the porridge is cooking.

A small number of ergative words. have an obligatory circumstance of manner of action (adverbial of manner). Such as: clean, polish, wash, sell, freeze.

e.g. Wool washes well– Wool washes well.

Sometimes the meaning changes depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive:

She runs every morning – she runs every morning (intransitive verb – run – sport, action).

She runs a small restaurant– She runs a small restaurant (transitive verb – run – to manage, to manage).

Examples of transitive and intransitive verbs

I would like to add a few more interesting points. Some transitive verbs, in very limited contexts, can be used as intransitive verbs.
For example, when contrasting two actions:

He gave, she took- He gave, she took.

- If you are using a list of different verbs for emphasis or contrast:

They set out to be rude: to defy, to threaten, to tease“They set out to be rude: disobey, threaten, tease.

- Or if it is already clear what is meant from the context:

It is dangerous to drive if you have been drinking- It's dangerous to drive a car if you've been drinking.

Watch the fascinating video of our English colleagues and consolidate the material you have covered.

How do you know if a verb is transitive or intransitive?

When you learn a new verb, look in the dictionary. Next to a transitive verb there will be a letter “T” in brackets after it, and an intransitive verb will have the letter “I”.

If a verb can be used either transitively or intransitively with different meanings, then it will have separate entries in the dictionary with different definitions and examples.

You learned what transitive and intransitive verbs are in English, and you also learned that there are transitive verbs in English that are used in the passive. And now we are ready to name them by taking an online test on Transitive and Intransitive verbs to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

Online exercise on Transitive and Intransitive verbs

Determine whether the highlighted verb is transitive or intransitive.

Under Full verbs are understood as transitive, characterizing any action that is carried out by the subject and affects the object. Transitive verbs must be used with direct objects (additions), for example:

— John's neighbor bought a modern red bicycle. John’s neighbor bought a modern red bicycle. (Here the verb is used with a direct object, without which the thought will be incomplete).
—Mary brought the cat to her sister. Mary brought the cat to her sister. (Here the verb also controls the direct object, without which the meaning would be lost.)

Transitive verbs can simultaneously control indirect objects with direct objects, making sentences more common. Indirect objects in such cases occupy certain places in English sentences. If they are used without a preposition, they take place before the direct object, and if they have a prepositional form (that is, used with a preposition), then they take place after the direct object. This rule is immutable, since the order of words in English statements is strictly fixed, for example:

— John's neighbor bought him (1) a modern red bicycle (2). – John’s neighbor bought him (1) a modern red bicycle (2) (in the first place (1) there is an indirect non-prepositional object “him”, and in the second (2) there is a direct object with the related definition “a modern red bicycle”) .
— John's neighbor bought a modern red bicycle (1) for his son (2). – John’s neighbor bought a modern red bicycle (1) for his son (2) (in the first place (1) there is a direct object with a definition to it, and in the second (2) there is a prepositional indirect object).

Transitive English verbs are divided into three different groups:

with one "transition" to a single direct object, for example:

John's neighbor bought a bicycle. John’s neighbor bought a bicycle.

with two "transitions"- one for direct, and the second for indirect object, for example:

John's neighbor bought him (1) a bicycle (2). – John’s neighbor bought him (1 - indirect non-prepositional object) a bicycle (2 - direct object).

with complex transitions- with direct objects and additional definitions, for example:

John found this present (1) very expensive (2). – John found this gift (1 – direct object) very expensive (2 – additional definition).

Intransitive

The difficulty in actually using English verbs in speech is that they can change transitivity to intransitivity, and vice versa, depending on the context, that is, on the meaning in which they are used, for example:

— Yesterday Jane watched an interesting movie. – Yesterday Jane watched an interesting film. (Here the verb “watched” is used in a transitive meaning with the direct object “an interesting movie”).
— Jane was proudly watching while her children were playing chess. – Jane watched with pleasure as her children played chess. (Here the verb “was watching” used in English in an intransitive sense and, accordingly, does not have a direct object with him).

To find out whether a verb is transitive, you need to ask a question and see whether the action attributed to the subject is directed towards any object, whether someone or something is subject to this influence. If such an influence exists, then this verb has transitivity, and the object of influence is the direct object.

Hidden transitivity

There are English verbs with so-called hidden transitivity, which is observed when they are used in the passive voice. In these speech situations, it is important to correctly identify the subject (subject) and, of course, the object (object). Such a skill will allow you to correctly identify transitive verbs that are hidden at first glance in any situation. In the passive voice, subjects do not perform some actions themselves, but are exposed to them, that is, they experience them on themselves, for example:

—Robert was shown a new bicycle. – Robert was shown a new bicycle. (Here someone showed Robert a bicycle - a neighbor, acquaintance, friend, etc.).
—His colleagues will be met at the airport. – His colleagues will be met at the airport (by someone who will carry out this action).

It should be noted that in verbs of action there is the same internal division as in verbs of being, a division that is determined by what in grammar is usually called transitivity and intransitivity. Indeed, this is precisely the difference between the verbs to be and to have. The first of them does not transfer the action to another object, but, as it were, closes it on the subject; the second necessarily leads to an addition. In all languages - both synthetic and analytical - the meaning of transitivity and intransitivity of verbs is established in the form of a semantic connection and is rooted in the history of a given language. But the systemic features of languages are, at least to some extent, reflected in their formal possibilities for expressing this meaning. So, for example, in the Russian language, consolidation of one or another semantic shade, the semantic orientation of the verb is often achieved with the help of prefixes and suffixes. In this case, we note the formation of reflexive (intransitive) verbs from transitive verbs using a particle -xia:start off- begin, open- open

get involved etc. In the English (analytical) language, prefixes and suffixes often do not perform a grammatical function at the present stage, and if they are present in a word, they are preserved only as its historically formed parts. The only external formal sign of intransitivity can be recognized here as the attachment of some preposition to some verbs (to listen to, For example).

More interesting and significant are the differences in the issue of transitivity and intransitivity of verbs between the Russian and English languages in terms of content. Thus, some English transitive verbs correspond to intransitive verbs in Russian.

to follow (smb.. smth.)

to approach (smb., smth.) To(to someone,

to watch (smb., smth.) behind(someone, something)

And vice versa:

to listen to(smb., smth.) listen to (smb., sth.)

to wait for(smb., smth.) wait for (someone, something)

It is obvious that the possibility of a double “solution” of any action (either as transitive or intransitive) is inherent in the very fact of connection of the action with two poles: the bearer of the action and its object. That is why, in principle, there cannot be an absolute line between transitive and intransitive verbs. This can be shown in the following example. Thus, the verb to watch is translated not only as track, but also how observe.

When comparing Russian and English languages, you can notice that in English the division of transitive and intransitive verbs is much less rigid than in Russian. Thus, in a number of cases, two Russian verbs (transitive and intransitive) correspond to one English verb.

open She opened the door. She's from-

(transitive) - to open the wing door,

open - The door opens easily. Door

(intransitive) opens easily.

begin (transitive) begin (intransitive)
drop (transitive)		She dropped her handkerchief. She dropped her handkerchief.
fall (intransitive)		Another leaf dropped on the ground. Another leaf fell to the ground.
grow - (transitive) grow (intransitive)		They grow rice there. Rice is grown there. Children grow fast. Children grow up quickly.

In order to understand why the English language, which usually strives for formal completeness and logical precision of expression, in this case seems to be taking the opposite path, we need to recall the desire of the English, noted already in the Introduction, to compensate for the syntactic constraint of their speech with greater freedom in the morphological and semantic respect. Obviously, blurring the line between transitive and intransitive verbs is one of these compensating means that expands and enriches the possibilities of speech. As a result, the meaning of many verbs expands. Here we again observe the influence of the grammatical structure of a language on the nature of its vocabulary. For example:

She laughed unwillingly, and the laughing reflection under the green hat decided her instantly. She involuntarily laughed, and the reflection in the mirror of her laughing face under the green hat instantly forced her decide.

You don't know what a life she led me. You don't know what kind of life it is for me arranged.

Typical for the English language are constructions in which an intransitive verb becomes transitive in the causative meaning of “to force someone or something to perform the corresponding action,” for example: to fly a plane, to run a pencil, etc. The possibility of this kind of con -

structures led to the widespread use of laconic and expressive combinations such as to laugh smb. out of the room (lit.:"to force smb. leave the room laughing at him"), to wave the question away (lit.:“dismiss the question”), etc.

Sometimes a verb that is intransitive in its basic meaning becomes transitive in its derivative meaning “to express something in some way,” for example:

Not nodded his assent. He nodded his head in agreement.

Valentin looked his query at the proprietor. Valentin looked questioningly at the owner.

She cried herself to sleep. She cried so much that she finally fell asleep.

Speaking about verbs of being, we noted that they can be used not only independently, but also as a linking verb, the own meaning of which was leveled and which thereby became part of a compound predicate. The same thing can happen with some action verbs. This possibility is ensured precisely by the fact that the syntactic connection of these verbs with subsequent members of the sentence (in particular, their meaning of transitivity and intransitivity) remains much less defined and regulated than is the case in the Russian language. The object of action in the above examples becomes something that would not normally be such. (lit.:“look at the question”, “nod agreement”), and this gives the speech an expressive, figurative character. So, along with the loss of syntactic independence, the action verb undoubtedly expands its semantic capabilities and receives greater specific weight as the center of the entire semantic complex (compound predicate).

The verbs to look, to sound, to feel and some others are especially flexible in relation to the category of transitivity-intransitivity. So, to look has the meaning not only “to look”, but also “to look”, and not only in relation to the character, but also regardless of any person, in sentences that are impersonal in meaning.

Not looks well. He's good looks.

It looks like rain. It seems, that it will rain.

He sounded on edge. He said irritated.

It sounds like a good idea to me. This Seems good idea to me.

Not feels well. He feels himself Fine.

His hands felt so warm and strong, so comfortable to cling to. His hands were so warm and strong, it was so nice to cling to them.

How does it feel my dear, to have the woman you hate stand by you and cloak your sins for you? Well, since you like, my dear, that the woman you hate protects you and covers up your sins?

The same applies to the verb to show, which is used not only as transitive in its basic meaning of “show”, but also as intransitive in the meaning of “to be seen”, “to be visible”. Compare:

Show me the way. Show way for me.

Didn't have rank showing on his shoulders. His rank Can

was to see on uniform. Not drunk. It shows. He is drunk. This it is seen.

Some transitive verbs are used in the same way as reflexives: to read, to sell, etc.

The book reads well. This book is good read. Newspapers sell well in the evening. Evening newspapers are good are on sale.

It is no coincidence that Russian verb pairs: to sniff-smell,taste-to be... to taste, to feel- be... ontouch etc. are conveyed into English not by two corresponding verbs, but by one.

Smell these flowers. Smell these flowers.

The coffee smells good. Coffee is good smells.

Taste the cake. Try it pirogue.

How much better fresh food tastes than food that has come from tins! How much tastier fresh food than canned food!

These poodles must feel very cold. These poodles must be very cold.

Her hands felt so soft. Her hands were so soft.