Questions tagged [transitivity]

"Transitivity" is the number of Objects a verb takes. 'Intransitive' verbs take no Object; 'transitive verbs' take at least one Object; 'monotransitive' verbs take one Direct Object; and 'ditransitive' verbs take both a Direct Object and an Indirect Object. 'Ambitransitive' verbs may be either transitive or intransitive, and 'middle-voice' or 'labile' verbs may make an Object the Subject in the active voice

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Can I rephrase the sentence "Can you explain this word to me?" into "Can you explain me this word."

Can you explain this word to me? Can I rephrase it as Can you explain me this word?
user48070's user avatar
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9 votes
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Why Listen to Music, why not Listening Music

Maximum time I face this problem by saying listening music. Is there any traditional cause behind this? Can we use listen music or listening music? Seems there is only a slight difference, but why ...
Ranjit's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
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Is "A Star Shoots" a complete sentence?

A star shoots. I read something like this somewhere. Can this be thought of as a complete sentence? How does one analyze this, grammatically? It looks as though it is missing some phrase. On the ...
saySay's user avatar
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5 votes
4 answers
890 views

In "Approval was given, and Ju's art displayed." how can the transitive verb 'display' be used without an object?

I have read a sentence like that from a magazine: "Approval was given, and Ju's art displayed." Since the word display is a transitive verb, how can it be used like this without an object?
teraphim's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why do people say "explain to me", not "explain me"? [duplicate]

Is there any grammatical rule to know which verbs can (or better, must) be sometimes followed by "to"? Some examples are: Please explain to me why... She said to me that... I'm aware I could also ...
claudio sepulveda's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
4k views

"talk money" or "talk about money"

Let's talk money. It's from an American show: Friends(Season02 Episode03), Usually, I would say "Let's talk about money, but why did she omit the word "about"?
Searene's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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'Something is arrived' - is this use of a participle as an adjective acceptable?

As I know, intransitive verb can't be used in passive voice. Arrive is an intransitive verb. I wonder if "be +arrived" is still understandable and available? Something will be arriving ...
Kam's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
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I stretch after waking up

I have seen this question in an article: Why do we stretch after waking up? Consider the following sentences: We stretch after waking up I stretch after waking up I (Subject) | stretch (Verb) | ...
user73963's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
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Should I say 'find...interesting' or 'find...to be interesting'?

In the sentence I find Area 51 interesting because there is so little information about it. Shall I add 'to be' before 'interesting'?
Rescy_'s user avatar
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4 votes
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How to use separable three-word phrasal verbs with the object is a pronoun

I found something on this webpage: “get back from” is stated to be either: Inseparable, meaning return from somewhere, or Separable, meaning receive something originally lent to another person....
nkm's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
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"Proposed her" vs. "proposed to her"

I get confused sometimes because I read both phrases(proposed her or proposed to her). So, please let me know, which one is correct? I proposed to her. vs. I proposed her.
user62015's user avatar
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3 votes
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The difference between "…to {get, arrive, reach, come} here on time."

This is a B2 question taken from an old English test paper. The student has an original sentence and is given a new word which they must use to create a new sentence–using between two and five words–...
Mari-Lou A's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Can I use repeat as intransitive verb?

okay I give up, original sentence was this from my writing: "Now that you have read the insights, in order to move on to the future, you would be better off if you now leave them behind. There will be ...
Ceyhun Özsoylu's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
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Are the following intransitive verbs, or transitive verbs?

When using Cognate objects. eg. "I dreamt a strange dream". Is the verb intransitive because 'dreamt' doesn't need the object here, or is it a Transitive because we have an object for the verb. When ...
Phoenix's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Can all transitive verbs take to-infinitive clauses?

“Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear. (Jane Eyre) It seems ‘your fate to be ...
Listenever's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

"Make easy" vs. "Make it easy"

I need to know which of these options is the correct one and why: The Spanish cooking makes it easy to have a nice meal. The Spanish cooking makes easy to have a nice meal. I don't know if I need ...
Mireia's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
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“He Loves.” A Complete Sentence, and Grammatical? [duplicate]

He loves. I’ve read some things about intransitive verbs, recently. Can “He loves”. be thought of as a complete sentence, and grammatical? And, can A wind comes. and He has. be thought of as ...
saySay's user avatar
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