intransitive verbs

[littlebaby]

hello everybody,

I would like to ask a question,

can we use passive voice to write a sentence with an intransitive verb? If yes, can you give me an example?

[Humble]

Hi, Littlebaby,
I've never thought of it. At first glance, it's impossible. I searched in a dictionary. It's not easy to find an intransitive verb - most of them are marked vt, vi
I've just found one now: to frown. Here's my example:
While some people consider 4-letter words acceptable, they will be certainly frowned at in our home.
So, the answer is yes, then.
Cheers

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by littlebaby

hello everybody,

I would like to ask a question,

can we use passive voice to write a sentence with an intransitive verb? If yes, can you give me an example?

No. By definition, intransitive verbs cannot be in the passive voice. The reason is that the direct object of an active voice transitive verb becomes the subject in the passive voice. If there is no object, there can be no passive voice.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Humble

Hi, Littlebaby,
I've never thought of it. At first glance, it's impossible. I searched in a dictionary. It's not easy to find an intransitive verb - most of them are marked vt, vi
I've just found one now: to frown. Here's my example:
While some people consider 4-letter words acceptable, they will be certainly frowned at in our home.
So, the answer is yes, then.
Cheers

Interesting example, however "frown at" seems to be a phrasal verb there and it is transitive in that use.

Dictionaries list a non-phrasal transitive use of "frown" but I would call it archaic.

[Humble]

Hi,
Here’s something I’ve just found.

Moreover, even intransitive verbs with prepositional objects may be used in the passive (sometimes teated as pseudopassives). English has an exceptionally rich variety of preposition stranding phenomena, the most striking of which is the prepositional passive—the possibility of passivizing the object of a preposition instead of the direct object of a verb.

Active: People spoke much about that book (prepositional object).
Passive: The book was much spoken about.
Active: You can rely [on David] to do get the job done.
Passive: David can be relied on to get the job done. Íà÷àëîôîðìû

Êîíåöôîðìû

There are a few cases of common (verb + preposition) expressions, however, where such passives can be constructed:

....This bed has been slept in,
....This bed was slept in by Napoleon.
....These carpets have never been walked on.
....These chairs are not to be sat on

The subject of this passive construction corresponds to an adverbial modifier of place in the active construction. The preposition also retains its place after the verb.
Other examples:
...The occupant of the apartment was fully clothed, although the bed had been slept in.
...The room looked as if it had not been lived in for years.
...The high-backed ugly chairs looked as if they had once been sat in by cardinals.

The use of this construction is very rare and usually occurs with the verbs mentioned in the examples.
Cheers