Transitive vs. Intransitive Verb Question

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by X Mode

I don't think it's a redundancy so much as it is a statement of what is obvious.

Is this a redundancy?

We ate hamburgers and french fries.

Is this a redundancy?

We feasted on hamburgers and french fries.

I should have been more clear. Sorry. Allow me to capitalize FOOD so as to show that it represents the verb's underlying object: feast (FOOD).

The new examples do not admit to redundancy. The added info 'hamburgers and french fries' modifies FOOD by narrowing down its semantic frame of reference.

X Mode: 'a statement of what is obvious'.
Casiopea: modification, added information

We agree. :D

Now I am really hungry.

[Steven D]

I've got a bit of an appetite as well.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by X Mode

I've got a bit of an appetite as well.

Literally speaking, I was really hungry! I actually went out an got a burger. Seriously.

[Steven D]

Originally Posted by erika

I appreciate all the feedback, but I am still confused. Is it both? Is it an intransitive or a transitive verb???

THANKS for all the input

It's both. However, in grammatical terms, the transitive sense of the verb is not as common as the intransitive sense of the verb.

It's mostly used as an intransitive verb. When used as a phrasal verb with "on", in grammatical terms the object that follows would be the object of the preposition "on". Though I would like to think of "feast on" as having an object, it wouldn't be looked at that way in grammar terms.

I would look at the Dictionary.com definitions for the transitive sense and the intransitive sense of the verb. As I said, the intransitive sense of the verb is the more common than the transitive sense.

I think the phrasal verb "feast on" is very common when considering how feast is used for the most part.

1. feast on - phrasal verb

2. feast - intransitive sense

3. feast - transitive sense

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=8&q=feast

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by erika

I appreciate all the feedback, but I am still confused. Is it both? Is it an intransitive or a transitive verb???

THANKS for all the input

Sorry about that, Erika. :(

I agree with X Mode. The verb feast can be either transitive or intransitive. In your example, feasted on is a phrasal verb and its particle 'on' requires an object, which is not to say that 'feast' is transitive. Try the tests! If you can omit the phrase 'on birdseed', then feast is intransitive. If you cannot omit the phrase, then feast is transitive. In short, 'feasted' is intransitive, but as a phrasal verb its particle 'on' requires an object, which makes feasted on pseudo-transitive.

Intransitive
The squirrel feasted. (OK; The squirrel ate heartily)

pseudo-Transitive
The squirrel feasted on birdseed. (OK; The squirrel ate birdseed heartily)

By the way, Erika, why do you need to know? :D


All the best, :D