[Grammar] Transitive or intransitive ?

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Passing by

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Good afternoon everyone!

I have a homework to send to my grammar professor by tomorrow!
I've already finished it, just wanted to be sure about my answers specially the "think" verb..
I'll be waiting for your answers guys :D


Here's my answers...

------------
[FONT=&quot]1. We ate lunch around 2 p.m. yesterday.[/FONT]​
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. I may apply for a job at Best Buy in Victoria Mall.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3. I am anxious to finish the research project.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4. The ducks were swimming in the pond during our picnic.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5. The weather has been hot and dry all summer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. I went to the beach on Tuesday afternoon and played volleyball.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7. I can finish that essay exam before I go to the movies.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]8. I should bake the cake for Mom’s birthday.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9. We have been ill all weekend.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10. The dogs tore open the trash bags and messed up the house.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]11. John thinks about moving to Alaska every day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Intransitive[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]12. The truck driver honks his horn when vehicles swerve into his path. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Transitive[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]13. James is a nice person.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]14. The new cat could be a calico.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]15. We have been waiting for twenty minutes in the dentist’s office.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]




thank you all!
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 

Coolfootluke

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I am not a teacher.
Good afternoon everyone!

I have a homework to send to my grammar professor by tomorrow!
I've already finished it, just wanted to be sure about my answers specially the "think" verb..
I'll be waiting for your answers guys :D


Here's my answers...

------------

[FONT=&quot]1. We ate lunch around 2 p.m. yesterday.[/FONT]​


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]2. I may apply for a job at Best Buy in Victoria Mall.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]

Intransitive. You are not applying anything.



[FONT=&quot]3. I am anxious to finish the research project.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]

Neither. "To finish" is an infinitive.



[FONT=&quot]4. The ducks were swimming in the pond during our picnic.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]5. The weather has been hot and dry all summer.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]

"To be" is not always transitive, but it is here.



[FONT=&quot]6. I went to the beach on Tuesday afternoon and played volleyball.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]7. I can finish that essay exam before I go to the movies.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]8. I should bake the cake for Mom’s birthday.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]9. We have been ill all weekend.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]10. The dogs tore open the trash bags and messed up the house.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive verb[/FONT]

"Tore" is the verb; "open" is an adverb.



[FONT=&quot]11. John thinks about moving to Alaska every day.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Intransitive[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]12. The truck driver honks his horn when vehicles swerve into his path. [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Transitive[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]13. James is a nice person.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]14. The new cat could be a calico.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Be verb[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]15. We have been waiting for twenty minutes in the dentist’s office.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Intransitive verb[/FONT]





thank you all!​

And y'all are welcome.
 

Coolfootluke

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"open" is an adjective, IMO, with a resultative meaning.

The dogs caused the trash bags to be open.
Bags are open.

? The dogs tore open the trash bags. Tore how? Open. No.
"open" does not describe the action, but the bags' resulting state.
I am not a teacher.

OK, but if they tore them apart, "apart" is an adverb, even though the resulting state of the bags is that they are apart. This one won't hold still for me. If anyone wants to call "open" an adjective here, I'm fine with that. I think the parts of speech are an imperfect system, anyway.
 

Khosro

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Passing by!

Now that you have the correct answers I recommend that you give it to your teacher the way it was before, so that your teacher has an opportunity to evaluate you and detect your weak points and make plans to improve them.
 

mara_ce

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I think that "finish" is a transitive verb in this case, and " the research project" its direct object.
 

Coolfootluke

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I think that "finish" is a transitive verb in this case, and " the research project" its direct object.
I am not a teacher.

OK, what is "to"?
 

mara_ce

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I am not a teacher.

OK, what is "to"?
Hi Coolfootluke,

I don´t remember the name of "to". I think it is a particle. I´ll check it later.

Infinitive: to + finish.
Bare infinitive: finish

I´d like to finish my homework before lunch.

My mother made me finish my homework before lunch.

Transitive verbs can be followed by direct and indirect objects.

In the above sentences, "finish" is a transitive verb followed by its direct object : "my homework".
What precedes the verb doesn´t count, in my opinion.
 

5jj

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Passing by

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Khosro

Ooops!
I've already sent the e-mail! .. Should I feel guilty ? :roll:

------

BTW .. we haven't studied the rest of the core verbs yet!
that's why we're only dividing verbs into "transitive & intransitive" only :-D


And thanks all :up:
 

Coolfootluke

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Hi Coolfootluke,

I don´t remember the name of "to". I think it is a particle. I´ll check it later.

Infinitive: to + finish.
Bare infinitive: finish

I´d like to finish my homework before lunch.

My mother made me finish my homework before lunch.

Transitive verbs can be followed by direct and indirect objects.

In the above sentences, "finish" is a transitive verb followed by its direct object : "my homework".
What precedes the verb doesn´t count, in my opinion.
I am not a teacher.

The "to" is a particle. That makes "finish" an infinitive. The subject of the infinitive is "I", and its object is "project". I suppose it is transitive, but "am" is the verb in that sentence. I can't believe that such an elementary exercise as the OP's involves parsing infinitive clauses. But I've been wrong before.
 

Khosro

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Khosro


Ooops!
I've already sent the e-mail! .. Should I feel guilty ? :roll:

No. If you feel guilty you are not a genuine student.
By the way, your only mistake was "apply".
 

5jj

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From the forum guidelines;

"We do not do homework or assignments for people. If we suspect that a question is an assignment, we will not answer it."

Most members interpret this to include, "We do not check homework or assignments".

Khosro's advice was fine, "Now that you have the correct answers I recommend that you give it to your teacher the way it was before, so that your teacher has an opportunity to evaluate you and detect your weak points and make plans to improve them." However, if we help students before an assignment is due, we do rather put temptation in their way - as we see from passing-by's last post.
 

Passing by

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No. If you feel guilty you are not a genuine student.
By the way, your only mistake was "apply".

too bad that I changed "open" to "tore" .. :shock:
 

Khosro

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philo2009

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I'm afraid I must take issue with two points made by Coolfootluke:


1. (Regarding the sentence I´d like to finish my homework before lunch.)

Coolfootluke wrote: Neither. "To finish" is an infinitive.


The fact of a verb's being functionally transitive or intransitive in any given instance has nothing whatever to do with the fact of its having, or not having, the form of an infinitive. The verb is transitive as it is used here.
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

2. "To be" is not always transitive, but it is here.

The verb '(to) be' is NEVER transitive!
!
 
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5jj

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1. The fact of a verb's being functionally transitive or intransitive in any given instance has nothing whatever to do with the fact of its having, or not having, the form of an infinitive. The verb is transitive as it is used here.

2. The verb '(to) be' is NEVER transitive!
A date to note in the diary, philo. I agree with you, without even a 'however'.
 

5jj

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This thread has raised several points:

1. Members have helped somebody with homework, something we are asked not to do in this forum. The OP has now submitted their revised homework, not their original efforts. We should not be in the business of helping people gain credit for what is not their own work.

2. Some of the information given was incorrect Whatever their motives, people posting questions in a forum called 'Ask a Teacher' feel that they are going to receive a correct answer. It is different, of course when we have a discussion in which there are clearly different, valid, opinions; but when we 'correct' people's work, they assume that the correction is correct!

At the top of the column are the words "You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post." If you are not a native speaker and/or teacher and if you are not absolutely sure that your answer is correct, it might be better to wait to see what others have to say before posting an answer.
 

5jj

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Duly noted!
Good to see you back. Unfortunately I am just off for a fortnight, but I look forward to reading your posts when I return.
 
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