Ms. Fleming

What is a transitive verb? An intransitive verb?

•A transitive verb—not complete in itself. It needs a noun or pronoun to complete it, called a complement (or direct object). The word or phrase that follows it answers the questions what or whom.•An intransitive verb—a verb that is complete in itself. It does not need another word to complete its meaning. The word or phrase that follows it answers the questions how, when, where, why, or how much (to what extent).

A QUICK REVIEW

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6

1. sat on a stone

6. worked hard

11. left early

16. sang on the stage

21. lost in the park

26. wrote on paper

2. wrote letter

7. lost his way

12. broke her pencil

17. played a duet

22. won a contest

27. sang again

3. saw an accident

8. tied a knot

13. baked a cake

18. played at home

23. called Jerry

28. noticed error

4. played last night

9. called a friend

14. swept the floor

19. sprained an arm

24. called quickly

29. caught thief

5. fed the pigeons

10. went to practice

15. played marbles

20. lost his way

25. took the books

30. made mistake

PRACTICE IDENTIFYING TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE

VERBS

If the verb is transitive, write TR and the complement. If the verb is intransitive, write INT and the question the modifier answers.

What is voice?• Voice shows how a verb

speaks. A verb speaks actively when the subject performs the act.

• Paul wrote on the board.• Paul (doer) wrote (active

verb).

• Bob scored a touchdown.• Bob (doer) scored (active

verb).

The voice is inactive when the subject of the sentence is not the doer of the action. The receiver of the action is the subject.

•The sweater was torn by Margaret.•The lunch was eaten by John.

WHAT IS VOICE?

Please note: ONLY TRANSITIVE VERBS CAN BE EITHER PASSIVE OR ACTIVE VOICE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A RECEIVER (DIRECT OBJECT)!

INTRANSITIVE VERBS NEVER HAVE A RECEIVER, ONLY MODIFIERS.

WHAT IS VOICE?

Please rewrite the following passive sentences on a piece of paper. Identify the doer (D) and receiver (R) of each sentence, then rewrite the sentence in active voice. If there is no doer, please make up one

PRACTICE

Group 1

1. The dishes were put on the table by John.

2. My car keys were taken.

3. My brother was grabbed by the bully.

Group 2

4. The package was delivered to the office.

5. The boy was caught by the police.

6. My algebra book was stolen this morning.

Group 3

7. A text message was received on my brother’s phone.

8. First prize was received by my brother.

9. Two loaves of bread were baked by Suzanne.

Group 4

10. My homework was eaten.

11. The cake was baked this morning.

12. The game was first introduced last year.

Group 5

13. A friend was called to come pick her up.

14. The floor was swept already.

15. The sprained arm was placed in a sling.

Group 6

16. Practice was held at 6:00.

17. Monopoly was played all evening by my family.

18. The computer was broken.