Intransitive verbs: what is it, list, examples and exercises

Intransitive verbs are those that noneedincomplement because they have full meaning. For this reason, they are able to form the predicate on their own.

Examples:

• Carmen died.
• Jordana has arrived.

Intransitive verbs are often accompanied by an adverbial or predicative adjunct.

Examples:

• Carmen died peacefully.
• Jordana arrived satisfied.

List of intransitive verbs
Verbs	Examples
Fall sleep	Finally, fell asleep!
Walk	She walks.
To play	Played all afternoon.
To fall	It fell.
Marry	Got married yesterday.
To arrive	I arrived!
To cry	Weeping convulsively.
attend	Maybe it will.
To lie down	Did they lie down?
To sleep	I sleep.
Err	We make mistakes.
To slip	I slipped there.
Explode	The gas canister exploded.
Go	You are going?
Rise	Got up and left.
To live	Lives abroad.
Die	Not dead!
Born	He was born strong and healthy.
To sit	They sat down.
To suffer	He suffered until the end.
disappear	How did they disappear?
To live	Live alone.
Come back	Return!

What about transitive verbs?

transitive verbs are those who needincomplement because, alone, they cannot convey meaningful information. To make sense, the transitive verb is concluded with the direct object, indirect object, or both.

So the verb can be direct transitive when it is not followed by a preposition.
Example: Joan threw stones.

as well, it can be verb indirect transitive when it is followed by preposition.
Example: Lígia likes chocolate.

Or finally it can be verb direct and indirect transitive when one part of the complement has and another part has no preposition.
Example: Rodrigo offered flowers to Madalena.

Let's analyze:

• Joana fired, Lígia likes it and Rodrigo offered. What did Joana throw, what Lígia likes and what and to whom did Rodrigo offer?
• Verbs alone are meaningless. Since they need complement, they are transitive.
• stones, chocolate and flowers for Madalena complete the meanings of the verbs, they are, thus, verbal complements.
• stones have no preposition, so they are a direct object.
• of chocolate has a preposition, therefore it is an indirect object.
• flowers is a complement that has no preposition, so it is a direct object.
• for Magdalene it is another complement that has a preposition, therefore it is an indirect object.

Exercises

1. (TJ-SP)

"No I want gadgets
to navigate.
Walk shipwrecked.
I walk without a destination.
by the birds' flight
I want to guide myself..."

(Jorge de Lima)

The verbs highlighted in the poem are classified, in terms of predication, as:

a) indirect transitive - connecting verb
b) indirect transitive - intransitive
c) direct transitive - intransitive
d) direct transitive - connecting verb
e) direct and indirect transitive - direct transitive

See Answer

Alternative d: direct transitive - linking verb.

2. (UECE) In “I spit on the floor with a disgusted disgust for that blood...”, the verb to spit is:

a) intransitive
b) direct transitive
c) indirect transitive
d) direct and indirect transitive

See Answer

Alternative to: intransitive.

3. Sort the highlighted verbs into intransitive verb (VI), direct transitive verb (VTD), indirect transitive verb (VTI), and direct and indirect transitive verb (VTDI).

a) let's go to play?
b) Today we go to discuss about nepotism.
ç) Love the parents.
d) I will attend today.
and) It disappeared yesterday morning.

See Answer

a) (VI)
b) (VTI)
c) (VTD)
d) (VI)
e) (VI)

Forto completeyourresearchabout Predaction vherbal,read:

• Terms of the Prayer
• Essential Terms of the Prayer
• Verbal Complement
• Direct object
• Indirect object
• Direct and Indirect Object
• Subject Predicative
• Adverbial Adjunct
• Linking Verbs
• Verbal and nominal conducting exercises with feedback