Using transitive and intransitive verbs

warn2.gif (965 bytes) Students' problems page 6 of 8

Passive voice with intransitive verbs

Students sometimes use what looks like passive voice with intransitive gloss.gif (923 bytes) verbs:

The snake was died. (TeleNex Students)

When the snake was escaped, the people were afraid. (TeleNex Students)

I told him what was happened on this day. (TeleNex Students)

The wind came over again and again. Suddenly, the boat was fallen into the sea. (TeleNex Students)

In such cases, it is possible that the students are confusing intransitive verbs like die with transitive gloss.gif (923 bytes) verbs like kill, eg many people were killed in the storm.

On the other hand, the students may not be trying to use passive voice at all. They may have come to believe that was and were are general markers of past tense.

For further information about the use of passive voice with transitive and intransitive verbs, see 04conten.gif (549 bytes) Using passive voice: Passive voice and transitivity.

06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Introduction
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Omitting the direct object of a transitive verb
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Mistaking an intransitive verb for a transitive verb
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Thinking all verbs can take two objects
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Omitting the preposition after verbs
square.gif (58 bytes) Passive voice with intransitive verbs
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Overuse of passive voice with ergative verbs
06studpr.gif (552 bytes) Omitting the auxiliary in passive voice