The Major Parts of SpeechFunctional characteristics of verbs
Main verbs have one function, to be the head of a verb phrase (VP). As
such, they may be preceded by auxiliaries, followed by objects and comple-
ments, and modified in various ways. As in the case of noun phrases, a VP
may consist of a single word (e.g., Harris left). We will deal with VPs in our
chapter on Phrases.
Formal subclasses of verbs
Verbs may be (and in dictionaries for native speakers of English, usually are)
subdivided into transitive, intransitive, and linking. Transitive verbs (e.g.,
see, arrest) require a direct object, which typically takes the form of a follow-
ing noun phrase (e.g., The police arrested Steve Biko). Intransitive verbs (e.g.,
die) do not take a direct object (e.g., He died). Some verbs may be transitive
in some sentences and intransitive in others. For example, run is intransitive
in She runs regularly but transitive in She runs the company. Linking verbs (be,
become, seem) must be followed by a subject complement, which may appear
as either a noun phrase (e.g., He is a nurse) or an adjective phrase (e.g., She is
aware of the situation). Traditional grammars often refer to the former as a
predicate nominal and to the latter as a predicate adjective. In either case,
with a linking verb, the subject and the complement both refer or apply to the
same individual (he—a nurse; she—aware of the situation).
Exercise
- Check a dictionary to see which of the following is regarded as tran-
sitive, which intransitive, and which both: lift, anticipate, arrive, en-
dure. - Check a dictionary to see if it distinguishes linking verbs from other
types. Look up the verbs be, become, and seem and report on whether
and how they are categorized as linking verbs by your dictionary. - Compare the part of speech and subcategory information given about
give and send in a dictionary for native speakers and in one for English
learners.
Adjectives
While traditional grammars usually define nouns and verbs semantically, they