Types of Verbs

1. Transitive Verb

The transitive verb has two voices: active and passive.

Study the following examples:

	Subject	Verb	Complement
Active	John	drives	a car.
Passive	A car	is driven	by John.

Active	He teaches English.
Passive	English is taught by him.
Active	The speaker presented a new idea.
Passive	A new idea was presented by the speaker.

The transitive verb in the passive voice does not always show who performed the action. For example:

Subject	Verb	Complement
English	is taught	in the Language School.
The exam	will be given	tomorrow.
A movie	was shown	last week.

A variety of patterns may be formed with the transitive verb.

Study the following examples:

ACTIVE

Subject	Verb	Complement
The teacher	taught	English to the students.
The teacher	taught	the students English.

PASSIVE

Subject	Verb	Complement
English	was taught	by the teacher to the students.
English	was taught	to the students by the teacher.
The students	were taught	English by the teacher.

Some verbs are almost always used transitively.

Examples:

To set – set, set, set – He set the book on the table.
To raise – raise, raised, raised – He raised the window.
To lay – lay, laid, laid – She laid the coat on the chair.

Exception: The sun sets in the West.

2. Intransitive Verb

Some verbs can only be used intransitively.

Examples:

To sit - sit, sat, sat – He sits in the front row.
To rise – rise, rose, risen – The sun rises in the East.
To lie – lie, lay, lain – He lay in bed all day.

Many verbs in English may be used intransitively or transitively. Notice the verb is not followed by an object when it is used intransitively.

Subject	Verb	Complement
I	drive.
I	drive	a car.
He	plays.
He	plays	the piano.
They	read.
They	read	books.

3. Linking Verb

The linking verb is used to connect the subject with two kind of complements:

1) An adjective that describes the subject;

2) A noun or noun equivalent that means the same as the subject.

The linking verb patterns as follows:

Pattern 1. Subject linked with adjective.

Subject	Verb	Complement
She	is	beautiful.
The cake	tastes	good
He	became	ill.
I	feel	bad.
The student	seemed	angry.
I	am getting	hungry.

Verbs commonly used in this construction:

Act
Appear
Be
Become
Feel
Get
Look
Prove
Seem
Smell
Sound
Taste

Pattern 2. Subject linked with noun or noun equivalent.

The verb most commonly used in this construction are be and become, and the verb phrases appear to be and get to be. Of similar construction also are the verb phrases feel like, look like, smell like, taste like and act like, which express a partial or doubtful between subject and complement.

Subject	Verb	Complement
John	is	a student.
He	appears to be	a student.
He	became	a pilot.
This	is getting to be	a problem.
It	was	I that suggested it.
That	tastes like	sugar.
It	was	we who said that.
He	acts like	a decent person.