Chapter XXIV: Intransitive Verbs Asserting Action

=81.= Transitive verbs, as we have seen, assert action performed upon some person or thing. There are many other verbs in our language that assert action, but the action is not performed _upon_ anything. On the contrary, the action ends in itself; as in the sentence, “The wind in the chimney sighed and moaned and shivered.” Here the wind is said to perform three actions, but these actions were not received by anything. Verbs like _sighed_, _moaned_, and _shivered_ are said to be =intransitive verbs=.

=82.= Not all intransitive verbs assert action. The verb _be_ and a few others (see Lesson XXV) which assert merely _being_, are also intransitive verbs; as, “I _am_ hungry,” “You _are_ kind,” “He _is_ extravagant,” “They _were_ careless.”

=83.= It frequently happens that the same verb may be used in one sentence as a transitive verb, and in another as an intransitive verb. If we say, “The horse kicked his master,” the verb _kicked_ is transitive. Why? If we say, “The poor boy kicked and squirmed and groaned,” the verb _kicked_ is intransitive. Why?

We should always classify a verb as it is used in the particular sentence under consideration.

=Summary.=—An =intransitive verb= is one that asserts (1) being, or (2) action that is not received by any person or thing.

=Exercise 1.=—Select all the verbs in the following sentences, and classify them as transitive or intransitive. Tell the subject of each verb. If the verb is transitive, tell its object.

1. The princess sat at table next to the king and queen.

2. At these words a grave smile of approval lighted the gaunt
face of the Hindu.

3. The spring murmured drowsily beside him. The branches waved
dreamily across the blue sky overhead. A deep sleep fell upon
David Swan.

4.

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
An angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.

5. Mr. Jeremy stuck his pole into the mud, and fastened the
boat to it.

6. The cat got up and stretched herself, and came and sniffed
at the basket.

7. I would have spared the woman who gave thee the milk.

8. His hair had fallen about his shoulders.

9. They sang patriotic songs, they told stories, they fired
torpedoes, they frightened the cats.

10. I could have killed a buck while thou wast striking.

11. Away rolled the bogghun, away and away, over the meadows
and into the forest; away and away bounded the Princess in
pursuit. The golden nose ring flashed and glittered in the
sunlight, the golden bangles on her wrists and ankles tinkled
and rang their tiny bells as she went. The monkeys swinging
by their tails from the branches, chattered with astonishment
at us; the wild parrot screamed at us; all the birds sang and
chirped and twittered.

12. The chipmunk appeared at the mouth of his den, looked
quickly about, took a few leaps to a tussock of grass, paused a
breath with one foot raised, slipped quickly a few yards over
some dry leaves, paused again by a stump beside a path, rushed
across the path to the pile of loose stones, went under the
first and over the second, gained the pile of posts, made his
way through that, surveyed his course a half moment from the
other side of it, and then darted on to some other cover, and
presently beyond my range, where he must have gathered acorns,
for no other nut-bearing trees than oaks grew near.

=Exercise 2.=—Tell whether the italicized verbs in the following sentences are transitive or intransitive. Give your reason in each case. If a verb is transitive, tell how it is completed. If it is intransitive, tell how it is modified.

1. All the brooks _have burst_ their icy chains.

2. The boiler _burst_ with a tremendous noise.

3. _Do_ your duty; that is best.

4. Such language _will_ never _do_ for a teacher.

5. Miss Clarissa _draws_ and paints very well.

6. Giotto _drew_ a perfect circle with one sweep of his arm.

7. The swallow _flies_ with a graceful dipping motion.

8. The boys _are flying_ their kites on the common.

9. _Give_ us this day our daily bread.

10. The rope was stretched so tightly that it _did_ not _give_
with his weight.

11. All day he sits in his arm chair and _reads_.

12. _Have_ you _read_ “The Man without a Country”?

13. The woodworkers _have struck_ for shorter hours.

14. David _struck_ Uriah Heep on the cheek.

15. Aunt Betsy _swept_ down upon the trespassers.

16. I _must sweep_ the spiders off the porch.