PATTERN VI NP VINT THE INTRANSITIVE VERB PATTERN

PATTERN VI NP V-INT

THE INTRANSITIVE VERB PATTERN The students rested. Mary laughed. The visitors from El Paso arrived.

THE INTRANSITIVE VERB PATTERN An intransitive verb has no complement – no noun phrase or adjectival in the slot following the verb. You are likely to find adverbial information though. Ex. The students rested after their long trip. Mary laughed loudly. The visitors from El Paso finally arrived at the airport.

THE INTRANSITIVE VERB PATTERN Intransitive verbs can (or might) create a specific rhetorical effect when used intentionally and repetitively. The nature of “intransivity” itself can be slow, watchful, tranquil, or quiet, but it might also be melancholy or even matter-of-fact. Regardless, analytical readers pay attention to repetition and variation, and this is one verb with your time.

OPTIONAL SLOTS Adverbial slots can appear in all sentence patterns. Most sentences require information beyond the basics. It is still a rhetorical choice. Ex. We marched. With optional adv. slot… We marched through the grass and jungle and rain.

OPTIONAL SLOTS Our most common adverbials are simple adverbs like suddenly, quickly, here, soon, always, sometimes and prepositional phrases like at the deli, on Saturday night, or for some bagels.

INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS Phrasal verbs are common structures in English. Phrasal verbs are a combination of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from the meaning of its parts. It is a set expression that acts as a unit…they do not need a complement and they will not allow for an object.

EXAMPLES OF PHRASAL VERBS IN SENTENCES We made up. We turned in at midnight. They union finally gave in to the company demands. Tony will pull through. My favorite slippers are wore out. We turned up. The party broke up.

SO WHAT? Brainstorm a list of transitive verbs. What’s the feeling? What tone do they evoke? What are they good for? What scenes might they describe? Why might a writer use intransitive verbs?

TRANSITIVE VERB PATTERNS John hit Bob. The little girl kissed the boy on the face. Sally baked a cookie for her teacher. The student his head off his desk. Mrs. Hilliard hugged a student.