Introduction Role of Grammar compared with other linguistic disciplines

Transitive verbs normally take an object. They are always connected with: 1) physical objects: build, buy, catch, cover, cut, damage, destroy, fill, hit, remove, rent, sell, use, waste, wear; 2) senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch; 3) feelings: admire, dislike, enjoy, fear, frighten, hate, interest, like, love, need, prefer, surprise, trust, want; 4) facts, ideas: accept, believe, consider, correct, discuss, expect, express, forget, include, know, mean, remember, report; 5) people: address, blame, comfort, contact, convince, please, tease, thank, warn. He hit the ball really hard. Did you see the rainbow? They both enjoyed the film. She reported the accident to the police. Don’t blame me. Let’s invite Sally and Bruce. Angela parked her car on a designated snow route. You surprised me. At last, Bernie earned her respect. Leonardo da Vinci painted very few works.

Note that transitive verbs can be used in the passive: They were blamed for everything.
c) Many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive. England lost. England lost the match.
Let’s eat. I can’t eat this.
Some verbs are used transitively or intransitively with different kinds of subjects; the intransitive use has a meaning rather like a passive or reflexive verb. Modern grammarians call these verbs ‘ergative’. Compare: She opened the door. The door opened.
Something woke her. Suddenly she woke.
Marriage has really changed her. She’s changed a lot since she got married.
We’re selling a lot of copies of your books. Your book’s selling well.
The wind’s moving the curtain. The curtain’s moving.
I can’t start the car. The car won’t start.

Verbs can be classified by the way they relate to other parts of the sentence. A traditional division is into transitive and intransitive. According to a more modern approach the basic distinction is between linking and non-linking verbs. All linking verbs are intransitive, but not all intransitive verbs are linking. In general, classification of verbs as to the way they relate to other parts of the sentence (to their functional significance) is common in the contrasted languages. There are the following types of verbs:

• 
  Lexical (main) verbs (so-called because they carry full dictionary meanings). cry, pass, live, finish.
  
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  Auxiliary verbs are devoid of their lexical meaning, their role is purely grammatical: they work with other verbs to create verb tenses and to form questions and negatives, to make progressive, perfect and passive forms. Do you want some tea? It doesn’t matter. Is it raining? They have traveled a lot. Volvos are made in Sweden. They may be subdivided into:
  

1. 
   Primary (DO/ HAVE/ BE) when used as auxiliaries to other verbs.
   
2. 
   Modals (can, must, could, may, might, will, would, have to, should, need, ought to, dare), which are always used as auxiliaries to other verbs. So-called because they indicate mood: She ought to understand. I daren’t say what I think. I can read Italian, but I can’t speak it. Greenpeace must oppose chemical dumping in our waterways.
   

c) Linking verbs do not in themselves have much meaning, but they serve to link the subject to the main predication that adds a description or identification. This predication is usually an adjective or a noun acting as a ‘subject complement’, although it may be an adverbial: Squash is an indoor sport. They were hockey fans. I was too slow. Rachel is the best player in the volleyball team (predicate noun). Wilson was enthusiastic about the League of Nations (predicate adjective). When it is a noun, the subject and the predicative noun refer to the same person or thing in the ‘real world’. This is not the case with non-linking verbs. Compare: He became an engineer (linking verb – same person); He liked the engineer (non-linking – different people).