Talking about events which involve only the subject: intransitive verbs

3.9 When you are talking about an action or event which does not involve anyone or anything other than the subject, you use an intransitive verb.

Her whole body ached.

Such people still exist.

My condition deteriorated.

Many intransitive verbs describe physical behaviour or the making of sounds.

Bob coughed.

Vicki wept bitterly.

The gate squeaked.

3.10 Here is a list of verbs which are normally used in intransitive clauses and which usually or often have no adjunct after them:

ache advance arise arrive bleed blush cease collapse cough crackle cry decay depart deteriorate die digress dine

disappear disintegrate doze droop economize elapse ensue erupt evaporate exist expire faint fall falter fidget flinch flourish

fluctuate gleam growl happen hesitate howl itch kneel laugh moan occur pause persist prosper quiver recede relent

rise roar scream shine shiver sigh sleep slip smile snarl sneeze snore snort sob sparkle speak squeak

squeal stink subside sulk surrender swim throb tingle vanish vary vibrate wait waver weep wilt work yawn

A few of these verbs are used transitively in idioms or with very specific objects, but they are intransitive in all their common meanings.

intransitive verbs followed by prepositional phrases 3.11 Many intransitive verbs always or typically have an adjunct after them. With some, the adjunct must be a prepositional phrase beginning with a particular preposition. This use of a preposition allows something affected by the action to be mentioned, as the object of the preposition.

Everything you see here belongs to me.

Landlords often resorted to violence.

I sympathized with them.

I'm relying on Bill.

He yearned for academic recognition.

3.12 Here is a list of verbs which always or typically have a particular preposition after them when they are used with a particular meaning:

rave about ~ insure against plot against react against ~ hint at ~ alternate between differentiate between oscillate between ~ appeal for atone for care for clamour for hope for long for opt for pay for qualify for strive for yearn for ~ detract from emanate from emerge from radiate from shrink from

stem from suffer from ~ believe in consist in culminate in dabble in indulge in invest in result in wallow in ~ lapse into ~ complain of conceive of consist of despair of learn of smack of think of tire of ~ bet on feed on insist on spy on trample on ~

adhere to allude to amount to appeal to aspire to assent to attend to belong to bow to cling to defer to dictate to lead to listen to object to refer to relate to resort to revert to stoop to ~ alternate with associate with consort with contend with flirt with grapple with sympathize with teem with

Here is a list of verbs which can have either of two prepositions after them:

abound in abound with cater for cater to conform to conform with contribute to contribute towards depend on depend upon dote on dote upon embark on embark upon

end in end with engage in engage on enthuse about enthuse over gravitate to gravitate towards hunger after hunger for improve on improve upon liaise between liaise with

lust after lust for prevail on prevail upon profit by profit from rely on rely upon revolve around revolve round spring from spring out of

Note that some intransitive verbs can be used in the passive when they followed by a preposition. See paragraph 10.23.

3.13 With other verbs, the adjunct after them can be a variety of prepositional phrases, or an adverb. The adjunct is often an adjunct of place. See Chapter 6 for information on these adjuncts.

Verbs of movement are usually or often followed by adjuncts of direction.

He went back to his own room.

I travelled south.

Here is a list of verbs of movement:

come crawl creep drift

flow gallop glide go

hurtle plunge run soar

spring stroll travel walk

'Look', 'gaze', and 'stare' are also followed by adjuncts of direction.

Verbs of position are usually followed by adjuncts of portion.

Donald was lying on the bed.

She lives in Lausanne.

I used to live here.

Here is a list of verbs of position:

be belong hang

lie live remain

sit be stand

stay situated

Verbs such as 'extend' or 'stretch' are followed by adjuncts indicating extent.

The storm we're in now extends all the way from here to Newfoundland.

There are a few verbs which are always followed by adjuncts of other sorts.

It behaves rather like a squirrel.

The Child-minders' Action Movement has successfully campaigned for many improvements.

I hoped that the absorption of poison hadn't progressed too far.

Here is a list of verbs which are always followed by adjuncts of other sorts:

act

behave

campaign

progress

verbs which are occasionally transitive 3.14 There are a small number of verbs which are usually intransitive but which can be transitive when used with one particular object. The object is usually directly related to the verb. For example, 'smile' is usually used intransitively with the noun 'smile'. For example, 'He smiled a patient smile' is a literary alternative to saying 'He smiled patiently'. The focus is on the type of smile rather than on the act of smiling.

Steve smiled his thin, cruel smile.

He appears to have lived the life of any other rich gentleman.

Alice laughed a scornful laugh.

I once dreamed a very nice dream about you.

Here is a list of verb, which can only be used transitively when the object is directly related to the verb:

dance (a dance) die (a death)

dream (a dream) laugh (a laugh)

live (a life) sigh (a sigh)

smile (a smile)

A more common way of focusing on the noun group is to use a delexical verb such as 'give', 'take', or 'have', as in 'Mary gave him a really lovely smile'. See paragraphs 3.33 to 3.46 for more information about the use of delexical verbs.