A verb that does not take a direct object. Intransitive verbs cannot be converted into passive voice because there is no object to promote to subject position. Examples: sleep, arrive, die, laugh, go, exist. A common exam trap involves asking students to passivise a sentence with an intransitive verb — the correct answer is that no passive form exists.
« Back to Glossary DirectoryIntransitive Verb
4 « Back to Glossary Index
previous post
