2.

7 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

EXAMPLES EXPLANATION
Compare: Most active verbs are followed by an
verb object object. They can be used in the active
and passive voice. These verbs are called

u
Active: McCay created the first animated film. transitive verbs.
Passive: The first animated film was created
in 1914.
verb object

u
u
Active: Walt Disney didn’t draw his cartoons.
Passive: His cartoons were drawn by studio
artists.
Active Only: Some verbs have no object. We cannot use
Disney lived in Hollywood most of his life. the passive voice with these verbs:
He became famous when he created Mickey agree die look seem
Mouse. arrive fall occur sleep
He worked with many artists. be go rain stay
What happened to the first Mickey Mouse become happen recover walk
cartoon? I’d like to see it. come live remain work
These are called intransitive verbs.
Compare: Leave can be intransitive or transitive,
a. Disney left Kansas City in 1923. depending on its meaning.
b. The DVD was left in the DVD player. In sentence (a), leave means “go away
from.” It is an intransitive verb. It has no
passive form.
In sentence (b), leave means “not taken.”
It is a transitive verb. It has a passive form.
Compare: Change and move can be intransitive or
a. Cartoons have changed a lot transitive.
over the years.
When a change happens through a
b. The light bulb was
natural process (a), it is intransitive.
changed by the janitor.
When someone specific causes the
a. In a cartoon, it looks like the characters are change (b), it is transitive.
moving, but they are not.
b. The chairs were moved
to another room.

Compare: Notice that we use was/were with born,

Walt Disney was born in 1901. but we don’t use the passive voice with die.
He died in 1966. Born is not a verb. It is a past participle
used as an adjective.

The Passive Voice; Participles Used as Adjectives; Get + Participles and Adjectives 73
 EXERCISE 8 Which of the following sentences can be changed to passive voice?
Change those sentences. If no change is possible, write no change.
EXAMPLES Today they create most animation with computer software.
Today most animation is created with computer software.
Walt Disney moved to Hollywood in 1923.
No change.

1. What happened at the end of the movie?

2. Someone left a box of popcorn on the seat.

3. Many movie stars live in California.

4. Paul Newman was a famous actor. He died in 2008.

5. I slept during the movie.

6. You can rent Finding Nemo on DVD.

7. They will show a movie at 9:30 in the auditorium.

8. They have sold all the tickets.

EXERCISE 9 Fill in the blanks with the active or passive form of the verb in
parentheses ( ). Use the tense indicated.
EXAMPLES Walt Disney was a clever businessman.
(past: be)

His cartoons are seen all over the world.

(present: see)

1. Walt Disney famous when he

(past: become)

Mickey Mouse.
(past: create)

2. Walt Disney most of his cartoon characters.

(past: not/draw)

3. Most of his cartoons by studio artists.

(past: draw)

74 Lesson 2
 4. Walt Disney 26 Oscars.
(past: give)

5. Walt Disney his studio to Hollywood.

(past: move)

6. Walt Disney in Hollywood most of his life.

(past: live)

7. Disney in 1966.
(past: die)

8. Today’s animations using computers.

(present: create)

9. Cartoon characters look like they .

(present continuous: move)

10. Even today, Disney’s old cartoons beautiful.

(present: look)

EXERCISE 10 Fill in the blanks with the active or passive form of the verb in
parentheses ( ). Use the past tense.

CD 1, TR 10
Ronald Reagan was elected president of the
(example: elect)
United States in 1980. Before he became
(example: become)
president, he was governor of California. Even before
that, he as a Hollywood actor.
(1 work)
He in 53 Hollywood movies between
(2 appear)
1937 and 1964. He a great actor, and
(3 not/consider)
he never an Oscar.
(4 win)
On March 20, 1981, the day the Oscar ceremony
to take place, something terrible
(5 schedule)
. Reagan in an
(6 happen) (7 shoot)
assassination attempt. Fortunately, he
(8 past: not/die)
from his wounds. One of his aides, who was with him at the time,
. Out of respect for the president, the Academy
(9 also/wound)
Awards ceremony for one day. Reagan
(10 postpone)
and continued to serve as president until he
(11 recover)
his second term in 1989. He
(12 finish) (13 die)
in 2004 at the age of 93.

The Passive Voice; Participles Used as Adjectives; Get + Participles and Adjectives 75