A coworker and I have been discussing the grammar of an error message on a computer when downloading a file that is too big. The debate is between whether it should say “The file exceeds the maximum file size limit,” or “The file is exceeding the maximum file size limit.” I looked up information about … Read more
I lighted upon a sentence in the New York Times: Actually almost any tidbit — notably pigs in blankets — that the bar sends my way will satisfy. This usage of satisfy strikes me as uncommon, if not jarring, as the verb satisfy almost always occurs as a transitive verb. I have just checked all … Read more
“The man was waiting at the side of the road.” Book says that “was waiting” is an intransitive verb but why? Answer The verb is transitive if it can take an object without a preposition. For example, “to take” is transitive, because you can say “take a bus”, “take me there”, “take it”, “take my … Read more
I’ve checked Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and I found that die is an intransitive verb most of the time. I checked other dictionaries as well. I didn’t find any usage of “die” as per which we can say, “He died himself.” I want to know whether this usage is correct and on what basis. Additionally, … Read more
“Unwanted events happened” couldn’t be an example for passive because there’s no objective in the sentence, it’s just like this example, “the child cried”, because “happen” is an intransitive verb. https://www.duolingo.com/comment/9213318 Am I right? Answer As far as linguists and grammarians are concerned, you are correct that “Unwanted events happened” is not in the passive … Read more
I’m new here (in the sense of asking a question, but I often use the site for reference.) I have a question regarding the phrasal verb “get on“, or more specifically when used with “with”, eg. “get on with“. My confusion is partly regarding whether “get on” is transitive or intransitive. When I search the … Read more
