Everyday Grammar - VOA Learning English Academic Writing: Common Sentence Patterns, Part Three - February 04, 2025
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Feb 4, 2025 They explore the intransitive verb pattern and how verbs can stand alone without objects. Poetry examples illustrate repeated intransitive verbs and parallel structures. Discussion covers adding or omitting adverbials to control time, place, manner, or reason. Listeners are invited to practice writing short four-line pieces using these patterns.
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Intransitive Verbs Can Stand Alone
- Intransitive verbs form a complete predicate without an object and can end a sentence.
- Examples include go, come, walk, cry, and laugh, where the subject's action isn't applied to an object.
Angelou Poem Demonstrates Repeated Intransitive Lines
- Jonathan Evans quotes Maya Angelou's poem lines to show repeated intransitive patterns in a stanza.
- The stanza uses verbs like love, lose, weep, laugh, moan, and thrive paired with place phrases like in China.
Use Adverbials To Add Useful Detail
- Add adverbials (adverbs or prepositional phrases) to intransitive verbs to give time, place, manner, or reason.
- Use adverbs like suddenly or prepositional phrases like at the store to expand a simple subject+verb sentence.