The Basic Cozy Grammar Course

Tape One

The Basic Cozy Grammar Course

Tape One

Grammar Lesson 11: Transitive, Intransitive & Copula Verbs

(8:05)

"Transitive, intransitive and copula verbs. Now I know that sounds intimidating but it's not really." With these reassuring words Marie embarks with us on a late afternoon walk along the edge of the seashore, inches from the wash of the breaking waves. It's one of those heavy, grey pacific northwest days where the sky waffles as to whether it feels like raining or not. Using the surf, seaweed, logs, stumps, ferry boats, and the remains of a first growth tree to inspire her examples, she imparts her lesson on subjects, objects, transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, copula verbs and complements, providing a list of the commonly used copula verbs, and a definition and examples of a complement. 

Intransitive verbs answer the questions 'how', 'where', 'when', and 'why'. Transitive verbs always answer the question 'what.'