begun, blew, broke, chose, come, came, done, did, drew, drunk, drove, ate, flew, forsook, froze, forgot, gave, give, went, hang, hung, knew, rode, run, shook, sung, slew, spoke, stole, took, tore, threw, wore, wrote.
55. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs. A Transitive Verb is one in which the action of the verb goes over to a receiver; as, He killed the horse, I keep my word. In both these sentences, the verb serves to transfer the action from the subject to the object or receiver of the action. The verbs in these sentences, and all similar verbs, are transitive verbs. All others, in which the action does not go to a receiver, are called Intransitive Verbs.
56. Active and Passive Voice. The Active Voice represents the subject as the doer of the action; as, I tell, I see, He makes chairs. The Passive Voice represents the subject as the receiver of the action; as, I am told, I am seen, I have been seen, Chairs are made by me. Since only transitive verbs can have a receiver of the action, only transitive verbs can have both active and passive voice.
57. There are a few special verbs in which the failure to distinguish between the transitive and the intransitive verbs leads to frequent error. The most important of these verbs are the following: sit, set, awake, wake, lie, lay, rise, arise, raise, fell, and fall. Note again the principal parts of these verbs:
| wake (to rouse another) | woke, waked | woke, waked |
| awake (to cease to sleep) | awoke, awaked | awaked |
| fell (to strike down) | felled | felled |
| fall (to topple over) | fell | fallen |
| lay (to place) | laid | laid |
| lie (to recline) | lay | lain |
| raise (to cause to ascend) | raised | raised |
| (a)rise (to ascend) | (a)rose | (a)risen |
| set (to place) | set | set |
| sit (to rest) | sat | sat |
The first of each pair of the above verbs is transitive, and the second is intransitive. Only the first, then, of each pair can have an object or can be used in the passive voice.
NOTES.—The following exceptions in the use of sit and set are, by reason of usage, regarded as correct: The sun sets, The moon sets, They sat themselves down to rest, and He set out for Chicago.
Lie, meaning to deceive, has for its principal parts, lie, lied, lied. Lie, however, with this meaning is seldom confused with lie meaning to recline. The present participle of lie is lying.
Compare the following sentences, and note the reasons why the second form in each case is the correct form.
| WRONG | RIGHT |
| Awake me early to-morrow. | Wake me early to-morrow. |
| He was awoke by the noise. | He was woke (waked) by the noise. |
| He has fallen a tree. | He has felled a tree. |
| I have laid down. | I have lain down. |
| I lay the book down (past tense). | I laid the book down. |
| The river has raised. | The river has risen. |
| He raised in bed. | He rose in bed. |
| I set there. | I sat there. |
| I sat the chair there. | I set the chair there. |