The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-29
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ARTHUR KIBLER, EDITOR.

ARIlt \ K hlbLEIt, FDl Io1s-
Can an Intransitire Verb Take an Object?
This question was asked at the last
meeting of the Teachers Association,
and was answered affirmatively by
some of the teachers present. Some
work on grammar, the title Of which
we fail to recollect, was cited as author
ity. Unless we misapprehend the posi-
ton taken by the author Of the Gram
mar in question, we cannot agree with
him.
In the first place We do not admit
that there is such classification OF
verbs as transitive and intransitive per
Sc. We cannot take the verbs Of the
language and label them as transitive
or intransitive The classification de-
pends altogether upon their use and
meaning in sentences, and our language
is so flexible and words have been
pressed into service to express such
large variety of meanings III the differ
ent departments of science: art, ltera-
ture, and business, that it has become
rather hazardous TO say that certain
word invariably comes under this or
that grammatical classification. The ab-
surdity of English Grammar is daily
becoming more apparent and the teach
inc of it in our schools more and more
farce. Give US sound, sensible, practical
training in the correct use Of our beau
tiful mother tongue, from the time the
child enters the primary school untilas
a young lady or gentleman, she or he
leaves college; but let us relegate the
impractical and antequated rules Of so
called English Grammar, borrowed
from the dead languages, to dignlhed
retirement where they can rest, after
long, though hardly useful service, IN
''innocuous desuetude."
But this is depression. We proceed
10 say that in our opinion verb used
intrans;tizely cannot take an object.
The signifcation of the word, intransi-
tive, as well as the concurrent opinion |
of the ablest authorities on grammar as
expressed in their definitions of the
term, all go to show that an intransi-
tive vert les not have an object. 1t |
was stated that in case an intransitive
verb did have an object it must be kim
red in meaning to that Of the verb. AS
.or as we remember, the following SEN
tences were quoted in illustration. He
runs race, She sings song, He sleeps
the sleep etc.
Ase the verbs run, sing and sleep in
trausitiveo And is it true that if they
take an object it must have q meaning
kindred to that of the verb? We answer
both interrogatories negatively, and
submit the following examples to prove
our position. Politicians run candi-
date, the hackmen run hacks. The
seamstress runs seam. The carpenter
runs rope through block. The small
boy runs nail into his foot. Somebody
runs factory, or mill. The sailor runs
his ship aground. All of US, including
the grammarian whose statement We
are discussing, occasionally run risks,
and so we might extend our list Of il
lustrations almost ad i1efgeatu7a.
Virgil opens his great Epic with an
expression which, though variously
construed, clearly makes A1maa and
Virasua objects of Cano, Dryden, if we
remember correctly, translates it,
'sArms and the man sing" So in the
expressions sing his praise, sing his
deeds of labor, &C., we have sing used
transitively.
The verb sleep is often used by pro-
prietors of hotels and lodging houses in
the sense of furnishing sleeping accom-
modations; as, 1 can sleep two more
men, This bed will sleep two persons,
&c.
In all of the above sentences the verbs
have objects, but in none of them do we
recognize any kinship between the
meaning Of the verbs and that of their
objects. We would call them transitive
verbs, as we'll as all other verbs having
objects.
~ 1t is possible that we are mistaken in
the position assumed by the author who
is held responsible for the statement
under discussion. If so we hope to be
set right by the teachers who quoted
him. The matter may seem somewhat
trivial, and this article should perhaps
be headed, "Much Ado about Nothing";
however, if we are to have grammar and
rules, let's stick to them; else as the sage
Mr.. Squeers remarked, "Where's the use
in having grammar at all?n