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Intensive verbs(or linking or copular verbs) are verbs that describe and focus on one
thing : the subject (hence the name intensive). They are followed by a noun,noun phrase, adjective, or a prepositional phrase. Examples:
- She is sleepy.
- They seem nice people.
- The boys are in the kitchen.
Extensive verbs are most other verbs that do not have a subject complement. They focus on a wider area extending far beyond and taking information away from the subject. Examples:
- She sings beautifully.
- Ahmad sells mobile phones.
An "intensive verb" – usually called a linking verb or a copular verb – is one which is used to describe its subject. Examples are verbs like be, seem, appear, look, become.After the verb we can use a noun or noun phrase, an adjective, or a prepositional phrase as a subject complement in sentences like these:Jack is the president.Jack looks tired.Jack is in his office."Intensive" in this case means to focus in, intensely, on one thing: the subject.An "extensive verb" is all the other verbs. The verb goes out – extends itself – away from the subject. It describes the actions or the activities of the subject, in sentences like these: Mary met the president.Mary knows the answer.Mary lives near me.An extensive verb does not have a subject complement. It may have an object."Intensive verb" and "extensive verb" are not the usual terms we use. They come from the linguistic theories of M A K Halliday, an Australian linguist of the 1960s and 1970s.
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