The previous post was mainly about the verbs lay and lie, but it made a brief reference to the transitive-intransitive dichotomy. Here’s an article that got it right, then got it wrong. Should help make the distinction clear.
First the headline, which is correct:
MSDN Magazine will publish its last issue, ending a Microsoft developer era
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/08/microsofts-msdn-magazine-for-developers-will-end-its-decades-long-run/#p3
And the article’s first sentence (it’s the subhead), which is incorrect:
The final issue of the print magazine will publish this November.
“Publish” is transitive! You always publish something! In this case they publish an issue.
- So to make that second sentence correct, they need to use either the passive (ick) by saying it will be published;
- Or they need to give the verb a direct object, saying something like they will publish the last issue this November.
- Or they could use an intransitive verb, saying the magazine will end in November.
See the difference? Good. Now you’re a grammar expert. For practice, go look for a few more examples.
I like pictures in these posts, so here’s a picture of the product that the magazine was all about.
This post first appeared on The Writing Rag.