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Grammar Focus • B2 Level ⏱️ 12 Minutes

Verbs With or Without Objects

Theme: Concrete and how it is made

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How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 For Teachers

• Allocate 12 minutes for students to work through the explanation and practice tasks.
• Check answers together using the rule table as a quick reference guide.

🎒 For Learners

• Read the four simple rule cards carefully before starting the exercises.
• Complete the 12 practice items step by step from easy to hard.

Grammar Rules & Pattern Examples

Rule 1 • Verbs of Change Same verb form for two uses

Some action words show how something changes. You can use the same word to say a person changes something, or that the thing changes by itself. When you add a thing after the word, the person makes the change happen.

With Object (Worker causes change)

"The workers cool the metal before they cut it."

Without Object (Thing changes itself)

"The mixture cools quickly."

Rule 2 • Two Different Verbs Rise vs Raise

A few change words come in pairs, so you must pick the right one. Use 'rise' when something goes up on its own with no thing after it. Use 'raise' when someone lifts or moves something up.

✅ Correct Pair Usage

"Heat raises the temperature of the room."

"The temperature of the mix rises as it hardens."

⚠️ Common Mistake (Avoid)

"The temperature raises when heat comes."

(Do not use 'raise' when no object follows!)

Rule 3 • Verbs Needing Objects Make / Need / Contain

Words like 'make', 'need', or 'contain' are never used alone for a change. They must always have a thing right after them. Never say a wall makes; say builders make the wall.

✅ Always With Object

"Builders make the frame from wood first."

"The mold contains the aggregate."

⚠️ Common Mistake (Avoid)

"The frame makes from wood first."

('Make' cannot be used without an object.)

Rule 4 • Word Order (Object Placement) Placement of How / When words

Put the thing straight after the action word. Words that tell how or when come after that thing. If there is no thing after the word, the how-word goes right after the action word.

With Object: Verb + Object + How

"He closed the gate quietly behind him."

Without Object: Verb + How

"The gate closed quietly."

Interactive Practice Exercises

12 Questions

Part 1 • Choose Correct Sentence (itself)

1. Nobody touched the slab, but it changed by itself. Choose the sentence that fits:

____ a. The slab hardened overnight. ____ b. The slab hardened the floor overnight. ____ c. The workers hardened the slab overnight.

Part 1 • Choose Correct Sentence (position)

2. Choose the sentence with the correct word order:

____ a. The workers pour carefully the aggregate into the mould. ____ b. The workers pour the aggregate carefully into the mould. ____ c. The workers pour the aggregate into carefully the mould.

Part 1 • Choose Correct Sentence (object)

3. Choose the correct sentence:

____ a. The wooden frame makes quickly on site. ____ b. The wooden frame makes by itself. ____ c. The workers make a wooden frame on site.

Part 2 • Rewrite Sentence (snow)

4. Rewrite the sentence so that the verb is used without an object:

Original: "The heat melted the snow."

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Part 2 • Rewrite Sentence (mixture)

5. Rewrite the sentence so that the verb is used without an object:

Original: "The binder thickens the mixture."

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Part 2 • Rewrite Sentence (slowly)

6. Rewrite the sentence so that the verb is used without an object, keeping correct word order:

Original: "The workers cooled the slab slowly."

____ (Type your sentence here...)

Part 3 • Fill the Gap (past)

7. Fill in the blank with the past tense of the verb that means make go up:

Last week the workers ____ the floor level a little.

Part 3 • Fill the Gap (temperature)

8. Fill in the blank with the verb that means make something go up:

Direct heat from the sun ____ the temperature of the mixture.

Part 3 • Fill the Gap (inside)

9. Fill in the blank with a verb that means "has inside it":

This bag ____ binder and fine sand.

Part 4 • Correct Error in Message (order)

10. A colleague sent this site update message. Correct the sentence with wrong word order:

💬 Site Message:

"Please check the entrance. She opens slowly the heavy wooden gate."

Rewrite the incorrect sentence correctly: ____ (Type correct sentence...)

Part 4 • Correct Error in Message (builder)

11. Correct the underlined grammar mistake in this site message:

💬 Site Message:

"The aggregate is ready. The solid wall makes from binder and gravel."

Rewrite the underlined sentence with a subject (builders) and object: ____ (Type correct sentence...)

Part 4 • Correct Error in Message (itself)

12. Correct the verb choice error in this site message:

💬 Site Message:

"Please wear masks. The dust raises when workers pour the aggregate."

Rewrite the underlined sentence using the correct verb: ____ (Type correct sentence...)

Verbs With or Without Objects

Verbs With or Without Objects

How to use this lesson

Grammar Rules & Pattern Examples

Interactive Practice Exercises

Related lessons

Reading: The Science of Concrete

IELTS Speaking: Concrete and Construction

Vocabulary and Pronunciation: Working with Concrete

Writing Process: Concrete Floor Slab Production

Passive Voice and Causative

Reported Speech and Reporting Verbs