Grammar

3.50 verbs which do not always need an object

Many verbs in English can be used with or without an object, with the same basic meaning. The object is not needed when it is obvious what type of thing you are talking about.

For example, you could say either 'She eats food slowly' or 'She eats slowly'. It is obvious in this context that what she eats is food, and so you only mention food if you want to emphasize the fact (which is unlikely), or if you want to say what kind of food she eats.

With verbs like these, you normally use an object only when you want to be specific or when you want to contrast what happened on one specific occasion with what happens normally. For example, you would say 'I've been studying history', as opposed to 'I've been studying', only if you want or need to mention the subject specifically, or if you normally study something else.

...a healthy person who eats sensibly.
Twice a week he eats an apple for lunch.
Father never smoked or drank.
He drank a good deal of coffee.
He had won --- and she had helped.
She could help him to escape.
I cooked for about eight directors.
She had never cooked dinner for anyone.
I washed and ironed for them.
She ironed my shirt.
Rudolph waved and went into the house.
She smiled and waved her hand.
She sat and typed.
She typed a letter to the paper in question.

You need to give the object when it is different from the one that people would normally associate with the verb. For example, 'to wave' is usually interpreted as meaning 'to wave your hand', so if something else is being waved, you have to mention it.

He waved a piece of paper in his left hand.
Charlie washed Susan's feet.
Many growers save their own seeds.

You also mention the object when you want to say something specific about it.

He washed his summer clothes and put them away.
Bond waved a cheerful hand.
I could save quite a lot of money.

3.51

Here is a list of verbs which can be used without an object when it is obvious what sort of thing is involved:

borrow, change, clean, cook, draw, drink, drive, dust, eat, film, help, iron, learn, lend, marry, paint, park, point, read, ride, save, sing, smoke, spend, steal, study, type, wash, wave, write