







































Asian Themes in Social Sciences Research 
ISSN: 2578-5516 

Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 22-27 
2019 

DOI: 10.33094/journal.139.2019.31.22.27 
© 2019 by the authors; licensee Online Academic Press, USA 

 
Accepted: 25 June 2019 | Published: 8 July 2019 

22 
© 2019 by the authors; licensee Online Academic Press, USA 

  

 
 
 
 

Verb Valency in Listening Comprehension Practice of the 
TOEFL Test 
 
 

Sisila Fitriany Damanik1* --- Mulyadi2 

 

1Universitas Negeri Medan, Indonesia. 

 
2Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. 
 

 
Abstract 

This article is about verb valences which discuss the link of elements in language. It is the 
relationship between verbs and elements or constituents around them in their capacity as basic 
constituents of building sentences. The basic constituents include the transitivity and verb 
assignment to the surrounding arguments so that there are one-valent (monovalency), two-
valent (bivalency) and even three-valent (trivalency) forms found. The data analysis method 
used is a referential equivalent method with the basic technique of powering it to differentiate 
referents. The basic technique used is the technique of determining the determinant elements by 
powering them to differentiate the referents. This technique is used to sort or classify the 

valency structure of verbs in the matter of Listening Comprehension practice of  the TOEFL 
test. The source of data is from The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test written by Bruce 
Rogers. As the result, there are verb with one, two and three valences. A mono-valent verb in 
a sentence or clause is a verb form which is only compounded with one dependent element and 
is the subject of that clause. The verbs with two valences are also found in the exercise. The 
verbs that can bind two arguments at once and usually the argument is the subject and 
grammatical object of the sentence, and both must be attached simultaneously. A three-valent 
verb appears in a sentence or clause that has a syntactic / periphrasis causative construction.  
 

Keywords: Valency, Monovalency, Bivalency, Trivalency. 
Licensed:  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.  
Funding: This study received no specific financial support.  

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.  
Acknowledgement: The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of those involved in the finishing of this 
article 

 
 
1. Introduction 

Essentially, the term valency or valence is used in chemical terminology as a statement about the capacity 
of elements combined with other chemical elements. Likewise, in linguistics, the term valency is also used to 
express the relationship of compounding elements in a chemical compound, but in linguistics the compound 
element is the compounding of clauses or sentences building elements in a language intended to provide 
syntactic relationships (Whaley, 1997). Valency of verbs of all languages, basically, can be described the form 
of existence and its compounds with verbs that are compounded or bound to it. This compounding is universal 
for all languages in the world.  

The link of elements in language is the relationship between verbs and elements or constituents around 
them in their capacity as basic constituents of building sentences, namely grammatical subjects and objects 
which are attached to or combined with these verbs. The basic constituents include the transitivity and verb 
assignment to the surrounding arguments so that there are one-valent (monovalency), two-valent (bivalency) 
and even three-valent (trivalency) forms found.  

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In verb valency, there are two forms of verb assignments – transitive and intransitive verbs forms. 
Although it seems that these two forms are the same, but in fact they are indeed completely different. The 
term transitive and intransitive refer to the presence or absence of a combination of verbs with a subject or 
grammatical object that can be attached to it. Although the terms transitive and valency are different, the use 
of the term transitive is still needed in this discussion of valency because the use of the term transitive is 
caused by the existence of relations with matters concerning the subject and grammatical objects in clauses or 
sentences.  

In this article, the valency of the verbs which will be analyzed is the valency of the verbs in Listening 
Comprehension practice of the TOEFL test. As McNamara (2000) said, when someone has reached the aspects 
of a language, and combines these aspects with their language skills, we can measure how great they are with 
language tests. Language tests can be accepted to determine someone’s language skills as long as they are 
appropriate with the tests chosen. The TOEFL test is one of the standard language proficiency tests that 
measures a person's skills in language. The fame of this test increases with the number of English language 
students who use English as a foreign language.  

If Setyawan and Wiratmaja (2018) analyze the TOEFL test in semantic and pragmatic contexts, and they 
find several types of semantics and pragmatics on the test, then in this article the author will analyze valency 
verb aspects as objects of study that are expected to help students or the community in studying the TOEFL 
test as a standard language proficiency test.  

The problems that will be discussed in this study relate to the valency structure of verbs in the Listening 

Comprehension practice of TOEFL test. 
 

2. Literature Review 
Aisen in Hopper and Thompson (1982) suggests that valency is used to refer to the nominal number of 

arguments in a clause at any level. While Katamba (1993) states that valency is the number of arguments in 
the syntactic framework associated with verbs caused by grammatical functions. The same thing was declared 
by Van Vallin and LaPolla (2002) - the number of capable and common arguments bound or taken by verbs is 
called valency. They distinguish between valency syntax verbs and valency semantic verbs. Valency of syntax 
verb is the number of arguments morphosyntactically implied and it is needed by the verb. Meanwhile, the 
valency semantic verb is the number of semantic arguments taken by certain verbs. Both types of valency are 
somewhat different. The word rain in English, for example, does not require an argument semantically, but 
syntactically the word requires one argument because each English clause requires a subject, for example, It 
rained or It is raining. In English, the clause Rained or Is training is not acceptable because those clauses have 
no argument. 

Furthermore, the notion of valency is generally associated with transitivity. Herbe rt in Hopper and 
Thompson (1982) alludes to the issue of transitivity structurally and traditionally. According to him, 
structural transparency is a structure related to a predicate and two non-oblique arguments; Subject (S) and 
Direct Object (DO). Traditional transitivity is overall transitive in clause; refers to bringing or moving actions 
from agent to patient. Basically, valency is determined by verb behavior. Therefore, the verb can be called a 
transitive verb (intransitive, transitive and ditransitive).  

Transitivity can also be seen and understood as the number of components relating to the different 
aspects of the effectiveness or intensity with which action is carried out (see Hopper and Thompson, 1982). 
The study of valency (syntax) which is equated with transitivity is also stat ed by Van Vallin and La Polla 
(2002) in which they stated that verbs which take one core argument in syntax are called intransitive verbs,  
which take two arguments called transitive, and which takes three arguments called ditransitive. This is in line 
with the opinion of Verhaar (2012) which explains that verbs in languages can be verbs that have one two or 
three valences. Verbs with one valency are marked with verb forms which can only be compounded or 
followed by just one argument. Furthermore, the verb which has two valences are the verbs that can bind two 
arguments at the same time. Then the three-dimensional verb is a verb that can bind three arguments at once. 
The abbreviations used in this article are: 
 

Abreviation Original Form 

PRO Pronoun 
SG Singular 
PL Plural 

V Verba 
TRANS Transitive 

INTRANS Intransitive 
DITRANS Ditransitive 
PRE Preposisi 

PASS Passive 
VLS Valency 

 

 



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3. Method of Analysis 
The method is a way of approaching, observing, analyzing, and explaining a  phenomenon (Kridalaksana, 

2001). The data analysis method used is a referential equivalent method with the basic technique of powering 
it to differentiate referents. According to Sudaryanto (2015) in the method of matching, the outside 
determinant is detached, and does not become part of the language (langue) concerned. The method is used 
because the thing analyzed in this article is the valency structure of the verb in the matter of Listening 
Comprehension practice of the TOEFL test. Matching method techniques are basic techniques and advanced 
techniques (Sudaryanto, 2015).  

The basic technique used is the technique of determining the determinant elements by powering them to 
differentiate the referents. According to Sudaryanto (2015) the types of determinants will be separated or 
divided into various elements. The power of the sort is called the referential sorting power which then used to 
determine the structure and variation of the review text structure that meets the superstructure . This 
technique is used to sort or classify the valency structure of verbs in the matter of Listening Comprehension 
practice of the TOEFL test. The source of data is from The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test written by Bruce 
Rogers. 
 

4. Discussion 
As it is discussed earlier, verb valency requires a dependent in designing sentence structure. The 

dependent number is very varied, so there will be found verbs with one, two and three valences.  
 
4.1. One-Valent Verb (Monovalency)  

A single valent or monovalency verb in a sentence or clause is a verb form which is only compounded 
with one dependent element and is usually the subject of that clause. This verb can also be referred to as an 
intransitive verb where its appearance does not require a dependent function as a grammatical object. Here is 
an example of one valence in the TOEFL practice questions:  

 
(1) She went to the center with her friend. 

  PRO 3 SG V   
  VLS INTRANS   

(2) They can’t leave until the rain is stopped. 

  PRO 3 SG V   
    INTRANS   

 
Verbs went and leave are intransitive verb because these verbs can only be compounded with only one 

element - She as it is shown in clause (1). She is a pronoun that functions as the subject of the clause. Even 

though the clause can be extended to She went to the center with her friend and so on, but the element to the center 
with her friend was not the valency of the verb went. It is similar with the element they in clause (2) - They can't 
leave, where the element of they is also a pronoun that functions as the subject of the clause, and this clause can 
also be extended to They can't leave until the rain is stopped, etc. However, it does not mean that the phrases are 
positioned as valency verbs leave. The phrase leave until the rain is stopped grammatically is only the 
complement of the speech and is not located as the valency verb. 
 
4.2. Two-Valent Verb (Bivalency) 

A verb with two valences is a verb that can bind two arguments at once and usually the argument is the 
subject and grammatical object of the sentence, and both must  be attached simultaneously. A two-valent verb 
can also be called a bivalency verb or a transitive verb, for example, the verb read in English is a bivalency 
verb because grammatically the verb absolutely binds two arguments together as in the following cl ause 
example: 

 

(3) The young man reads  the book. 
 PRO 3 SG V  

 VLS TRANS VLS 
 

 
The young man and the book valency must be attached simultaneously to the verb reads, therefore the form : 

a. * The young man reads 
b. * reads the book 
 

Can be considered as incomplete and not grammatically acceptable because in form (a) there will arise a 
question what does the young man read? while in form (b) the question will be who reads the book? So the two 
forms above are not perfect because they are only supported by one valency. It is similar with the following 
clause found in the TOEFL practice questions: 

 



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(4) Eugene  missed a lot of class last week 

 PRO 3 SG V   
 VLS TRANS VLS  

 
Eugene and a lot of class must be attached simultaneously to the verb missed, therefore the form: 
c. *Eugene missed 
d. *missed a lot of class 
 

Are not a grammatically acceptable form, because it can be seen from the form (c), there will be questions 
about what did Eugene miss?, and (d) who missed a lot of class?. So, both forms (c) and (d) cannot be considered as 
complete form because they are only supported by one valency. This also happens in the example of the 
following TOEFL practice exercise; 

 
(5) They can park their car at the zoo 

 PRO 3 SG V   
 VLS TRANS VLS  

 
The verb can park is included in the verb category with two valences which are compounded with 

arguments and attached directly to him, so the form: 
e. *they can park 
 f. *can park their car 
 
Are not categorized as a grammatically acceptable form: 
 

(6) She is making steady progress 
 PRO 3 SG V  

 VLS TRANS VLS 

 
The verb is making is categorised as a verb with two valences which are compounded with the argument and 
attached simultaneously to it, so the form: 
g.*She is making   
h. *is making steady progress 
 

Are forms that cannot be considered perfect and are not grammatically acceptable. In other case, although 
the questions (a) what can they park? and (b) who can park the car? are commonly used in a non-formal form of 
conversation, but those verb syntactically is still considered as a two-valent verb. 
 
4.3. Three-Valent Verbs (Trivalency) 

A three-valent verb in English depends only on the type of verb, as can be seen in the verb wrote in the 
clause as follow: 

 
(7a) She wrote a letter to her friend 
 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS DITRANS VLS PREP VLS 
or  
(7b) She wrote her friend a letter  
 PRO 3 SG V    

 VLS DITRANS VLS VLS  
 
Clause (7a) and clause (7b) are two grammatical structures that contain the same meaning. In clause (7a), 

She, is a valency that is located as a grammatical subject of the clause while the valency of a letter and her friend 
are arguments that function as a grammatical object namely a direct object and an indirect object connected by 
a preposition (to). In clause (7b), the valency position of she remains as a grammatical subject, while the valency 
of her friend and a letter occupy a position that exchange, and at the same time the preposition (to) is no longer 
needed. It also can be seen in the following example:  

 

(8a) He offered his help to Darlene 

 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS TRANS VLS PREP VLS 
or  

(8b) He  offered Darlene his help  

 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS TRANS VLS VLS  



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In English, it is not all forms of verbs have three valences. The three-valent examples that appear 
dominantly in the TOEFL practice questions are the verbs in causative construction. The concept of causative 
construction is expressed by Goddard (1998) which states that causative construction is an expression in 
which it contains an event caused by one's actions or because something happens. Almost every language has 
its own way of forming or expressing causative constructions. In general, causative construction describe 
events that consist of (1) the causee, that causes an event to occur (causing event) and (2) the caused - the 
event that occurs or the result that is caused by the cause of the cause (causee) (see Shibatani 1976, Comrie, 
1985 and Song, 2001). Furthermore, typologically, according to Comrie (1983), causative construction can be 
distinguished into: 

1. morphological causative construction, 
2. syntactical causative/ periphrasis construction, and 
3. semantical/lexical causative construction. 
Morphological causative construction is the relation between causative predicates and non-causative 

predicates through morphological markers. In the morphological causative construction, the verb is indicated 
by affixes, for example in Bahasa Indonesia : “Shinta menyenangkan bunda. The affix -kan is a marker of 
morphological causative construction in which the ' menyenangkan ' verb has a direct effect to the object. 
Whaley (1997) also stated that the degree of causativity is the movement from indirect to direct.  It is 
increased by following the order of morphological-lexical analytical causative constructions.  

Syntactical causative/ periphrasis construction is a construction with two different predicates in 
expressing the cause and effect ideas. Peripheral causative construction, according to Whaley (1997), is a 
construction in which various verb forms are used to express what is generally expressed by a verb in 
conjunction with affixes. In English, the example of "He caused / compelled / forced me to do it, shows a 

construction which has a variety of verb forms, such as compelled + to do, used to indicate causes that are often 
referred to, therefore it is called peripheral causatives, or in other words, it is indirect cause and effect.   

Semantical / lexical causative construction is the relation between the  ideas of causes and ideas which are 
inclusive in one predicate. According to Comrie (1989) and Whaley (1997) if a lexical form that expresses 
causation is used at once, then the construction is lexical, for example: I killed the snake.  

Syntactical causative construction / periphrasis is a construction that has a three-valent verb. In the 
TOEFL practice question the verb is categorized as special verb. The examples of verbs which are used are 
have, get make and let, as in the following example: 

 

(9) Dave had the machanic fix his car 
 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS TRANS VLS V VLS 

(10) Jerry  got his cousin to cut his hair 
 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS TRANS VLS V VLS 

(11) Cathhy made her son do his homework 
 PRO 3 SG V    

 VLS TRANS VLS V VLS 

(12) The boss let us go home 
 PRO 3 SG V    
 VLS TRANS VLS V VLS 

 
The verb have, get make and let indicate that someone causes another one to do something. When a 

sentence contains a causative verb, it must be understood who performs the action. As it is shown in example 
(9) the verb have indicates that one person asks or pays another to do something. The subject of the sentence, 
Dave, does not perform the action. The one who does it is the mechanic. In other words the sentence means  
Dave had his car fixed. In example (10) the causative verb get  usually means to persuade someone to do 
something. In this case, again it is clear that Jerry, as the subject, is not the one who performs the action. The 
one who does it is his cousin. . In other words the sentence means  Jerry got his hair cut. The causative verb make, 
in example (11) means to force someone or compel someone to do something.  It is Cathy’s son who is 
compelled to do his work. In example (12) the verb let means permit  or allow. The boss, as the subject of the 
sentence, gives permission; we go home. 
 
4.4. Valency Reduction 

Valency reduction occurs as a result of one of the valences being broken because its existence in the clause 
is not too important or optional. Valency reduction usually occurs in passive sentences, such as;  

 

(13) Some important details  were omitted 

 VLS V PASS 
(14) Almost every word  was misspelled 

 VLS V PASS 



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The valency of some important details in the example (13), and almost every word in (14), are the valences 
that function as the agent. The two valences are deleted because their existence in the two clauses was not 
really needed, so that the appearance is optional. Another example of the valency reduction in the TOEFL test 
exercises can be seen as follows: 

 

(15) Mobile homes were not caounted as permanent house until  the 1960 census. 

 VLS V PASS   

 
5. Conclusion 

In TOEFL practice exercises, there are verb with one, two and three valences. A single valent or mono-
valent verb in a sentence or clause is a verb form which is only compounded with one dependent element and 
is the subject of that clause. This verb can also be referred to as an intransitive verb where its appearance does 
not require a dependent function as a grammatical object. Furthermore, verbs with two valences are verbs that 
can bind two arguments at once and usually the argument is the subject and grammatical object of the 
sentence, and both must be attached simultaneously. A two-valent verb can also be called a bivalent verb or a 
transitive verb. Meanwhile, a three-valent verb appears in a sentence or clause that has a syntactic / 
periphrasis causative construction.  

In addition to the existence of one, two and three valency verbs in the TOEFL practice exercises, there 
was also a form of valency reduction. It is obtained in passive sentences which occur due to the justification of 
valency deletion that function as agents because their existence in the clause or sentence is only optional.  
 

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