What are transitive and intransitive verb?????????????

A transitive verb is a verb that denotes an action which passes over from the doer or subject to an object.

Example: The mother fed the baby;

He filled up the form;

They enjoyed the party, etc.

 

An intransitive verb denotes an action which does not pass over to an object, or which expresses a state or being, such as:

He ran a long distance;

The balloon burst in the sky;

Please keep quiet, etc.

 

A matter needs to be noted here that most verbs can be used both as transitive and as intransitive verbs. It is, therefore, better to say that a verb is used transitively or intransitively rather than that it is transitive or intransitive.

Hope this helps you locate the transitive and intransitive verbs in the given sentences. 

  • 2
What are transitive verbs?
Transitive verbs are action verbs that have an object to receive that action. In the first sentence above, the direct object ball received the action of the verb hit.
Here are some more examples of transitive verbs:
I baked some cookies.
I rode the bicycle.
I moved the chair.
I stitched a quilt.
All of the verbs in the above sentences are transitive because an object is receiving the action of the verb.
But what about the sentence “The bird sang.” Is the verb in that sentence a transitive verb? No, in this case the verb sang is an intransitive verb.
What are intransitive verbs?
Intransitive verbs are action verbs but unlike transitive verbs, the do not have an object receiving the action. Notice there are no words after the verb sang.
More examples of intransitive verbs:
I laughed.
I cried.
The book fell.
The horse galloped.
The sun set.
In all of the above cases the subject is performing the action of the verb and nothing is receiving the action.
What about this sentence?
I walked to the park today.
Is walked transitive or intransitive? Think about the rules. Since walked has words coming after it, the verb must be transitive, right? WRONG! The phrase to the park is a prepositional phrase and today is an adverb. There is no object receiving the action of the verb walked so the verb is intransitive.
To recap, a transitive verb must be an action verb plus there must be an object to receive that action.
  • 1
What are you looking for?