Transitive Versus Intransitive Verbs

So What is a Transitive Verb?

In any sentence where the verb has or carries a direct object , that verb is said to be a transitive verb.

How do I know if the verb has a direct object ?

Let’s learn to identify the direct object by analysing the following sentences :

1/  Janice baked a  cake.

2/ Trinidad and Tobago exports oil.

3/ The speeding bus hit a pedestrian .

4/ A dog bit the mailman.

5/ I did it every day.

6/ Privileges bring responsibility.

7/ The Johnsons are building a house.

8/ Ms. Brown taught the children .

9/ The hungry boys quickly ate their breakfast.

10/The bandits robbed the old man and his wife.

Each of these sentences has three important parts :

There is a person or thing performing an action --- This person or thing is the subject .

There is the action --- the verb.

And the action has a target --- the object.

                                                                 Let’s put it this way :

The subject tells us who or what performs the action.

The verb tells us what the action is.

The object tells us whom or what the verb acts upon or what is the target of the verb.

                                             IMPORTANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The object is not just anything that comes after the verb . Transitive verbs DO NOT  tell us where, how, when or why. The verb is transitive only if it tells us WHAT or WHOM the verb acts upon.

Now let’s apply what we know to analyse sentences 1 -5.

Subject	Verb	Object
1/ Janice	baked	a  cake
2/ Trinidad and Tobago	exports	oil.
3/ The speeding bus	hit	a pedestrian .
4/ A dog	bit	the mailman.
5/ I	did	it

Remember ---  a verb is transitive if it carries an object . You can tell if the verb carries an object by asking whom or what  after the verb.

This is how we found the objects of sentences 1-5 :

Janice baked what ?  a chocolate cake

Trinidad and Tobago exports what ?  oil

The speeding bus hit whom ?  a pedestrian

A dog bit whom ?  the mailman

I did what?  It

Here’s something for you to do . Practice analysing sentences 6- 10 into subject ,verb, and object.

Subject	Verb	Object
6/
7/
8/
9/
10/

Now compose two sentences of your own using your verbs transitively , that is , with an object . Remember ---- Each sentence must have a subject, verb and a direct object.

1/  

2/ 

What is an Intransitive Verb?

A verb is intransitive  if  it DOES NOT carry a direct object , that it, it does not say whom or what receives the action of the verb.

Examples

1/ The baby slept in the crib.

2/ Peter laughed when she fell.

3/The children sang with much energy.

4/ School starts at half past eight.

5/ I ran yesterday.

6/ Dr. Singerz is operating on her patient.

7/ The Prime Minister is here.

8/ That will do.

None of these sentences tells us whom or what received the action of the verb. Therefore these verbs are all used intransitively.

Let’s analyse Sentences 1-3.

1/ The baby slept whom ?      no answer

    The baby slept what ?         no answer

    ( in the crib is only telling us where the baby slept )

Therefore slept, in this sentence ,is an intransitive verb .

2/ Peter laughed whom ?          no answer

    Peter laughed what?              No answer

   ( when she fell is only telling us when Peter laughed)

Therefore laughed, in this sentence, is an intransitive verb.

3/The children sang whom?      No answer

    The children sang what?      No answer

   ( with much energy is only telling us how the children sang)

Therefore sang, in this sentence, is an intransitive verb.

REMEMBER

    Transitive verbs do not tell us where, when, how or why.

They tell us whom or what received the action of the verb.

Here’s something for you to do

: Analyse sentences 4-8 to say why the verbs in those sentences are intransitive verbs.