TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Read the following sentences.

The batter hit the ball.
The bird sang.
What is the difference between the two verbs in the above sentences? At first thought, you may say the definition but
forget about the meaning. Instead, concentrate on the grammar. How do the verbs differ grammatically?
Notice that the first sentence has two words following the verb hit. The second sentence doesnt have words after the
verb sang. These two facts lead us to a discussion on transitive and intransitive verbs.


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 verbwalked 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.









Here are some examples of intransitive verb:




bring Please bring me a glass of water. buy Do not buy hamburgers at that restaurant.
cost My coat cost a lot of money. get My children get good grades in school.
give Our family gives gifts at Christmas. leave I leave home at 8:00 in the morning.
lend Could you please lend me five dollars? make Did you make coffee this morning?
offer My boss offered me a great new job. owe I owe you ten dollars.
pass All the students passed the test. pay Don't forget to pay the phone bill.
play Jennifer loves playing the piano. promise She promised me she would come to the party.
read They read the newspaper every day. refuse
The customs officers refused to let me enter the
country.
send
My girlfriend sends me an e-mail message
every day.
show My neighbour showed me her garden yesterday.
sing
Muriel sings songs at karaoke every Sunday
night.
take
Travellers take planes or trains to their
destinations.
teach Our parents teach us to be kind. tell The author tells a good story.
write Tommy writes short stories about the South.




















Transitive, Intransitive, and Linking Verbs
Sometimes some problematic sentence structures come up when students dont understand how the verb in the sentence is
acting (and, unfortunately, some verbs act in more than one way). This is an issue that native speakers most likely will
not haveand if you see an odd construction in an ESOLers sentence, this could be one of the reasons.
You can break verbs into different type--
Transitive Verbs: Are followed by nouns. Answer the questions What? And/or Who?
Verb examples: Need, Send, Want
I send money. = Correct
V N
I send. = Incorrect. Must use a noun after a transitive verb.
I send quickly. = Incorrect. Cant use an adverb after a transitive verb.


Intransitive Verbs: Answer the questions Where? When? Why? and How? Are followed by nothing, adverbs, and
prepositions
Verb example: Sleep, Walk, Arrive
I walk quickly. = Correct
V Adv
I walk to school. = Correct
V Prep
I walk school. = Incorrect. Cant use a noun after an intransitive verb.


Linking Verbs: Describe, connect, or restate the subject . Are followed by adjectives and nouns
Verb examples: Be, Seem, Become
Use the Be test
He is a doctor. = Correct
V N
He is angry. = Correct
V Adj
He is quickly. = Incorrect. Cant use an adverb after a linking verb.



Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

What is a transitive verb? A transitive verb requires an object in the form of a noun or pronoun to complete its
meaning. This object answers the questions who(m) or what.
Examples: -The students write compositions.
What do the students write? Compositions.
-Peter loves Mary.
Who (m) does Peter love? Mary.
What is an intransitive verb? An intransitive verb is one that does not require an object to complete its meaning. The
sentence may end with the verb, an adjective, or an adverb. The questions one may ask with these forms are when,
where, how, or why.
Examples: - The children sat.
- The children sat at 7:30 pm. (when or what time?)
- The children sat at the table. (where?)
- The children sat quietly. (how?)
- The children sat because their mother told them to. (why?)



Exercise directions: Underline the verb and in the blank space, write transitiveor intransitive. If it is transitive, circle
the object.
1. The math professor explains the lesson.
2. I drive my car to work every day.
3. Many students sleep late on the weekends. ______
4. Louise finally got her license.
5. Does your family live in Minnesota?
6. Mark and Mindy seem unhappy.
7. When did your friends come to the United States? ___
8. For e-mail, you need a computer. ___
9. My dad and I always disagree. ___
10. Did you find the address? ___


Identify the underlined part of speech (grammar.uoregon.edu)

1. The director told the actors, "Do your best, and we'll be a hit."
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

2. His ability to concentrate is legendary.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

3. The campers hid inside the cabin when they saw the bear.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

4. Alexis is swimming in the state championship next week.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

5. Frustrated with the officials call, Ethan kicked the bench.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb
6. The student procrastinated too long and failed to finish the project.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

7. The vegetarian burger tasted salty.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb

8. When the contestant completed the first test, she received another clue.
a. transitive verb b. intransitive verb c. linking verb d. auxiliary verb