Every verb can be classified in various ways, such as regular or irregular, finite or non-finite, and importantly, as either transitive or intransitive. In this entry, we will focus on transitive verbs.
What Are Transitive Verbs?
Transitive verbs describe an action that is happening to someone or something. The person or thing receiving this action is called the direct object of the verb.
What Is a Direct Object?
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb. It is the person or thing being acted upon by the subject.
Example of a Transitive Verb
Consider the sentence:
"Helena sings a song."
- The subject is Helena, the one controlling the verb, or the person being talked about.
- The verb is sings, an action word.
- The direct object is a song, answering the question "What does Helena sing?"
Because the verb sings acts on the song, it is a transitive verb in this sentence.
Important Note
A verb is transitive if it has a direct object. Without a direct object, a verb cannot be transitive.
More Examples of Transitive Verbs
- "Dave bought a pen."
- "Alan made an origami."
- "Dan fed the cats."
- "Roy sent flowers."
Each verb in these sentences has a receiver (direct object), so they are all transitive verbs.
Final Reminder
The label a verb receives—transitive or intransitive—depends on the sentence it is used in.
- If the verb has a direct object, it is transitive.
- If it does not have a direct object, it is intransitive.
Comments
Post a Comment