TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS
Transitive verbs
Main verbs and its types.
1. Regular and irregular verbs
2. Transitive and intransitive verbs.
3. Finite and non-finite verbs.
Non-finite verbs are further divided into 3 types:
1. Infinitives
2. Participles.
3. Gerunds.
What are the different types of main verbs?
TRANSITIVE VERBS
- Transitive verbs take direct
objects or occur in the passive.
E.g., She bit me.
- Transitive verbs are verbs
that have objects.
The verbs - received, dug, up, ploughed and shared are
transitive verbs. The meaning of the verbs will be incomplete without
their objects (gifts, holes, land, harvest).
- Transitive verb speaks of an
action that passes from the doer (Subject) to the receiver (Object).
E.g., She bit me.
The verbs - received, dug, up, ploughed and shared are transitive verbs. The meaning of the verbs will be incomplete without their objects (gifts, holes, land, harvest).
Example:
The boy opens the cupboard.
(Transitive)
In this sentence, the
verb opens
describes what the boy does. The cupboard is the
object of the verb open. So we say that the verb opens is transitive.
Some verbs can only
be used transitively, because they always require an object.
Example
admire, select,
merit, appreciate, recognize etc.
INTRANSITIVE VERBS
Intransitive verbs
take no direct object. It is a verb that speaks of an action which does not
pass on to an object.
Example:
The boy eats fast.
(Intransitive).
In this sentence, the
verb eats has no object. The word following eats is fast, which is an
adverb.
- A verb that has no object is called an intransitive
verb.
- There are some verbs
which can only be used intransitively. This is because the actions described by
these verbs cannot be passed on to an object.
Example
sleep, go, come,
live, happen, snore, die, fall, exist, lie, live etc.
She fell down.
It happens sometimes.
He snores everyday.
I live happily.
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS
How to change from transitive to intransitive verbs. Here are some examples.
- A verb can be transitive or
intransitive depending on the way it is used in a sentence.
Transitive TO
Intransitive
T: Ring the bell.
IT: The bell rang loudly.
T: The girl drew a picture
IT: The girl drew beautifully.
T: The children sang a song.
IT: The children sang sweetly.
T: The soldier saluted the flag.
IT: The soldier saluted proudly.
