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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

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30 views3 pages

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Uploaded by

anikagairolancs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Transitive or Intransitive Verbs

Verbs are words that indicate an action, a possession or a state or being. Verbs are
also known as action words.
Verbs can be classified as Transitive or intransitive.
a. Transitive verbs: Verbs that have or need an object to make complete
sense. The verb must have a ‘doer’ and a‘receiver’.
Eg: She broke the table.

Here the verb broke needs the object table to make complete sense.

b) Intransitive Verbs: A verb that does not take an object in order to complete its
sense is called an Intransitive verb. The action stops with the verb and does not pass
on to any object.
Eg: She broke.
Here the verb broke does not require any object to make complete sense.
Look at the following sentences:
Lata sang a song.
I wrote a letter.
Children like sweets.
In each of these sentences the verb takes an object. ‘song’, ‘letter’ and ‘sweets’ are
objects. A verb that takes an object is called a Transitive Verb. The object usually
answers the question What? Or Whom?
Now look at the following sentences :
Birds fly.
The sun shines.
These verbs do not require objects. They express the actions by themselves and
make the sense complete. They are called Intransitive Verbs. Some Verbs can be
used both Transitively and Intransitively.
Exercise
1 Pick out the Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in the following sentences.
Name the Object of each Transitive Verb and underline the verb.
1. I killed a snake. - Transitive verb Object – a
snake
2. The ship sank. - intransitive
3. She jumped into the well.
4. She spoke to me.
5. The sun rose in the East.
6. I broke the plates.
7. The play lasted an hour.
8. Around fresh ground pepper, Sheryl sneezes with violence.
9. Because of blood sugar problems, Rosa always eats before leaving for school.
10. In the coming summer, Daniel will run his first marathon.
2. State whether the verb is used transitively or intransitively in the following
sentences.
1. The wind is moving the curtain.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

2. The wind is blowing fiercely.


(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

3. Somebody opened the door.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

4. Suddenly the door opened.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

5. He slammed the door shut.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

6. Your book is selling well.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

7. The boy went to the park.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

8. He can’t stand his brother.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

9. I like climbing mountains.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

10. I am going to buy her some flowers.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

11. I have invited my friends.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

12. I don’t sleep very well.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

13. She sat on the bench.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

14. We have lost.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)


15. Our team lost the match.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

16. The car may need a new battery.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

17. We ought to visit them this weekend.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

18. We can no longer wait.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

19. She was upset.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

20. It is raining.

(Transitive/Intransitive; Verb: _________________; Object: ________________)

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