Intransitive verb, transitive verb

Did you know that in English, there are two types of verbs: intransitive verbs and transitive verbs? If you are still confused about how to distinguish between the two types of verbs above, this article is for you. Let's join EnglishVocabulary to learn and master the nature of transitive and intransitive verbs through specific examples and practice exercises.

1. What is a Transitive Verb?

- Transitive verbs are verbs that require an object to complete their meaning.

Grammatically, transitive verbs must have at least one object following them.

1.1. Simple Transitive Verbs

Simple transitive verbs are those that require only one object.

  • He wrote a letter.

→ A letter is the object of the verb wrote.

  • She is saving money to buy a new house.

→ Money is the object of the verb saves, and a new house is the object of the verb buy.

Intransitive verb, transitive verb

She is saving money to buy a new house.

1.2. Double Transitive Verbs

- Double transitive verbs are those that require two objects:

  • A direct object (the person or thing directly affected by the verb).

  • An indirect object (the person or thing that receives the direct object from the subject).

Example:

  • He gave her a new dress.

→ "a new dress" is the direct object (directly affected by the verb "give"), and "her" is the indirect object (the recipient of the dress).

  • She wrote him a letter.

→ "a letter" is the direct object (directly affected by the verb "write"), and "him" is the indirect object (the recipient of the letter).

Intransitive verb, transitive verb

She wrote him a letter.

2. What is an Intransitive Verb?

Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not require an object to express a complete meaning.

Grammatically, intransitive verbs cannot have an object following them.

Examples:

  • They are standing.

  • He runs.

  • The children are playing in the park.

→ in the park is a prepositional phrase indicating location, not an object.

  • She drives carefully.

→ carefully is an adverb modifying the verb drive, not an object.

Intransitive verb, transitive verb

The children are playing in the park.

Note: Since intransitive verbs cannot have an object, they cannot be used in the passive voice.

3. Verbs That Can Be Both Transitive and Intransitive

- Some verbs can function as both intransitive and transitive verbs, depending on their use in a sentence.

We can compare the following examples:

  • She is eating. → Intransitive verb

  • She is eating a cake. → Transitive verb

  • The door opened. → Intransitive verb

  • He opened the door. → Transitive verb

Intransitive verb, transitive verb

The door opened. / He opened the door.

Other examples:

  • Sales has increased twofold since October. → Intransitive verb

  • They have increased the price since October. → Transitive verb

  • His English will improve if he studies hard. → Intransitive verb

  • He needs to improve his English if he wants to work in the USA. → Transitive verb

📝 Practice Intransitive verb, transitive verb

Intransitive verbs, transitive verbs - Test 1

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