Transitive verbs and Intransitive verbs.
TRANSITIVE VERBS
Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning.
Imagine that I say:
I bought.
This sentence is incomplete. There is information that is missing.
You are probably wondering what I bought. (What did you buy Rob?)
Why is this sentence incomplete?
Because BOUGHT (the past of buy) is a transitive verb and a transitive verb needs an object after it to complete the sentence. The object after a transitive verb can be a noun or a pronoun.
I bought a car.
Now the sentence is complete and we can understand it. We added the object “a car” after the verb.
Let’s look at some other examples.
If someone says:
She likes. (incomplete - incorrect)
You probably think … She likes WHAT? (What does she like?)
Like is a transitive verb so we need an object after the verb.
She likes chocolate.
Now we know what she likes so this sentence is complete and correct.
The man stole a bike.
We need to say WHAT the man stole in order to understand the sentence/situation. Steal (stole is the past tense of steal) is a transitive verb. The object in this sentence is the bike.
So we have seen that transitive verbs need an object after them.
This object receives the action of the verb.
Transitive verbs always ask “what?” or “whom?”
What did you buy? – I bought a car.
What did you cut? – I cut my finger.
Whom did she invite? – I invited Angelica.
Subject + transitive verb + object
The same rules apply to phrasal verbs.
If someone says: “I’m looking for”
You would automatically think “Looking for what? Looking for whom?”
We need to add an object to make the sentence complete.
I am looking for my passport.
My passport is the object (that you are looking for)
Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning.
Imagine that I say:
I bought.
This sentence is incomplete. There is information that is missing.
You are probably wondering what I bought. (What did you buy Rob?)
Why is this sentence incomplete?
Because BOUGHT (the past of buy) is a transitive verb and a transitive verb needs an object after it to complete the sentence. The object after a transitive verb can be a noun or a pronoun.
I bought a car.
Now the sentence is complete and we can understand it. We added the object “a car” after the verb.
Let’s look at some other examples.
If someone says:
She likes. (incomplete - incorrect)
You probably think … She likes WHAT? (What does she like?)
Like is a transitive verb so we need an object after the verb.
She likes chocolate.
Now we know what she likes so this sentence is complete and correct.
The man stole a bike.
We need to say WHAT the man stole in order to understand the sentence/situation. Steal (stole is the past tense of steal) is a transitive verb. The object in this sentence is the bike.
So we have seen that transitive verbs need an object after them.
This object receives the action of the verb.
Transitive verbs always ask “what?” or “whom?”
What did you buy? – I bought a car.
What did you cut? – I cut my finger.
Whom did she invite? – I invited Angelica.
Subject + transitive verb + object
The same rules apply to phrasal verbs.
If someone says: “I’m looking for”
You would automatically think “Looking for what? Looking for whom?”
We need to add an object to make the sentence complete.
I am looking for my passport.
My passport is the object (that you are looking for)
Transitive Verbs – Passive Form
Transitive verbs can have a passive form.
Active: Subject + transitive verb + object
Passive: Object + was/were + transitive verb (+ by subject)
Transitive verbs can have a passive form.
Active: Subject + transitive verb + object
Passive: Object + was/were + transitive verb (+ by subject)
Thieves stole his car. (active)
His car was stolen. (passive)
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. (active)
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. (passive)
They sold some books. (active)
Some books were sold. (passive)
Example sentences using TRANSITIVE verbs
We enjoyed the concert.
I opened the door.
She kicked the ball.
He took me to a restaurant.
I saw an accident.
He copied my answer.
taken from:
http://www.grammar.cl/english/transitive-intransitive-verbs.htm
His car was stolen. (passive)
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. (active)
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. (passive)
They sold some books. (active)
Some books were sold. (passive)
Example sentences using TRANSITIVE verbs
We enjoyed the concert.
I opened the door.
She kicked the ball.
He took me to a restaurant.
I saw an accident.
He copied my answer.
taken from:
http://www.grammar.cl/english/transitive-intransitive-verbs.htm
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