Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: English Verb Types

By Manik Joshi

A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to express a complete thought or not. A transitive verb is a verb that requires (takes or allows) an object to receive the action. “Object” may be in the form of a noun, phrase, or pronoun that refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. A sentence with a transitive verb can generally be changed into passive voice (however, sometimes a transitive verb cannot be used in the passive voice). A transitive verb can’t stand alone with only a subject. An intransitive verb does not take an object. However, there may take prepositional phrases or adverbs. Adding adverbs or prepositional phrases modifies the verb but doesn’t change its meaning. A sentence with an intransitive verb can never be changed into a passive voice. Some verbs have multiple meanings and can be transitive or intransitive, depending on the sense in which they are used. In some instances, a verb may require an object, while in others it does not require an object.

Based on their transitive or/and intransitive uses, verbs may be categorized as follows:

01. Verbs that are usually used only transitively for all their meanings/senses.

02. Verbs that are usually used only intransitively for all their meanings/senses.

03. Verbs that are usually used both transitively and intransitively for all their meanings/senses.

04. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses but also used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses.

05. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses but also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses.

06. Verbs that are used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses but also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses.

07. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses but also used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses.

You will find the detailed list of verbs under each of these 7 categories. (Very Important Note: Verbs have been generally categorized based on their usual meanings/senses. You may find some variation with the other resources.)

In this book, you will find the list of transitive verbs that may take two objects. You will also find the list of transitive and intransitive verbs that are used with prepositional phrases or adverbs.

Following are some verbs that are usually used only transitively for all their meanings/senses: abandon / abase / typecast / typeset / outrun / rerun / overlay / underpay / misspend / rend / withhold / behold / outgrow / befall / underlie / outdo / abbreviate / abduct / abet / abhor / abolish / abominate / abrade / abridge / abrogate / absent / absolve / absorb / abstract / abuse / accent / accentuate / access / accompany / accomplish / accost / account / accredit / accuse / acquaint / acquire

Following are some Verbs that are usually used only intransitively for all their meanings/senses: abscond / abseil / abstain / accede / acquiesce / adhere / alight / amble / apologize / fall / dwell / appeal / appear / arc / arise / arrive / aspire / assent / atone / atrophy / augur / backfire / backpack / back-pedal / backspace / backtrack / balloon / banter / barf / bargain / barrel / bask / bay

• Language: English
• Publisher: Manik Joshi
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005091941

Manik Joshi

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo-travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamed of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.

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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

(English Verb Types)

By Manik Joshi

Copyright Manik Joshi 2020

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IMPORTANT NOTE

This Book is Part of a Series

SERIES Name: English Daily Use

[A Forty-Book Series]

BOOK Number: 36

BOOK Title: Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Table of Contents

01. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

02. Transitive Verbs

03. Intransitive Verbs

04. Verbs Categorization: Transitive / Intransitive

04-A. Category - 1 – [VN]

04-B. Category - 2 – [V]

04-C. Category - 3 – [VN][V]

04-D. Category - 4 – (a). [VN] | (b). [V]

04-E. Category - 5 – (a). [VN] | (b). [VN][V]

04-F. Category - 6 – (a). [V] | (b). [VN][V]

04-G. Category - 7 – (a). [VN] | (b). [V] | (c). [VN][V]

05. Intransitive Verbs with a Prepositional Phrase or an Adverb

06. Transitive Verbs with a Prepositional Phrase or an Adverb

07. Transitive Verbs with two Objects

08. Exercise

About the Author

BIBLIOGRAPHY

01. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to express a complete thought or not.

Verbs That Are both Transitive and Intransitive

Some verbs have multiple meanings and can be transitive or intransitive, depending on the sense in which they are used. In some instances, a verb may require an object, while in others it does not require an object. Thus, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on their context or situation.

Example:

Write your name here. [Transitive]

In this sentence, ‘write’ functions as a transitive verb because it has an object ‘name’.

She can’t write. [Intransitive]

In this sentence, ‘write’ functions as an intransitive verb because it doesn’t have an object.

02. Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is a verb that requires (takes or allows) an object to receive the action. Object may be in the form of a noun, phrase, or pronoun that refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. Some transitive verbs can take prepositional phrases or adverbs. A sentence with a transitive verb can generally be changed into passive voice (however, sometimes a transitive verb cannot be used in the passive voice). A transitive verb can’t stand alone with only a subject.

Example 1:

They deducted tax on payments.

In this sentence, the verb deduct is transitive; its object is tax. Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.

They deducted.

Deducted what (thus the verb ‘deduct’ can’t stand alone with only a subject)

Example 2:

I sent a letter to my friend. [transitive verb – sent | object – letter]

The verb send requires an object (letter). It is necessary to state what the speaker sent.

You can’t say: I sent. OR I sent to my friend. (Incorrect)

Example 3:

They accused him of stealing. [transitive verb – accused | object – him]

You can’t say: They accused. (Incorrect)

Example 4:

She threw the ball in the well. [transitive verb – threw | object – ball]

You can’t say: She threw in the well. (Incorrect)

OTHER EXAMPLES:

Bring your books.

Can you buy me a coffee?

He brandished an assault rifle.

I closed the window.

She has offered me a job.

They have not contacted us.

We convinced him to come back

We enjoyed our time.

He was buried. [passive voice]

She was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions during police custody. [passive voice]

DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS

A transitive verb can take two objects to express a complete thought. They are called direct and indirect objects. A direct object is the receiver of action within a sentence while the indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed. An indirect object may come between a transitive verb and a direct object.

David gave his friend a camera.

In this sentence, ‘camera’ is a direct object while ‘friend’ is an indirect object.

[Indirect Object: friend] [Direct Object: camera]

The indirect object could be in the form of a prepositional phrase

David gave a camera to his friend.

[Prepositional phrase: to his friend]

FINDING THE OBJECT

You can figure out the direct object by using this question format: The subject did what? or The subject [verb] what?

David gave what?

a camera

You can find the indirect object by asking the question To whom? or For whom?

David gave a camera to whom?

his friend

MODIFIERS

Modifiers are words (such as articles or adjectives) or phrases that provide additional detail about a subject, verb or object in a sentence. They are usually placed close to the person or thing that they are modifying.

Examples:

This machine had outlived its usefulness.

In this sentence, determiner ‘this’ is the modifier of subject ‘machine’ while possessive determiner ‘its’ is the modifier of object ‘usefulness’.

I lent the scooter to my colleague.

In this sentence, article ‘the’ is the modifier of direct object ‘scooter’ while possessive determiner ‘my’ is the modifier of indirect object ‘colleague’.

The most common modifiers are articles (e.g.: a; an; the). Besides, normal adjectives (e.g.: hard; tall; wonderful, prosperous,) are also widely used. In addition to these, the following modifiers are also common:

interrogative adjectives (e.g.: which; where; what )

possessive determiners (e.g.: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, and whose)

demonstrative determiners (e.g.: this, that, these, those)

quantifiers (e.g.: a few, a large number of, a little, a little, a lot of, a number of, a small number of, anyenough, fewlittle, lots of, manymuch, not many, not much, numerousplenty of, severalsome, too many)

03. Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb does not take an object. That means there's no word in the sentence that tells who or what received the action of the verb. However, they may take prepositional phrases or adverbs. Such phrases and adverbs typically answer the question how? Adding adverbs or prepositional phrases modifies the verb but doesn’t change its meaning.

A sentence with an intransitive verb can never be changed into a passive voice because there is no object. So, you can recognize an intransitive verb because it never has a passive form.

Subject + Intransitive Verb

Susan laughed.

She grew.

It rained.

The car appeared.

My friend lied.

The window opened.

The birds sang.

The girls talked.

My telephone rang.

The train arrived.

None of the above verbs require an object for the sentence to make complete sense.

Subject + Intransitive Verb + adverb

We camped overnight in the deep forest.

In this sentence, the verb ‘camp’ has no object but is used with an adverb ‘overnight’.

Subject + Intransitive Verb + Prepositional Phrase

She apologized to her officers.

In this sentence, the verb ‘apologize’ has no object but is used with a prepositional phrase "to her officers"

Another Example:

I had fainted at the sight of blood.

04. Verbs Categorization: Transitive / Intransitive

LIST OF CODES

Based on their transitive or/and intransitive uses, verbs may be categorized as follows:

01. Verbs that are usually used only transitively for all their meanings/senses -- [VN]

02. Verbs that are usually used only intransitively for all their meanings/senses -- [V]

03. Verbs that are usually used both transitively and intransitively for all their meanings/senses -- [VN][V]

04. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses (However, usually not used both transitively and intransitively for any particular meaningsense) -- (a). [VN] | (b). [V]

05. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses (However, usually not used only intransitively for any particular meaning/sense) -- (a). [VN] | (b). [VN][V]

06. Verbs that are used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses (However, usually not used only transitively for any particular meaning/sense) -- (a). [V] | (b). [VN][V]

07. Verbs that are used only transitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used only intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses and also used both transitively and intransitively for one or more particular meanings/senses -- (a). [VN] | (b). [V] | (c). [VN] [V]

In further sections of this book, you will find the detailed list of verbs under each of these 7 categories. (Very Important Note: Verbs have been generally categorized based on their usual meanings/senses. You may find some variation with the other resources.)

04-A. Category - 1 – [VN]

Verbs that are usually used only transitively for all their meanings/senses -- [VN]

Many English verbs can only be transitive. In other words, an object must follow them. They are called transitive-only verbs. For example, ‘adulterate’ is a transitive-only verb. You can’t say, He adulterated. This sentence doesn’t make sense. You must use an object with the verb ‘adulterate’. For example, you can say, He adulterated milk with water. In this sentence, the verb ‘adulterate’ has an object ‘milk’. This sentence makes complete sense.

Sentences with transitive-only verbs—

Example 1: Transitive Verb: Abbreviate –

United States can be abbreviated as U.S..

[direct object: United States] [use of passive voice]

Example 2: Transitive Verb: Absorb –

Lipids are absorbed by passive diffusion throughout the small intestine.

[direct object: lipids] [use of passive voice]

Example 3: Transitive Verb: Administer –

An anesthetist normally administers the general anesthetic prior to an operation.

[direct object: anesthetic]

Example 4: Transitive Verb: Betray –

He has betrayed his friends.

[direct object: friends]

Example 5: Transitive Verb: Conceal –

He concealed the gold in his car.

[direct object: gold]

Following is the detailed list of Verbs that are usually used only TRANSITIVELY for all their meanings/senses:

Verb Word -- Present Participle -- Past Tense -- Past Participle

001. abandon -- abandoning -- abandoned -- abandoned

002. abase -- abasing -- abased -- abased

003. typecast -- typecasting -- typecast -- typecast

004. typeset -- typesetting -- typeset -- typeset

005. outrun -- outrunning -- outran -- outrun

006. rerun -- rerunning -- reran -- rerun

007. overlay -- overlaying -- overlaid -- overlaid

008. underpay -- underpaying -- underpaid -- underpaid

009. misspend -- misspending -- misspent -- misspent

010. rend -- rending -- rent -- rent

011. withhold -- withholding -- withheld -- withheld

012. behold -- beholding -- beheld -- beheld

013. outgrow -- outgrowing -- outgrew -- outgrown

014. befall -- befalling -- befell -- befallen

015. underlie -- underlying -- underlay -- underlain

016. outdo -- outdoing -- outdid -- outdone

017. abbreviate -- abbreviating -- abbreviated -- abbreviated

018. abduct -- abducting -- abducted -- abducted

019. abet -- abetting -- abetted -- abetted

020. abhor -- abhorring -- abhorred -- abhorred

021. abolish -- abolishing -- abolished -- abolished

022. abominate -- abominating -- abominated -- abominated

023. abrade -- abrading -- abraded -- abraded

024. abridge -- abridging -- abridged – abridged

025. abrogate -- abrogating -- abrogated -- abrogated

026. absent -- absenting -- absented -- absented

027. absolve -- absolving -- absolved -- absolved

028. absorb -- absorbing -- absorbed -- absorbed

029. abstract -- abstracting -- abstracted -- abstracted

030. abuse -- abusing -- abused -- abused

031. accent -- accenting -- accented -- accented

032. accentuate -- accentuating -- accentuated -- accentuated

033. access -- accessing -- accessed -- accessed

034. accompany -- accompanying -- accompanied -- accompanied

035. accomplish -- accomplishing -- accomplished -- accomplished

036. accost -- accosting -- accosted -- accosted

037. account -- accounting -- accounted -- accounted

038. accredit -- accrediting -- accredited -- accredited

039. accuse -- accusing -- accused -- accused

040. acquaint -- acquainting -- acquainted -- acquainted

041. acquire -- acquiring -- acquired -- acquired

042. acquit -- acquitting -- acquitted -- acquitted

043. action -- actioning -- actioned -- actioned

044. actuate -- actuating -- actuated -- actuated

045. addle -- addling -- addled -- addled

046. address -- addressing -- addressed -- addressed

047. adduce -- adducing -- adduced -- adduced

048. adjudge -- adjudging -- adjudged -- adjudged

049. adjure -- adjuring -- adjured -- adjured

050. administer -- administering -- administered -- administered

051. admire -- admiring -- admired -- admired

052. adore -- adoring -- adored -- adored

053. adorn -- adorning -- adorned -- adorned

054. adulterate -- adulterating -- adulterated -- adulterated

055. adumbrate -- adumbrating -- adumbrated -- adumbrated

056. advantage -- advantaging -- advantaged -- advantaged

057. advocate -- advocating -- advocated -- advocated

058. aerate -- aerating -- aerated -- aerated

059. affect -- affecting -- affected -- affected

060. affirm -- affirming -- affirmed -- affirmed

061. affix -- affixing -- affixed -- affixed

062. afflict -- afflicting -- afflicted -- afflicted

063. afford -- affording -- afforded --