Transitive and intransitive verbs
Tell apart verbs that take an object and verbs that do not.
You know that a verb shows an action or a state. Now you will see that some verbs need an object to receive the action, while others make complete sense on their own.
A transitive verb takes an object that receives its action, while an intransitive verb needs no object.
Examples
- Anu wrote a letter to her pen friend.
- The children laughed loudly.
- The gardener watered the plants.
- The guests arrived late.
- The driver stopped the bus. / The bus stopped.
How it works
Find the object
Ask what? or whom? after the verb. If something answers, it is the object, and the verb is transitive.
Priya called her grandmother. (called whom? her grandmother)
No object, no transfer
If nothing answers what? or whom?, the verb is intransitive. Words after it may tell where, when or how, but they are not objects.
The old man walked slowly to the temple.
Verbs that work both ways
Many verbs, such as open, move, grow and break, are transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another. Always check the sentence in front of you.
The farmer grows wheat. / Wheat grows well here.
Tricky pairs and extra prepositions
Raise, lay and set take objects; rise, lie and sit do not. Verbs like discuss, reach and enter take their object directly, with no preposition in between.
We reached the station at seven.
Quick reference
| Transitive (needs an object) | Intransitive (no object) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| raise, raised, raised | rise, rose, risen | She raised her hand. The sun rose. |
| lay, laid, laid | lie, lay, lain | He laid the mat on the floor. The cat lay on it. |
| set, set, set | sit, sat, sat | I set the cups down. We sat down. |
| discuss, reach, enter, describe | arrive, sleep, laugh, happen | They entered the hall. They arrived early. |
Common mistakes
✕Please lay down and rest for a while.
✓Please lie down and rest for a while.
Lie is intransitive; lay needs an object.
✕We reached to Mysuru at noon.
✓We reached Mysuru at noon.
Reach is transitive and takes its object directly.
✕The price of onions has raised sharply.
✓The price of onions has risen sharply.
The price goes up by itself, with no object, so the intransitive rise is needed.
Worked example
Exercise 1
What kind of verb is it?
In "The baby slept soundly," slept is ___ verb. (a transitive / an intransitive)
✓In "The baby slept soundly," slept is an intransitive verb.
Slept has no object; soundly only tells how.
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