Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Definitions
Transitive verbs are those which exert an action upon the object.
I caught the ball. They asked her. He loves her.
Intransitive verbs, on the other hand, describe actions (or states) that cannot be performed on an object.
I sprinted. She summersauted. He nodded. I awoke.
Identifying Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Try using the verb in the imperative form (information on this can be found here). You will find that transitive verbs imply an object, and it feels as though the sentence is incomplete without one…
Eat. Give. Throw.
Conversely, you will find that intransitive verbs in the imperative form function well, and the resulting sentence seems complete…
Whistle. Dance. Think.
However, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive…
I sang vs I sang a song. I ate vs I ate some food. I polished vs I polished the cabinet with him.
NB: In the examples below, verbs are emboldened, subjects are highlighted in purple, and objects are highlighted in pink. Additionally, prepositions are occasionally italicised. Definition Different v
You may have seen this sneaky symbol appear in texts, and maybe you've even used it yourself, but are you using it correctly?! ?! Why the Interrobang?! The Interrobang is used for one of two reasons:
Parts of speech are the categories into which words are ordered. Below, you will find the most common parts of speech and their definitions. Noun A word used to identify objects, people, places, being