I have been teaching English as a second language since 2006 and I get asked great questions. Questions like: What’s the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs? I love it when I get a chance to do a deeper study of English to better help my students. The difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is not as difficult as it sounds.
He was an easy way to understand the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs that I use with my ESL students. Transitive verbs must happen to something. The verb needs an object. Intransitive verbs just happen. They don’t affect an object in the sentence.
Transitive and intransitive verbs can be confusing even for native speakers. Using these verbs incorrectly can cause sentences to be incomplete which may confuse the person you are speaking with.
An intransitive verb is simply defined as a verb that does not take a direct object. There’s no word in the sentence that tells who or what received the action. In contrast, a transitive verb does take a direct object.
| A Transitive verb is a verb used with a direct object |
| “Raise your hand if you know the answer.” – your hand is the object of the transitive verb RAISE. |
| An Intransitive verb is a verb used without a direct object |
| “Smoke was rising from the chimney.” – the intransitive verb RISE has no object (*from the chimney* tells us where the smoke is coming from, it is not the object of the verb.) |
A transitive verb must be followed directly by an object. The object is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the verb’s action.
The transitive verb raise is followed by the noun phrase your hand, which is the object that receives the action.
The sentence wouldn’t make sense without an object following the verb raise.
We don’t say (or write)…
…this sentence is incomplete. What should we raise?
An intransitive verb will not be followed by a direct object.
The intransitive verb rising is followed by the preposition from, it is not followed by a direct object.
A direct object is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the verb’s action.
SOURCE
Let me explain with some helpful examples. We will look at the transitive verb RAISE and the intransitive verb RISE to show us what is meant by a DIRECT OBJECT.
Raise is a transitive verb. It takes a direct object. In this sentence, the noun tuition is the object. Tuition is what is being raised.
It comes directly after the verb raising. We also know who is raising tuition, universities are raising tuition.
Rise is an intransitive verb. ‘Rising‘ is not followed by a noun , it does not have a direct object. We don’t know why the cost is rising or who did it.
Raise and Rise are great examples of a transitive and an intransitive verb that are easily confused. If you want to learn more about these verbs I suggest reading my RAISE vs RISE? Confusing English post.
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“Raise your hand if you know the answer.” – your hand is the object of the transitive verb RAISE.
Here are 4 transitive verbs that need an object.
You can see by their definitions that somebody/something is used with these verbs. The somebody/something is the object.
LOVE – to have very strong feelings of liking and caring for somebody
to like or enjoy something very much
“I love living in Tokyo.”
THROW – to send something from your hand through the air by moving your hand or arm quickly
“Jason can throw a 150 km\hr fastball.”
“Can you throw me a towel?”
KICK – to hit somebody/something with your foot
“The boys were kicking a ball around in the yard.”
“Shelley kicked Kirk in the shin.”
RESPECT – to have a very good opinion of somebody/something; to admire somebody/something
“I respect politicians that keep their promises.”
“Mindy is very polite, she respects her elders.”
*Be careful! These verbs can also be nouns…
Hi honey, give me some love! – the verb in this sentence is GIVE.
Nice throw Jason, your pitches are getting faster. – the adjective NICE comes before the noun form of throw.
She gave him a kick on the shin. – The noun kick comes after the article A .
Mindy always shows her elders respect.- the verb in this sentence is SHOWS.
MORE TRANSITIVE verb examples
*Some of these words have multiple definitions. This list contains the transitive definitions that require an object.
have – to own, hold or possess something
take – to carry or move something from one place to another
lend – to give something to somebody or allow them to use something that belongs to you, which they have to return to you later
borrow – to take and use something that belongs to somebody else, and return it to them at a later time
*Do a deep dive into these confusing verbs at my blog post – BORROW vs LEND – Your best guide (25 examples, PDF, Video)
discuss – to talk about something with somebody, especially in order to decide something
Be careful of this common mistake!
The verb discuss needs an object, it is not followed by a preposition.
Discuss the project… OKDiscuss about the project…NG
write – to put information in the appropriate places on a form
bring – to come to a place with somebody/something
pay – to give somebody money that you owe them
We pay our rent on the 1st of every month.
Everyone has to pay their taxes, even if they don’t want to.
return – to bring, give, put or send something back to somebody/something
leave – to go away from a place without taking something/somebody with you
Transitive verbs may be followed by a preposition :
Transitive verbs may be followed by an adjective or an adverb :
Transitive verbs may end the sentence:
Or a clause. (A clause is often marked by a comma [,] in the sentence.)
RISE is one example of a verb that is only intransitive. Here are 5 more common verb examples that only have an INTRANSITIVE form.
These verbs can’t take an object. *Note how many transitive verbs are followed by a preposition .
DIE – to stop existing; to disappear
“The old customs are dying.”
“His secret died with him.” (= he never told anyone)
“The words died on my lips.” (= I stopped speaking)
ARRIVE – to get to a place, especially at the end of a journey
arrive in… “She’ll arrive in New York at noon.”
arrive at… “The train arrived at the station 20 minutes late.”
“I was pleased to hear you arrived home safely .”
*The noun home is not the direct object of the sentence. Home is one of 3 places that we travel TO, but don’t use the preposition TO.
Go to home is incorrect. X
The other 2 locations that don’t use the preposition TO are here and there.
“Can you come here for a second?” – NOT come to here.
“My hometown has changed a lot in the past 20 years. I’m planning to go there next summer, I can’t wait.” – NOT go to there.
COMPLAIN – to say that you are annoyed, unhappy, or not satisfied with somebody/something
“Some residents have complained to the police.”
“Shoppers complained about the lack of bathrooms.”
“I’m going to complain to the manager about this.”
LIE – (of a person or an animal) to be or put yourself in a flat position so that you are not standing or sitting
“I’m going to lie down for a minute. I have a headache.”
“The dog was lying beside my bed when I woke up.”
Learn the difference between LAY and LIE at my blog post here >> LIE or LAY? All Tenses (Easy to remember tips, PDF, Video)
STAY – to continue to be in a particular place for a period of time without moving away
“It’s too hot today! I just want to stay in bed.”
“This is a fun party, sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay longer.” (Longer is an adverb [comparison form] in this sentence.)
MORE INTRANSITIVE verb examples
agree – to approve of something because you think it is morally right
live – to have your home in a particular place
listen – to pay attention to somebody/something that you can hear
look – to turn your eyes in a particular direction
fall – to drop down from a higher level to a lower level
appear – to start to be seen
rush – to transport or send somebody/something somewhere with great speed
go – to move or travel from one place to another
happen – to take place, especially without being planned
sleep – to rest with your eyes closed and your mind and body not active
*Intransitive verbs cannot be used with the Passive Voice. Learn more about the Passive Voice at my easy-to-follow guide.
Many verbs have an intransitive form and a transitive form. Below I will list a few common examples of these verbs and explain how to identify them.
We can tell from the word that follows our verb if it is transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs will be followed by a noun (direct object). Intransitive verbs will be followed by a preposition, an adverb, or a period or comma to end the sentence or finish the clause.
Stop
| Transitive | Intransitive |
|---|---|
| If I want to go I will go. No one can stop me.” | “Suddenly the rain stopped.” |
| Stop is followed by the noun “me.” This is the direct object. | Stopped is the end of the sentence, nothing follows it. |
Start
| Transitive | Intransitive |
|---|---|
| “Olivia is always starting fights with her coworkers.” | “Let’s go, the movie starts at 9:00.” |
| We know who is starting (Olivia) and what is starting (fights). The word fights is the direct object following the verb. | We don’t know who or what is starting the movie. Remember that a preposition (AT) can follow an intransitive verb but a noun can not. |
Change
| Transitive | Intransitive |
|---|---|
| “Heather changed her hair. It looks great!” | “My hometown has really changed since I was last there.” |
| Changed is followed by the noun phrase “her hair.” This is the direct object. | Changed is followed by the adverb since in this sentence, not a direct object. |
Conclusion – Transitive or Intransitive?
We learned from this post that an intransitive verb does not take a direct object, it is not followed by a noun.
A transitive verb will be followed by a direct object telling us who or what is affected by the verb.
Keep studying, you’re doing great! After more English practice and listening to native English speakers, you will naturally understand which verbs are transitive or intransitive. Listening practice will help your grammar.
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