How to Tell a Transitive Verb from an Intransitive Verb
First, let me just say that remembering the terms “transitive” and “intransitive” isn’t that important unless you’re going to be teaching English. It can, however, be useful to know how to tell a transitive verb from an intransitive verb, so we’re gonna focus on that aspect.
Transitive Verbs versus Intransitive Verbs:
Definitions and How to Tell Them Apart
What Is a Transitive Verb?
A transitive verb is a word that describes an action that cannot be done by itself – it has to affect an object or a person (the direct object), so it always has to have an object or person written after it.
For example, “throw.” You wouldn’t just say, “I threw.” That leaves everyone wondering what you threw. The action and thought isn’t complete unless you say what the action was done to. “I threw the ball,” or “I threw a fit.” Those are both very different actions even though they use the same word because the verb relies on a word that comes after it to complete its thought.
What Is an Intransitive Verb?
Basically, it’s the opposite (Remember “In-” means “not,” so “intransitive” means “not transitive.”). It’s a verb that can be used alone, that isn’t done directly to something else. For example, “I thought,” “I am,” or “I ran.” Those are all complete thoughts on their own. If you end the sentence right there, you aren’t left hanging.
How to Tell Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Apart
Method 1: Stop the Sentence After the Verb
The easiest way to tell a transitive verb from an intransitive verb is to do what we just did: stop the sentence right after the verb. If the action is incomplete, and you’re left wondering whom or what the action was done to, then, it’s a transitive verb (it requires a direct object). If the thought is complete as-is, it’s an intransitive verb.
Method 1 Example 1
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
The verb is “picked,” so stop the sentence right after that: “Peter Piper picked.” That doesn’t make sense. We’re left wondering, “what did he pick?” which means “picked” is transitive. It requires a direct object (in this case, a peck).
Method 1 Example 2
Rainbows are visions but only illusions.
The verb is “are,” so stop the sentence there: “Rainbows are.” That makes sense. It’s not much of a sentence, but it does make sense on its own. That means “are” is intransitive.
Method 2: Identify the Direct Object (When Method 1 Doesn’t Work)
Since we’re talking about English, there are always exceptions to the rule. For the most part, the first method is pretty helpful, but there are some words that are a bit more complicated. For example, some verbs can be transitive or intransitive depending on how they’re used. If you rely on the first method, you’ll be right most of the time but not always. And if this all seems a bit complicated already, you might decide that’s good enough for you.
If you’re willing to put in a bit more effort, though, you can be right most if not all the time. You see, the best way to tell which type of verb you have is to identify whether the sentence has a direct object (the word the action is done to).
To help identify a direct object, remember that a direct object follows specific rules:
- It has to be a noun (or acting as a noun).
- It almost always comes directly after the verb.
- The action is done to the direct object.
- The word “to” will never be used in front of a direct object (no prepositions!).
So, to check for a direct object, we need to check for nouns.
Step 1: Turn the verb into a question.
Ask “What did subject verb?” or “Whom did subject verb?”
In the case of our first example above, this question would be “What did Peter Piper pick? The answer is a “peck,” which is the direct object of the sentence.
If there is no answer to the question, the answer isn’t in the sentence, or the question doesn’t make sense for that sentence, there is no direct object, and the verb is intransitive.
Step 2: Check that it meets direct object requirements.
Then, look at the answer to the question and ask yourself whether each of those things are true:
- Is it acting as a noun?
- Is it right after the verb or close to it?
- Is the action being done to this word or phrase?
- Is “to” in front of this word or phrase? (or any other preposition for that matter)
If it’s a direct object, the answers will be 1. yes, 2. yes, 3. yes, and 4. no. If the answer to 4 is “yes,” it is not a direct object regardless of the answers to the rest (so maybe we should ask that first).
Method 2 Example 1
Josie read fifteen books about psychology last month.
First, we ask, “What did Josie read?”
The answer is “books” (or “fifteen books,” but “fifteen” is an adjective and can be ignored as far as direct objects go – we’re looking for the noun).
- Is “books” acting as a noun? Yes.
- Is “books” right after the verb or close to it? Yes.
- Is the action being done to “books”? Yes.
- Is a preposition in front of “books”? No.
That means that “books” is the direct object, and “read” is a transitive verb.
Method 2 Example 2
Josie read about psychology nonstop for the whole month.
It’s a similar sentence, but we can’t assume “read” is still a transitive verb. First, we ask, “What did Josie read?”
Well, the answer is still “books,” but “books” isn’t in the sentence. Ergo, “read” is intransitive in this sentence because there is no direct object.
You might think “about psychology,” but “about” is a preposition. That means that “psychology” cannot be a direct object (question 4).
How Is This Useful?
Well, besides answering direct object questions in school and the occasional teaching job (yes, I’ve had this in an interview), this is most useful in improving your understanding of sentences. That can improve your reading comprehension and also make it easier to learn other languages.
As far as showing off in bars or making loads of money, it’s not that kind of skill. At least, not in my experience. If anyone knows of examples otherwise, please, share.
