Identify transitive and intransitive verbs

Key Notes:

What is a Verb?

A verb is a word that shows action 🏃‍♂️, state of being 😌, or occurrence 💥.
👉 Example: run, eat, sleep, jump, is, seem

Types of Action Verbs

Action verbs can be divided into two types:

• 🔹 Transitive Verbs
• 🔹 Intransitive Verbs

What is a Transitive Verb?

A transitive verb is a verb that needs an object to complete its meaning. 🎯
➡️ The action passes from the subject to the object.

🧩 Pattern: Subject + Verb + Object

✅ Examples:

• She plays 🎸 the guitar.
• The teacher wrote ✍️ a letter.
• He kicked ⚽ the ball.

👉 Here, “guitar,” “letter,” and “ball” are objects that receive the action.

What is an Intransitive Verb?

An intransitive verb does not need an object to make sense.
➡️ The action does not pass to an object.

🧩 Pattern: Subject + Verb

✅ Examples:

• The baby cried. 😭
• Birds fly. 🐦
• He slept. 😴

👉 The sentences are complete without objects.

Quick Trick to Identify

🕵️‍♀️ Ask the question “what?” or “whom?” after the verb.

• If you get an answer 👉 Transitive Verb
• If you don’t 👉 Intransitive Verb

✅ Example:

• She reads (what?) – a book. 📖 → Transitive
• She reads every morning. 🌅 → Intransitive

Same Verb – Both Types!

Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending on the sentence.

✅ Examples:

• He runs every day. 🏃‍♂️ (Intransitive)
• He runs a company. 🏢 (Transitive)
• The bell rings. 🔔 (Intransitive)
• The teacher rings the bell. 👩‍🏫🔔 (Transitive)

Summary Table

Verb Type	Needs Object?	Example	Emoji
Transitive	✅ Yes	He ate 🍎 an apple.	🎯
Intransitive	❌ No	He slept 😴.	🌙

Remember

• All transitive verbs have an object.
• Intransitive verbs stand alone.
• Some verbs can be both, depending on the context.

Practice Tip

💡 Find 5 sentences and identify whether the verbs are transitive or intransitive.
🎮 Challenge yourself: Change one type into the other!