Do you know what a transitive verb is? This transitive verb will provide you with all of the information you need on transitive verbs, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
According to Your Dictionary, transitive verbs are verbs that express action and are followed by a direct object. These verbs have a recipient. Intransitive verbs do not require an object. These are followed by prepositional phrases or an adverb. Common verbs that are transitive might be hit, buy, or eat. You cannot simply “hit,” you must hit something. There is some controversy regarding complex transitives, monotransitive verbs, ditransitive verbs, and tritransitive verbs. Some verbs have both transitive and intransitive uses. Such constructions use the concept of valency for this grammatical information. The main characteristics of the transitive way of the lexical information of the verb is that the transitive phrases, or transitivity patterns that indicate the transitivity of a verb, are descriptive grammars that have a direct object. Instances of transitive verbs are an inherent part of verbs. Sometimes the same verb can have different transitivity when used in different ways.
Transitive verbs also exist in Hungarian, Pingelapese language, and Polish grammar such as in the following sentences according to GDC. The grammars of many languages follow similar grammatical construction theories. Sometimes the word order changes or an element of grammatical construction/salient linguistic feature changes depending on the separate verbs in the whole phrase that make a transitive sentence. Sometimes there is a fixed word order in these common sentence structures like the subject-transitive verb-object order.
maria widzi jana
jan jest widziany przez marię
dia masuk ke sekolah
indonesian sentences dia masuk sekolah
jugyō ga hajimaru
almát eszem
bort iszom
e aesae
lakhota sentence haŋpíkčeka kiŋ lená wé-čage
eszem az almát
What are examples of transitive verbs?
Examples of transitive phrasal verbs and intransitive phrasal verbs can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or grammatical technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of transitive verbs that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at these transitive verb examples in the following sentences and see how many you can identify the transitive verb in, like in the first sentence of the following examples!
The philologists of the Alexandrian school studied the lexical property of different theoretical traditions such as anticausative construction.
Gucci returned the documents to the administrator.
Alex sent a letter from Canada.
I sang the national anthem to the people on the bigger boat with courage.
My mom wrote me a letter for my birthday.
We eat pizza on Fridays.
Alicia washed the dishes after dinner.
“She picked up the gun. She raised the gun to her temple and squeezed the trigger. Tracy Whitney stepped out of the lobby of her apartment building into a gray…As Tracy approached the bank, she glanced at her watch. Eight-twenty …” – If Tomorrow Comes (by Sidney Sheldon)
My dog ate carrots off the floor.
[Raises the pistol and points.] Now I’ll shoot you, Judge Brack! Faugh — don’t use that sickening word! [Looks up at him and laughs.] Do you too believe in that legend? – Hedda Gabler (by Henrik Ibsen)
Mariam gave her brother a mobile phone.
I play the piano.
Mom ate the tart for her birthday.
He put on his moccasins and binoculars, and hopped on the bicycle.
My father took me to the movies for my birthday.
She put her spectacles on and tended to the dog bite.
“They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry. They picked up the gear from the boat. The old man carried the mast on his shoulder … They walked up the road together to the old man’s shack and went in through its open door … “He’s taken it,” he said. “Now I’ll let him eat it well. The old man had seen many great fish. The old man unhooked the fish, re-baited the line with another sardine and tossed it over. Then he worked his way slowly back to the bow. He washed his left hand and wiped it on his trousers.” – The Old man and the Sea (by Earnest Hemingway)
Delia walked the dog to the park.
She learned a foreign language in high school.
The director discussed marketing strategies offered in the advertisement.
She left the keys on the table.
The cat ate the mouse before we could stop her.
She carried the bag home.
Alex and Alicia emptied the dishwasher and cleaned the dishes before going to the movies.
Mia cheered the team on to victory
Minna hit Joe when the teacher turned.
My Mother gave me a gift on my birthday.
She usually leaves the books on the table.
“This precious vessel was now placed on my knee… I could not eat the tart… I felt an inexpressible relief. I pronounced his name, offering him at the same time my hand: he took it … I devoured my bread and drank my coffee with relish.” – Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte)
We went to the zoo and the movies last weekend.
Grandma pulled the trigger on the water gun.
Alex sent a postcard from Argentina.
Grandpa loaded the dishwasher for my mom.
Please buy me a dog!
I lose the jacket that had my passport and good dictionary.
After the presentation, Joseph thanked Tatyana
The cat bit me and I was late for when class starts.
The toddler knocked down the model castle with a piece of banana.
Linda broke the vase and other entities.
Overall, a transitive verb is a verb that performs an action on a direct object. Intransitive verbs on the other hand do not require a direct object, nor should they have one.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
December 9, 2021
Common Questions
