Transitive Verb: Meaning, Formula, Examples, and Worksheet

What is Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (it can be a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase) to make a complete sense of the action being performed. The subject can be something or someone. In a sentence, there should be an object to make the statement sensible. However, some verbs can be categorised as either transitive or intransitive (a verb that doesn’t use a direct object in a sentence) depending on their action and use. Here is an example of a transitive verb to help you understand this verb.

“We need a bigger carpet”

In this sentence, “need” is a transitive verb, and the direct object is “a bigger carpet”.

 Note ~ The subject of the sentences can be the person or thing performing the action; therefore, be careful not to mix up the object and subject. In this instance, it’s we, although the object receives the action.

This is the concise transitive verb meaning. Now, let’s move forward, as we are going to discover how to identify a transitive verb.

How to Identify a Transitive Verb

Finding a transitive verb in the statement can be tricky, but to tackle it, you have to understand the basic formula and structure. Just like other verbs, transitive verbs use the same rule, i.e., be integrated with tense, follow subject-verb agreement, action, voice, and expression. This verb requires a direct object or a thing acted on by the verb to make sense and perform properly. 

Additionally, when utilising a transitive verb, the most challenging part is not how to use the verb itself, but rather where to place the object. Therefore, if the transitive verb doesn’t have any indirect object, then in this case, the direct object will come after the verb. Look at the example of a transitive verb below.

Simultaneously, if the transitive verb has an indirect object in the sentence, then it will come after the verb and before the direct object.

This is how you can recognise the transitive verb, but if you are still puzzled between the head and toes of this verb, the next section will clear your doubts.

Transitive Verb Formula & Structure

Learners often face confusion in recognizing the transitive verb as it requires a direct object to complete its meaning, unlike an intransitive verb, which does not use any object. Moreover, finding the direct object can be challenging as it mostly answers the questions “who” and “what” after the verb. In these scenarios, understanding the transitive verbs formula and structure would be helpful. Here is the basic formula used: -

“Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object”

This represents the action of the verb, which is directly directed towards and received by the object, in the sentence, to make it expressive. Below is the detailed breakdown of this formula

Subject – The noun or pronoun carrying out the action

Transitive Verb – expresses the action performed by something or someone.

Direct Object – the noun or pronoun receives the action of the verb.

Types of Transitive Verbs

You might be astonished to know that Transitive verbs are of four types. These are classified according to the number and their usage. So let’s explore the types of transitive verbs in this section, along with the example of transitive verb and its usage.

1. Monotransitive Verbs

This type of transitive verb only needs one object to complete the meaning of the subject. 

For instance: - “She cooks lunch” – the verb is “cooks”, indicating the direct object “lunch”.

2. Ditransitive Verb

This verb takes only two objects, that is, the direct and indirect objects. In the sentences, the indirect object usually indicates what or who is receiving the action.

For instance: - “Shiva gave him a book” – the direct object is “book” and the indirect object is “her”.

3. Complex Transitive Verb

This type of transitive verb requires an object complement and a direct object, which further modifies or describes the direct object.

For instance: - “They elected her for president”. The direct object is “her”, and the object complement in this sentence is “president”.

4. Phrasal Transitive Verb

These are created with one or more particles (adverbs or prepositions) and a verb, and to complete the meaning, it requires a direct object.

For instance: - “He looked up the word". the phrasal verb is “looked up”, and the direct object is word.

Examples of Transitive Verbs in Sentences

Examples assist learners to understand transitive verb more quickly and easily. Thus, to help you understand this, we have shared transitive verb examples in this section. Here, the transitive verb is marked in bold and the object in italic, which will help you to know the difference.

1. She ate the mango.

2. He kicked the football.

3. They built a guest house.

4. The cat chased the mouse.

5. She painted a wall.

6. He read a novel.

7. They wrote an email.

8. He opened the window.

9. He fixed the cycle.

10. We watched a funny movie.

We hope these transitive sentence examples dispel all your doubts. By understanding these instances, you can use this verb properly in your daily conversation.

Common Transitive Verbs List

If you think that there are limited words to identify the transitive verb, then wake up to reality, as there are numerous transitive verbs. Be familiar with the transitive meaning and practice it correctly, and you can learn about then effectively. Have a look at this table of transitive verb list, which consists of the words that are easily recognizable and can be used in daily communication.

This transitive verb list might have ended here, but the words aren’t, as there are more transitive words. If you want the entire list, reach out to our experts, who will provide the list with examples. However, after exploring almost everything, it’s time to test your knowledge, so let’s solve a worksheet of transitive verbs in the next section.

Transitive Verb Worksheet with Answers

A transitive verb is easy to understand and find if you do enough practice. Understanding the example of transitive verb and solving exercises can make you proficient. Thus, to help you out, we have shared a worksheet consisting of questions in which you have to find the transitive word. Also, shared the answer key in the last to cross-check your answer.

Exercise: Find the Transitive Verb

1. I enjoy listening to Indian music

2. Jonny built a treehouse for her daughter

3. I had cookies and milk for breakfast

4. Ali bought a new laptop for his studies

5. Andrew brought a bottle of champagne for the celebration

6. Neo and Leo love hiking in the mountains

7. Sam found the answer to the math question

8. Lisa misplaced her favourite bracelet

9. The dog chased its tail around the yard.

10. The firefighters rescued the students at the school.

Answer

1. Enjoy

2. Built

3. Had

4. Bought

5. Brought

6. Love

7. Found

8. Misplaced

9. Chased

10. Rescued

Conclusion

We have come to the end. Hopefully, this blog post wasn’t like watching paint dry. From the school onwards, understanding the verbs and their types, like transitive verbs, is kind of tedious, but gradually it makes sense to know and comprehend them. Thus, it is critical to use it correctly in the sentences to make it sensible. To practice this verb or any other grammar type, such as adjective, adverbs, nouns, prepositions, and more, you can solve worksheets. For this, you can connect to our experts at Gradding.com. They will provide you with several worksheets as well as help you understand them. So grab your worksheets now!

FAQs

1. What is a transitive verb with examples?

Answer: A transitive verb requires an object (for example, a noun, a pronoun, or a noun phrase) to express the action performed by the things or person acted on by the verb. For example, “I received the parcel.” The word " received " here is a transitive verb that needs an object to perform the action, which is “parcel”, to complete its meaning. The direct object is essential for the sentence to make sense.

2. What is transitive and intransitive?

Answer: A Transitive verb is a type of verb that requires a direct object to make sense as the subject to complete its meaning. On the other hand, intransitive verbs don’t need a direct object. A transitive verb has someone or something that gets an action, and an intransitive verb does not require any action.

3. How do I know if a verb is transitive?

Answer: A transitive verb makes sense only when it applies its action to an object, which could be a thing or a person.

4. Can a verb be both transitive and intransitive?

Answer: Yes, a verb can function both transitively and intransitively, but it depends on how it is used in any statement. This type of verb is named an Ambitransitive verb.

5. What are the four types of transitive verbs?

Answer: Transitive verbs can be of four types: a monotransitive, complex transitive, ditransitive, and pseudo-transitive. These classifications are based on the type of objects, numbers, or complements that the verbs give their meaning.