What makes a verb intransitive

The girls carry water to their village. If the objects were taken out, the results would be illogical and questions would be raised in the mind of the reader; for example, Lila conveyed.

Conveyed what? An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb : it does not require an object to act upon. None of these verbs require an object for the sentence to make sense, and all of them can end a sentence. Some imperative forms of verbs can even make comprehensible one-word sentences. A number of English verbs can only be intransitive; that is, they will never make sense paired with an object.

Two examples of intransitive-only verbs are arrive and die. Many verbs can be classified as both transitive and intransitive depending on how they are used in a sentence. Urged by the others, she sang. To decide whether the verb is being used transitively or intransitively, all you need to do is determine whether the verb has an object. Does she sing something? Does he leave something? The verb is only transitive when the answer is yes.

When in doubt, look it up. In the dictionary, verbs will be listed as transitive, intransitive, or both right under the pronunciation key, and any possible differences in meaning between the two uses will be given as well. Phrasal verbs can also be classified as transitive or intransitive. Cindy has decided to give up sweets while she diets.

Give up is just one of many phrasal verbs that can be transitive or intransitive. She sings rock 'n' roll tunes. Next Quiz Transitive and Intransitive Verbs. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title. Are you sure you want to remove bookConfirmation and any corresponding bookmarks?

My Preferences My Reading List. Quiz: Sexism in Pronouns: He or She? Transitive and Intransitive Verbs. Adam Bede has been added to your Reading List! Grammarly's app will help with: 1 Avoiding spelling errors 2 Correcting grammar errors 3 Finding better words This free browser extension works with webmail, social media, and texting apps as well as online forms and Microsoft Office documents, like Word and Teams.

Download the app. We have two books: 1 "Smashing Grammar" Written by the founder of Grammar Monster , "Smashing Grammar" has an A-Z glossary of grammar terms, a punctuation section, and a chapter on easily confused words.

Each entry starts with a simple explanation and some basic examples before giving real-life, entertaining examples. Every entry ends with a summary explaining why the grammar point matters to a writer. If you like Grammar Monster, you'll love this book. Practical rather than academic, this best seller is packed with real-life examples and great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson.