Test preparation

Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, like "run," "eat," and "grow", “sings”. For example:

·       She sings beautifully is Intransitive

·       She sings a lullaby is transitive

Prepositional phrases or adverbs can follow intransitive verbs, creating the appearance of a direct object.

Some verbs are inherently intransitive, meaning they cannot be used with a direct object. These include "arrive," "go," "lie," "sneeze," "sit," and "die". For example:

·       He arrived home at 5:30 pm.

·       She is sneezing continuously.

For more exceptions, you can read the Shiksha page on intransitive verbs.

While transitive verbs generally require a direct object to complete their meaning, some verbs, like linking verbs and some impersonal verbs are sometimes used transitively but are inherently intransitive and never take a direct object.

Linking verbs connect the subject to a noun or adjective that renames or describes it. They are: be, seem, appear, become, feel, look, remain, sound, taste. For example:

·       The cake tastes delicious.

·       He became a doctor.

·       The answer appears incorrect.

Impersonal verbs indicate natural phenomena and do not have a subject that performs the action. They are: snow, rain, thunder, hail.  For example:

·       It snowed heavily last night.

·       It is raining.

Verbs followed by prepositional phrases or adverbs are not considered transitive. These elements modify the verb but do not receive the action. Example:

·       The CAT sat on the mat. (The prepositional phrase "on the mat" modifies "sat" but does not receive the action)

Some verbs may be used transitively in informal language when they are typically intransitive. Example: "They clicked." (Intransitive, informal, means they got along) vs. "They clicked the button." (Transitive, means they pressed a button)

Here's how you can look for transitive verbs, in detail: 

1.       Look for an object

A transitive verb will always have a direct object, which is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. 

2.       Ask "what" or "whom":

If you can answer the questions "what" or "whom" after the verb, it's likely a transitive verb. 

3.       Test with a simple sentence

If you can create a grammatically correct sentence with only the subject and verb, the verb is likely intransitive. 

4.       Consider context:

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