English Grammar: Complements of Verbs

Complements — Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

When an action verb takes a direct object, it is called a transitive verb. The word transitive comes from two Latin words which mean "passing across." When the verb is transitive, the action passes across from a doer (the subject) to a receiver of the action (the direct object). When we say that a verb is transitive, it is the same as saying that it has a direct object.

Any verb that does not take a direct object is intransitive. That is, the verb does not express action that passes over to a receiver.

A verb may be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another sentence. The verb may express action, but the action may not pass over to a receiver. In that case the verb is intransitive. When the verb is transitive, it always takes a direct object — the receiver of the action.

The following sentences show the same verb used as a transitive verb and as an intransitive verb: