One of the important, but for uncertain reasons, often ignored topics of English grammar are transitive and intransitive verbs in English. What is it, how they differ from each other, how to use them and why you need to know the relevant rules, sometimes even those who, as it seems to them, are fluent in this foreign language are not aware. For those who want to deepen and improve their knowledge, learn to distinguish and use transitive and intransitive verbs, and this article exists.
General definition: why determine transitivity?
Transitivity of a verb is a sign that determines whether it is possible to use direct and / or indirect complement in combination with the desired verb. Defining it, first of all, is necessary in order to correctly use the English prepositions.
By learning to distinguish between direct and indirect additions - an inevitable discovery for those who decide to study transitive and intransitive verbs in the English language - you can understand the word order in the sentence in more detail and with less difficulty. More precisely, with the order of additions.
Transitive verbs: signs and examples
Transitive verbs are used in conjunction with direct additions. Direct additions are expressed by nouns or pronouns in the accusative case (answer the questions “Who?” And “What?”). For instance:
| Example | Transfer |
| My girlfriend loves this puppy. | My girlfriend loves (Who?) This puppy. |
| It seems to me that she likes everything cute and little. | I think she likes (What?) Everything cute and small. |
Without a direct complement, the transitive verb seems "incomplete", and the sentence - unfinished. Using a transitive verb is almost impossible to express a specific idea. For instance:
| Example | Transfer | The same sentence, but without direct addition |
| We must use this tool. | We must use this tool. | We must use. (It makes no sense). |
| I prefer to drink orange juice instead of tea. | I like to drink orange juice instead of tea. | I like to drink instead of tea. (It sounds absurd and distorts the idea). |
Most often, direct adjectives with transitive verbs in the English language are used without an excuse. The only exceptions are phrasal verbs that do not exist without a preposition, or the meaning of which is distorted depending on its presence. For instance:
| Example | Transfer |
| She looks for you. | She is looking for you. |
The verb look for means search. If you replace the preposition, you can get a completely different meaning: look at - "look", look after - "look after", look forward - "wait with impatience." Without a preposition, this verb is not used at all.
Intransitive Verbs: Signs and Examples
These verbs require an indirect complement. It can be expressed by a noun or pronoun in the form of any case, except nominative. For instance:
| Example | Transfer |
| Let's talk about it! | Let's talk (About what?) About it! |
| He prays for us. | He prays for (Who?) Us. |
| Come to me. | Come (To whom?) To me. |
| Come with me. | Come (with whom?) With me. |
Unlike transitive, intransitive verbs in English can exist without addition, formulating a complete thought that does not require explanation.
| Example | Transfer |
| He is traveling. | He travels. |
| My husband is working. | My husband is working. |
Often in combination with the intransitive verb, several additions can be used.
| Example | Transfer |
| I don't want to talk to him about my problems. | I do not want to talk to him (first supplement) about my problems (second supplement). |
Irregular Verbs
Make a complete list of verbs in the English language - transitive or intransitive - with all desire, no one will succeed. In addition to the obvious impossibility to include all the richness of the language in one list, there is a more complex reason: some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on the context. For instance:
| Example | Transfer | Transitive verb |
| I wrote a story. | I wrote a story. | Transition. |
| The story is written by me. | The story is written by me. | Intransitive. |
In the first case, the use of a direct complement with the verb to write is possible and even necessary, and in the second, on the contrary, it is not possible.
To summarize
Examples of transitive and intransitive verbs in English with translation into Russian show and prove that an understanding of transitiveness is necessary even for those who study only spoken or only basic English. It facilitates understanding of the structure of the language, helps to systematize knowledge, get used to analyze sentences in meaning and grammatically, and also simplifies the study of prepositions. And verbs with inconsistent transitiveness can be considered a kind of demonstration of the richness, unusualness and interestingness of the English language, not inferior to Russian.