As distinguished from Linking Verb, a verb that tells what the subject is doing. When transitive verbs have objects they are connected to, the verb identifies whether the subjects are the ones in action or the ones the action is directed toward.
The action verbs are divided into two classes. Transitive and intransitive. These verbs tell us what the subjects do. The transitive verbs come from Latin “trans”, meaning “across”. When we use a transitive verb, the action is carried across the verb to a complement. When we use an intransitive verb, the action terminates with the verb.
A transitive verb is one which takes an object directly.
Examples Of Transitive Verb:
| She eats a mango | Take this box |
| I bought a diamond bracelet | The fish fell off the hook |
An intransitive verb is one which does not and cannot take on a direct object but but can have an indirect object. The intransitive verbs clearly and completely communicate without a direct object
Examples Of Intransitive Verb:
| Dogs bark | What happened? |
| Children play | The train runs late every day |
The same verb may be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another.
Examples Of Transitive & Intransitive Verbs:
| Transitive | The engineer stopped the bus |
|---|---|
| Intransitive | The bus stopped |
Verbs of being are really intransitive and they are called Incomplete Verbs Or Verbs Of Incomplete Predication. An incomplete verb requires a complement to complete the sense.
Examples:
| They are great friends |
Verbs like seem, appear, become are incomplete verbs.
Modal auxiliaries are used for
1.Probability - will ought
2.Possibility - can, could, may, might