Transitive Verbs - (Require a direct object)
1. Bring – She brought a gift.
2. Send – He sent a message.
3. Make – They made a cake.
4. Read – I read a book.
5. Write – She wrote a letter.
6. Kick – He kicked the ball.
7. Paint – She painted the wall.
8. Carry – He carried a box.
9. Close – Please close the door.
10. Eat – They ate pizza.
11. Buy – She bought a dress.
12. Hold – He held the baby.
13. Open – Please open the window.
14. Clean – They cleaned the house.
15. Watch – We watched a movie.
16. Repair – He repaired the car.
17. Bake – She baked cookies.
18. Draw – He drew a picture.
19. Feed – She fed the dog.
20. Play – They played a game.
21. Throw – He threw the ball.
22. Wear – She wore a jacket.
23. Catch – He caught a fish.
24. Push – He pushed the cart.
25. Answer – She answered the question.
26. Sing – He sang a song.
27. Type – She typed a message.
28. Love – They love their dog.
29. Build – He built a house.
30. Drive – She drove a car.
Intransitive Verbs - (Do not take a direct object)
Adverbs and Prepositions usually follows intransitive verbs.
1. Sleep – The baby sleeps.
2. Arrive – They arrived late.
3. Go – She goes every day.
4. Laugh – He laughed loudly.
5. Run – They ran quickly.
6. Swim – He swims every morning.
7. Fall – The leaves fell.
8. Cry – The baby cried.
9. Appear – She appeared suddenly.
10. Wait – We waited patiently.
11. Sleep – The child sleeps.
12. Arrive – She arrived late.
13. Go – He goes every day.
14. Come – They came quickly.
15. Laugh – She laughed loudly.
16. Cry – The baby cried.
17. Run – He runs fast.
18. Fall – The glass fell.
19. Swim – They swim well.
20. Disappear – It disappeared suddenly.
21. Wait – We waited patiently.
22. Happen – It happened yesterday.
23. Stay – They stayed overnight.
24. Arrive – The train arrived.
25. Live – He lives in Paris.
26. Work – She works hard.
27. Dance – They danced gracefully.
28. Jump – He jumped high.
29. Grow – The plant grew quickly.
30. Exist – Dinosaurs existed millions of years ago.
A transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object, whereas an intransitive verb makes complete
sense without a direct object.
1. We watched. - (incomplete without direct object)
2. I jumped in excitement. (makes complete sense without direct object).
Direct Object and Indirect Object
Sometimes, a transitive verb takes two objects
1. Direct object
2. Indirect object
The order of the objects can be reversed in some sentences.
1. I lent my toys to my friends.
2. I lent my friends my toys.
Verbs Used Both Transitively and Intransitively
Some verbs can be used in both ways.
Transitive verb Intransitive verb
1. Rickie plays football. 1. Rickie plays very well.
2. She runs a business. 2. He runs every morning.
3. They ate dinner. 3. They already ate.
4. I read the newspaper. 4. I love to read.
5. He wrote a letter. 5. He writes every day.
6. She drives a truck. 6. He drives well.
7. She sang a song. 7. She sang beautifully.
8. They began the show. 8. The show began.
9. He stopped the car. 9. The car stopped.
10. She changed her clothes. 10. The weather changed.
11. They grow vegetables. 11. Children grow fast.
12. He moved the table. 12. The train moved.
13. Please close the window. 13. The store closes at 6.
14. She broke the glass. 14. The glass broke.
