211. Verbs are either transitive or intransitive ([§ 99]).
Some verbs may be followed by a substantive denoting that which receives the action or is produced by it. These are called transitive verbs. All other verbs are called intransitive.
A substantive that completes the meaning of a transitive verb is called its direct object.
In the following sentences, the first four verbs are transitive (with objects), the last five are intransitive (without objects):—
- Lightning shattered the oak.
- Clouds darkened the sky.
- Chemists extract radium from pitchblende.
- The orator quoted Tennyson incorrectly.
- Look where he stands and glares!
- The bankrupt absconded.
- The orange sky of evening died away.
- The words differ in a single letter.
212. A verb which is transitive in one of its senses may be intransitive in another.
| Transitive (with Object) | Intransitive (without Object) |
|---|---|
| Boys fly kites. | Birds fly. |
| The pirates sank the ship. | The stone sank. |
| I closed my eyes. | School closed yesterday. |
| Tom tore his coat. | The cloth tore easily. |
213. Many transitive verbs may be used absolutely,—that is, merely to express action without any indication of the direct object.
| Transitive Verb with Object expressed | Transitive Verb used absolutely |
|---|---|
| The horses drank water. | The horses drank from the brook. |
| The farmer plows his fields. | The farmer plows in the spring. |
| Charles is drawing a picture. | Charles is drawing. |
There is a sharp contrast between a transitive verb used absolutely and a real intransitive verb. To the former we can always add an object; with the latter no object is possible.